Temple began her film career in 1932 at the age of three and, in 1934, found international fame in Bright Eyes, a feature film designed specifically for her talents. She received a special Juvenile Academy Award in February 1935 for her outstanding contribution as a juvenile performer to motion pictures during 1934, and film hits such as Curly Top and Heidi followed year after year during the mid-to-late 1930s. Licensed merchandise that capitalized on her wholesome image included dolls, dishes, and clothing. Her box office popularity waned as she reached adolescence, and she left the film industry in her teens. She appeared in a few films of varying quality in her mid-to-late teens, and retired completely from films in 1950 at the age of 22. She was the top box-office draw four years in a row (1935–38) in a Motion Picture Herald poll.
Temple returned to show business in 1958 with a two-season television anthology series of fairy tale adaptations. She made guest appearances on television shows in the early 1960s and filmed a sitcom pilot that was never released. She sat on the boards of corporations and organizations including The Walt Disney Company, Del Monte Foods, and the National Wildlife Federation. In 1988, she published her autobiography, Child Star. Temple was the recipient of awards and honors including Kennedy Center Honors and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
Temple ranks 18th on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest female American screen legends of all time.
Temple began dance classes at Meglin's Dance School in Hollywood in 1931, at the age of 3. Her film career began when a casting director from Educational Pictures visited her class. Although Temple hid behind the piano in the studio, she was chosen by the director, invited to audition, and, eventually, signed to a contract with Educational.
Temple worked at Educational from 1932 to 1933, and appeared in two series of short subjects for the studio. Her first series, Baby Burlesks, satirized recent motion pictures and politics. In the series "Baby Burlesks", Shirley would dress up in a diaper, but then be wearing adult clothes everywhere else. The series was considered controversial by some viewers because of its depiction of young children in adult situations. Her second series at Educational, Frolics of Youth, was a bit more acceptable, and cast her as a bratty younger sister in a contemporary suburban family.
While working for Educational Pictures, Temple also performed many walk-on and bit player roles in various films at other studios. She is said to have auditioned for a lead role in Hal Roach's Our Gang comedies (later known as The Little Rascals) in the early 1930s; various reasons are given for her not having been cast in the role. Roach stated that Temple and her mother were unable to make it through the red tape of the audition process, while Our Gang producer/director Robert F. McGowan recalls that the studio wanted to cast Temple, but they refused to give in to Temple's mother's demands that Temple receive special star billing. Temple, in her autobiography Child Star, denies that she ever auditioned for Our Gang at all. However, Temple had some connection with Our Gang in that Temple's carpool friend, David Holt, had a small role in the 1933 Little Rascals film Forgotten Babies.
Temple was finally signed to Fox Film Corporation (which later merged with 20th Century Pictures to become 20th Century Fox) in late 1933 after appearing in Stand Up and Cheer! with James Dunn. Later, she was paired with Dunn in several films.
Temple would stay with Fox until 1940, becoming the studio's most lucrative player. Her contract was amended several times between 1933 and 1935, and she was loaned to Paramount for a pair of successful films in 1934. For four solid years, she ranked as the top-grossing box office star in America. Shirley's birth certificate was altered to hold on to her babyhood; her birth year was advanced from 1928 to 1929. She was not told her real age until her twelfth (actually thirteenth) birthday.
Her popularity earned her both public adulation and the approval of her peers. Even at the age of five, the hallmark of her acting work was her professionalism: she always had her lines memorized and dance steps prepared when shooting began.
Temple also made pictures with Carole Lombard, Gary Cooper, Adolphe Menjou, and many others. Arthur Treacher appeared as a kindly butler in several of Temple's films.
Temple's ability as a dancer (especially a tap dancer) is well known and celebrated. Even in her earliest films she danced, and she was able to handle complex tap choreography by the age of five. She was teamed with famed dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in The Little Colonel, The Littlest Rebel, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Just Around the Corner. Robinson also coached and developed her choreography for many of her other films. Because Robinson was African-American, and the South was replete with racism, his scenes holding hands with Temple had to be edited out in many cities in the South.
Aside from the films, there were many Shirley Temple product during the 1930s. Ideal's numerous Temple dolls, dressed in costumes from the movies, were top sellers. Original Shirley Temple dolls bring in hundreds of dollars on the secondary market today. Other successful Temple items included a line of girls' dresses and hairbows. Several of Temple's film songs, including "On the Good Ship Lollipop"(from 1934's Bright Eyes), "Animal Crackers in My Soup" (from 1935's Curly Top) and "Goodnight My Love" (from 1936's Stowaway) were popular radio hits. She frequently lent her likeness and talent to promoting various social causes, including the Red Cross.
Temple was the first recipient of the special Juvenile Performer Academy Award in 1935 for recognition of her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment in 1934. Seventy years later, Temple is still the youngest performer ever to receive this honor, or any Oscar. She is also the youngest actress to add foot and hand prints to the forecourt at Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
Get On Board Li'l Children
Shirley Temple Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The gospel train is a comin'
I hear it yes at hand
I hear the car was movin'
And a rumblin' through the land
Oh get on board, get on board, get on board
There's room for many a more
I hear the bell and twinkle
She's playing all her steaming power
And straining every nerve
Oh get on board, get on board, get on board
There's room for many a more
The fare is cheap and all can go
The rich and poor are there
No second class on board this train
No difference in the fare
Oh get on board, get on board, get on board
There's room for many a more
She's there and now the station
Or better don't be late
But come and get your ticket
And be ready for this train
Oh get on board, get on board, get on board
There's room for many a more
Oh get on board, get on board, get on board
Little children
There's room for many a more
"Get On Board Li'l Children" is a gospel train song that Shirley Temple performed on "The Shirley Temple Show" in 1958. The train is believed to symbolize the path to salvation and the lyrics invite listeners to join the journey towards this ultimate destination. The first verse speaks of the gospel train approaching, evoking the sense of urgency to get on board before it leaves. In the second verse, the train is described as powerful and full of life, moving with all its strength towards its destination. The third verse speaks of the universality of the invitation to board the train, highlighting the fact that all are welcome regardless of social class or economic status. The last verse repeats the invitation to all, particularly to the little children.
In the song, the train is used as a metaphor for the journey towards eternal life. The train is described as moving with a lot of steam, which implies the energy necessary for the journey. The lyrics also emphasize the importance of embracing the journey, and not missing a chance to take part in it. Moreover, the song invites everyone, not only those considered to be privileged, emphasizing the inclusive nature of the journey.
Line by Line Meaning
The gospel train is a comin'
A train filled with hope and faith is coming
I hear it yes at hand
I hear it coming closer
I hear the car was movin' And a rumblin' through the land
I hear the train car moving and rumbling through the land
Oh get on board, get on board, get on board There's room for many a more
Join the train as there is space for all
I hear the bell and twinkle A coming around the curve
I can hear the chime and whistle of the train that's about to turn around the curve
She's playing all her steaming power And straining every nerve
The train is using all its power and energy to move ahead
The fare is cheap and all can go The rich and poor are there No second class on board this train No difference in the fare
Everyone can afford to join this train, and everyone is equal regardless of their wealth
She's there and now the station Or better don't be late But come and get your ticket And be ready for this train
The train has arrived at the station, so hurry and get your ticket to board the train
Oh get on board, get on board, get on board There's room for many a more
Join the train as there is space for all
Oh get on board, get on board, get on board Little children There's room for many a more
Children are also welcome to join the train as there is enough space for all
Contributed by Elliot J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Reg
on I'm Gettin Nuttin for Christmas
This isn't Shirley Temple. She was 27 and long retired from show biz when it came out in 1955. The voice is Barry Gordon's, backed by the Art Mooney Orchestra.