SHIRLEY Temple, the dimpled, curly-haired child star who sang, danced, sobbed and grinned her way into the hearts of Depression-era moviegoers, has died. She was 85.
Temple, known in private life as Shirley Temple Black, died Monday night at about 11pm (5pm AEDT Tuesday) at her home near San Francisco. She was surrounded by family members and caregivers, her publicist Cheryl Kagan said.
“We salute her for a life of remarkable achievements as an actor, as a diplomat, and most importantly as our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and adored wife for fifty-five years of the late and much missed Charles Alden Black,” a family statement said.
A talented and ultra-adorable entertainer, Shirley Temple was America’s top box-office draw from 1935 to 1938, a record no other child star has come near. She beat out such grown-ups as Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Robert Taylor, Gary Cooper and Joan Crawford.
In 1999, the American Film Institute ranking of the top 50 screen legends ranked Temple at No. 18 among the 25 actresses. She appeared in scores of movies and kept children singing On the Good Ship Lollipop for generations.
Cue a chorus of "I thought...
Cue a chorus of "I thought...
she had died years ago...."
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Cue a chorus of "I thought...
No, this is one I actually knew was still alive...
Another gracious lady passes on; too bad...
Another gracious lady passes on; too bad...
Re: Cue a chorus of "I thought...
When I was a kid I hated her; for some reason my mother thought it necessary to force my sisters and I to watch her movies--and I just wanted to punch her and her precocious characters in the face; even the Our Gang kids seemed like real kids compared to her. And it just got worse when we were told "Why can't you be more like Shirley Temple?" I just knew she was the kid who'd smack you in the head just so you'd hit her back when the teacher came around the corner, or who took names (liberally making charges up) when the teacher left the room.
But, as I got older I saw her many times as a guest on talk shows and found her engaging and witty, and not at all like I imagined that brat would have grown up to be. Indeed, she seemed to be remarkably unaffected by her days as a child actor, something many of them couldn't get around (true even of today's child actors). Just a woman who turned her notoriety into a way of helping people.
Rest in peace.
But, as I got older I saw her many times as a guest on talk shows and found her engaging and witty, and not at all like I imagined that brat would have grown up to be. Indeed, she seemed to be remarkably unaffected by her days as a child actor, something many of them couldn't get around (true even of today's child actors). Just a woman who turned her notoriety into a way of helping people.
Rest in peace.
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oldr_n_wsr
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Re: Cue a chorus of "I thought...
I have similar memories Big RR.
RIP Shirley Temple Black
and now that I am sober, thanks for the drink
RIP Shirley Temple Black
and now that I am sober, thanks for the drink