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.
When I
Shirley Temple Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'specially when it rains.
At first I was a 'fraidy cat
But now I know it's growing pains.
Gosh! oh gee! oh can't you see,
I'll soon be grown up tall,
So I've got to think what I will be
When I'm no longer small.
When I grow up
In a year or two or three,
I'll be happy as can be
Like a birdie in a tree.
When I grow up
There's a lot I want to do.
I will have real dollies too,
Like the woman in the shoe!
I want to be a teacher so the children can say,
Teacher dear
The gangs all here
With apples today.
When I grow up
I will have a big surprise,
For I'll bake the kind of pies,
That'll make you roll your eyes.
And if you see
That you need some company,
You can call me up and I'll come down
When I grow up!.
When I am sweet sixteen I'm going to a ball,
Of all the ladies there I'd like to be the best of all;
I'll wear a dress of silver and lace, they'll call me Princess Curly,
I'll be like Cinderella 'cept I won't run home so early.
I want to meet a handsome prince with a uniform of gold,
But I won't lose my slipper 'cause my tootsies might get cold.
I'll talk with queens and dance with kings like a little princess would;
If I could only do these things, I promise I'll be good.
When I am twenty-one I wish that I could look
Like the picture that I saw in a pretty story book;
A laur little girls were standing there much tinier than me
And they all carried baskets, they looked happy as can be,
Every one was smiling and having lots of fun;
I wish that I could be like that when I am twenty-one.
When I get very very old I'll stay at home all day,
But I haven't quite made up my mind,-- it's much too far away.
I think that I would like to be like the lady on the wall,
She looks so nice and comfy in her rocking chair 'n' all.
With that little cap upon her head she looks real pretty, too,
I like her long and funny dress, I like her hair, don't you?
It must be oh,-- so quiet you can hear the tick of the clock,
But it must be fun to have nothing to do but rock, and rock, and rock.
The song "When I Grow Up" by Shirley Temple is a song that speaks about the hopes and dreams of a young child. The song lyrics suggest that when it rains, she feels a terr'ble awful ache which she thinks are growing pains. Later in the song, she expresses the desire to grow up soon so she can do many things she dreams of. She wants to be a teacher and bake amazing pies, etc. The lyrics also suggest that she wants to feel like a princess by attending balls and meeting handsome princes. The song then ends with the child reflecting on what it will be like when she's very old.
Altogether, the song has an optimistic tone that is typical of childhood innocence. The child's hopes and dreams are very relatable and appealing to anyone who has ever been young. The song illustrates the beauty of dreaming and hoping for the future.
Line by Line Meaning
I get a terr'ble awful ache
I experience a severe pain
'specially when it rains.
Especially when it is raining
At first I was a 'fraidy cat
Initially, I was scared
But now I know it's growing pains.
But now I realize it is because of growing up
Gosh! oh gee! oh can't you see,
Expressing surprise and emotion
I'll soon be grown up tall,
I will soon be an adult and tall
So I've got to think what I will be
So, I need to think about what I want to become
When I'm no longer small.
When I am no longer a child
When I grow up
When I become an adult
In a year or two or three,
In some years
I'll be happy as can be
I will be very happy
Like a birdie in a tree.
Like a bird on a tree branch
There's a lot I want to do.
I have many things that I want to do
I will have real dollies too,
I will own actual dolls
Like the woman in the shoe!
Similar to the woman who lived in a shoe
I want to be a teacher so the children can say,
I want to become a teacher, so children will call me
Teacher dear The gangs all here With apples today.
Teacher, dear! All the students are present with apples as gifts today!
I will have a big surprise,
I will have a significant surprise
For I'll bake the kind of pies,
Because I will bake the type of pies
That'll make you roll your eyes.
It will surprise you to the point where you roll your eyes
And if you see That you need some company,
And if you are lonely and want some company
You can call me up and I'll come down When I grow up!.
If you want, you can call me, and I will come if I am grown up
When I am sweet sixteen I'm going to a ball,
When I turn 16, I will go to a ball
Of all the ladies there I'd like to be the best of all;
I want to be the most beautiful among all the ladies attending the ball
I'll wear a dress of silver and lace,
I will wear a dress made of lace and silver
They'll call me Princess Curly,
Everyone will address me as Princess Curly
I'll be like Cinderella 'cept I won't run home so early.
I will be similar to Cinderella, except I will not leave the ball early
I want to meet a handsome prince with a uniform of gold,
I wish to meet a good-looking prince wearing a golden uniform
But I won't lose my slipper 'cause my tootsies might get cold.
But I will not lose my shoe like Cinderella because my feet might get cold
I'll talk with queens and dance with kings like a little princess would;
I will talk to queens and dance with kings like a princess would
If I could only do these things, I promise I'll be good.
If I ever get to perform these things, I promise to be very good
When I am twenty-one I wish that I could look
When I reach 21, I want to look like
Like the picture that I saw in a pretty storybook;
I want to appear like the image I saw in a beautiful storybook
A laur little girls were standing there much tinier than me
Many little girls, much shorter than me, were standing there
And they all carried baskets, they looked happy as can be,
They were all carrying baskets and looked very happy
Every one was smiling and having lots of fun;
Everyone was smiling and having lots of fun
I wish that I could be like that when I am twenty-one.
I wish that I could be just like them at 21
When I get very very old I'll stay at home all day,
When I become very old, I will spend my days at home
But I haven't quite made up my mind,-- it's much too far away.
But I'm not sure yet, as it's a long time from now
I think that I would like to be like the lady on the wall,
I think I would like to be like the lady in the picture on my wall
She looks so nice and comfy in her rocking chair 'n' all.
She appears quite content sitting on her rocking chair
With that little cap upon her head she looks real pretty, too,
She looks beautiful wearing that small cap on her head
I like her long and funny dress, I like her hair, don't you?
I love her long and amusing gown, don't you?
It must be oh,-- so quiet you can hear the tick of the clock,
It must be supremely silent to hear the clock ticking
But it must be fun to have nothing to do but rock, and rock, and rock.
But I imagine it must be enjoyable to do nothing but rock on the chair
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EDWARD HEYMAN, RAY HENDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@iloilee
Shirley Temple:
Hollywood is run by pedophiles and Shirley was just another victim. There are people in these comments who call things like this “innocent” and say it’s not perverted at all. Go read Shirley Temple’s autobiography and watch a documentary on what went on when the cameras were off. Search “Shirley temple disturbing history” and watch that mini documentary and let’s see if you have the heart to say it was all just innocent and fun.
Shirley temple admits herself that she was abused during her childhood by many of the actors and producers she worked with. They made her work long hours without break, and if she messed up or misbehaved, they placed her in a tight box with nothing in it but ice. She sat in there and froze all because she acted like the child she was or made a mistake.
She was forced to work and act no matter what. Even when she was sick, hurt, stressed, etc. They even made her work a day after she had surgery on her ears! If a scene called for her to cry, the director would tell her that her mom got kidnapped and murdered, or some other equally scary shit. She would begin to cry and cameras would start rolling.
Shirley Temple also admits that she got married to a man when she was 17 for the sole purpose of lessening the men who were sexually harassing her and trying to get with her. She talks about times when grown men would try to seduce her, chase her, etc. all while she was a kid! She even had a man expose himself to her.
The man she married turned out to be a mistake and she was depressed, suicidal, and lonely. She got divorced after being abused and mistreated by him for many years.
Shirley Temple acknowledged that what she was made to do in front of a camera was inappropriate, disturbing, and exploitive.
I know we want the world to be innocent and think this is just a fun little film, but it’s time to realize that childhood abuse is terrifyingly common and for every four children, there is one who has experienced abuse. We can’t sweep pedophilia and perversion under the rug. We need to realize it’s happening and not ignore it!
@music-hx5lf
00:20
I've thrown away my toys, even my drum and train
I want to make some noisewith real live aeroplanes
Some day I'm going to fly, I'll be a pilot, too
And when I do, how would you like to be my crew?
•
00:52
OnTheGoodShipLollipop
It's a sweet trip to a candy shop
Wherebon-bons play
On the sunny beach of Peppermint Bay
01:07
Lemonade stands everywhere
Crackerjack bands fill the air
And there you are
Happy landing on a chocolate bar
01:23
See the sugar bowl dothe tootsie roll
With the big bad devil's food cake
If you eat too much, ooh-ooh
You'll awake with a tummy ache
01:38
OnTheGoodShipLollipop
It's a night trip, into bed you hop
And dream away
OnTheGoodShipLollipop
01:52
OnTheGoodShipLollipop
It's a sweet trip to a candy shop
Wherebon-bons play
On the sunny beach of Peppermint Bay
02:07
Lemonade stands everywhere
Crackerjack bands fill the air
And there you are
Happy landing on a chocolate bar
02:23
See the sugar bowl dothe tootsie roll
With the big bad devil's food cake
02:30
If you eat too much, ooh-ooh
You'll awake with a tummy ache
02:38
OnTheGoodShipLollipop
It's a night trip, into bed you hop
And dream away
OnTheGoodShipLollipop
02:54 🧑🏻🎤🧑🏻🎤🧑🏻🎤🧑🏻🎤 MEN'S CHOIR
You'll awake with a tummy ache
03:00 SHIRLEY TEMPLE
OnTheGoodShipLollipop
It's a night trip, into bed you hop
And dream away
OnTheGoodShipLollipop
@ShirleyCurryTheOlderGamer
This is who I was named after!! Every Shirley I've met has been around my age. All the young mothers back then were naming their girls Shirley!
@thesweetestbear
Yes I feel like the younger generation isn't using the name as much
@botulismcasserole9832
Thankfully
@0l4f70
that is such a neat fun fact, grandma. thank you for sharing
@lulu12lola82
Aww nana thats REALLY niice.
Im a fan of shirley temple...sure is a CUTE name back then days..❤❤
@JacobKasten-ts1fw
Found out recently Anne of Green Gables was last named Shirley, "surely was?" thanks Don
@ip2489
May Shirley's soul be resting in the highest of heavens. She was such a unique being.
@DialGAgal
She’s alive…. Not dead…
@jdwoods5790
@terri bailey she’s 6 feet under
@moneybags999
@terri bailey Where are people getting that she is alive? She died in 2014. Is there a conspiracy theory that she faked her death or something?