As a kid, I watched all of the Shirley Temple movies
countless times and to this day, I haven’t tired of them. I knew every line in every film as well as
each song. I guess I identified with
her. She often played that motherless
child who had an eternal optimism about her.
No matter what dire circumstances she found herself in, there was always
a song or a dance that put a positive spin on the situation—not to mention that
required happy ending. As a motherless
child myself, I knew exactly how Shirley felt.
Despite a good home life, there was still a sense of insecurity along
with the gut feeling that something was missing.
Thankfully, the real-life Shirley Temple had none of these
issues. Gertrude Temple desperately
wanted a girl. She and her husband,
George, who worked for the Southern California Electrical Company, already had
two fine sons—John and George, Jr.
Gertrude’s wish finally came true on April 23, 1928 when six pound, eight
ounce Shirley was born. At the time, her
big brothers were 13 and eight, respectively.
Mrs. Temple immediately introduced Shirley to music and when the child
took her first steps, Gertrude was delighted to see her daughter walking on her
toes. As a toddler, Shirley’s singing
and dancing talent emerged and she was soon enrolled in classes to enhance her
natural gifts. Mother, it seems, had big
plans for her little girl.
Gertrude’s ambition paid off when Shirley made her film
debut in 1932 at the age of five. Of
course, her mother swore she was only four, which made her talent seem even
more amazing. As she began to star in
her own vehicles for Twentieth Century Fox, it was Gertrude who carefully
curled each ringlet and taught the next day’s lines to her daughter who was
still unable to read. It was also
Gertrude who sheltered the child. After
each take, she rushed Shirley back to her dressing room. No hobnobbing with the other players was
allowed. Shirley Temple never realized
how big a star she really was. Her
mother wouldn’t have it.
As a result, this curly-haired girl sang and danced her way
into the hearts of movie-goers. With the
Great Depression still wracking the country, her timing couldn’t have been
better. She brought laughter and joy
where little existed and her positive outlook was contagious. People took to her as if she was their own
child. Mrs. Temple always knew that
Shirley was special. She regularly gave
her daughter only one command just before the cameras rolled: “Sparkle, Shirley, sparkle!” And sparkle she did!
