Shirley Temple dies at 85
02-11-14, 05:09 AM
#1
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Shirley Temple dies at 85
Former childhood movie star Shirley Temple has died, her agent confirmed in a statement to ABC News.
She was 85.
Temple -- known in private life as Shirley Temple Black -- died Monday night at her home near San Francisco, surrounded by her family and caregivers, according to the statement.
Temple is best known for her doe-eyed turn in numerous 1930s films, including "Bright Eyes" and "Curly Top," roles that allowed her to showcase a special brand of energy and optimism for a country enduring the Great Depression. She started dancing at age 2 and acting at 3.
By the time she was 5, she was stealing the show. In 1934, she was awarded a special miniature Oscar for her outstanding contribution to the silver screen.
She led the box office for three straight years. A drink was named after her. Children copied her curls. A doll in her likeness became a collector's item.
Eventually, as she aged, her Hollywood popularity declined.
At 17, she married John Agar, but the marriage didn't last.
Her second marriage, to San Francisco businessman Charles Black, endured -- and allowed her to enter the world of politics. She served as a U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.
Her survivors include three children, a granddaughter and two great-granddaughters.
She was 85.
Temple -- known in private life as Shirley Temple Black -- died Monday night at her home near San Francisco, surrounded by her family and caregivers, according to the statement.
Temple is best known for her doe-eyed turn in numerous 1930s films, including "Bright Eyes" and "Curly Top," roles that allowed her to showcase a special brand of energy and optimism for a country enduring the Great Depression. She started dancing at age 2 and acting at 3.
By the time she was 5, she was stealing the show. In 1934, she was awarded a special miniature Oscar for her outstanding contribution to the silver screen.
She led the box office for three straight years. A drink was named after her. Children copied her curls. A doll in her likeness became a collector's item.
Eventually, as she aged, her Hollywood popularity declined.
At 17, she married John Agar, but the marriage didn't last.
Her second marriage, to San Francisco businessman Charles Black, endured -- and allowed her to enter the world of politics. She served as a U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.
Her survivors include three children, a granddaughter and two great-granddaughters.
02-11-14, 05:11 AM
#2
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
Sad news. My mother loved her when she was little.
I kind of thought she was older than 85.
I kind of thought she was older than 85.
02-11-14, 05:21 AM
#3
Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
When I was a child, her movies played on TV all the time and her then-contemporary TV show, "Shirley Temple's Storybook Theatre," played in prime time, so we got to see her as an adorable, precocious little tyke during the day and as an adult introducing shot-on-video dramatizations of fairy tales at night. I remember when I was 8, I finally saw one of her later movies, A KISS FOR CORLISS, with David Niven romancing her when she was still a teenager. That was a surprise.
02-11-14, 08:11 AM
#8
Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
My wife sees her around Stanford Hospital a couple of times a year. She lived nearby and was a patient. I know she's gonna be sad to hear about this. 
02-11-14, 09:35 AM
#9
DVD Talk Ruler
Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
Amazing talent. She got people through the great depression. She was always very humble - very nice lady.
She said that she missed out on a lot of her childhood. As an example she said when she was 6 she went to see Santa Clause and he asked for her autograph. After that she didn't believe in Santa anymore.
She said that she missed out on a lot of her childhood. As an example she said when she was 6 she went to see Santa Clause and he asked for her autograph. After that she didn't believe in Santa anymore.
02-11-14, 11:12 AM
#10
Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/ar...t-85.html?_r=0
The New York Times obit includes this paragraph:
Temple and Fox jointly sued him and won. The magazine folded, Greene stopped reviewing films and wrote a number of best-selling novels, several of which were made into films.
Here she is dancing with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (in either THE LITTLE COLONEL or THE LITTLEST REBEL):
And with Buddy Ebsen in CAPTAIN JANUARY:
The New York Times obit includes this paragraph:
Not everyone was a Shirley Temple fan. The novelist Graham Greene, who was also a film critic, was sued by 20th Century Fox for his review of “Wee Willie Winkie” in the magazine Night and Day, which he edited. In the review, he questioned whether she was a midget and wrote of her “well-shaped and desirable little body” being served up to middle-aged male admirers.
Here she is dancing with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (in either THE LITTLE COLONEL or THE LITTLEST REBEL):
And with Buddy Ebsen in CAPTAIN JANUARY:
Last edited by Ash Ketchum; 02-11-14 at 11:31 AM.
02-11-14, 02:43 PM
#12
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Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
Never cared for her. Iconic figure either way.
Never could jive with her. Found her to be more annoying than anything.
Never could jive with her. Found her to be more annoying than anything.
02-11-14, 03:16 PM
#16
Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
Ford worked with her twice, 11 years apart, in WEE WILLIE WINKIE (1937) and FORT APACHE (1948). With the latter, he started her then-husband John Agar's film career and even cast him in his next film, SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON. Agar even co-starred with John Wayne a third time, in SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949). Thanks to all of that, Agar became well known enough, even if he wasn't much of an actor, to star in all those great 1950s sci-fi movies like REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, TARANTULA, THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS, THE MOLE PEOPLE and INVISIBLE INVADERS. I always thought Agar was well-suited for those movies. Somebody needed to star in the ones that Richard Carlson and Hugh Marlowe turned down. Why not Agar? What would have happened if Temple hadn't married Agar? Sure, Ford and Wayne would have found someone else easily enough for their movies, but would we even have BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS and INVISIBLE INVADERS if Agar hadn't been there to star in them?
02-11-14, 03:59 PM
#17
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
Ford worked with her twice, 11 years apart, in WEE WILLIE WINKIE (1937) and FORT APACHE (1948). With the latter, he started her then-husband John Agar's film career and even cast him in his next film, SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON. Agar even co-starred with John Wayne a third time, in SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949). Thanks to all of that, Agar became well known enough, even if he wasn't much of an actor, to star in all those great 1950s sci-fi movies like REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, TARANTULA, THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS, THE MOLE PEOPLE and INVISIBLE INVADERS. I always thought Agar was well-suited for those movies. Somebody needed to star in the ones that Richard Carlson and Hugh Marlowe turned down. Why not Agar? What would have happened if Temple hadn't married Agar? Sure, Ford and Wayne would have found someone else easily enough for their movies, but would we even have BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS and INVISIBLE INVADERS if Agar hadn't been there to star in them?
02-11-14, 06:05 PM
#19
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
There was a Simpsons episode with a kids' dancing teacher who was a former child star. They said they tried to get Shirley Temple to do the voice, but she didn't want to.
02-11-14, 06:42 PM
#20
Banned by request
Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
I've seen some clips of hers, but don't think I've ever seen a whole film. One of the few child stars that you didn't hear about having a totally fucked up life afterwards. RIP.
02-11-14, 06:43 PM
#21
Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
Shirley Temple creeped me out.
02-11-14, 06:59 PM
#22
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02-11-14, 07:31 PM
#23
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
02-11-14, 07:36 PM
#24
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Shirley Temple dies at 85
It's usually the other way around even if the media perception is former child stars are the equivalent of 60s rockstars or wrestlers from the 80/90s likely to die young or be drug addicts . For every Corey Haim/Lindsay Lohan theres like entire casts of shows like Boy Meets World,Facts Of Life,Step By Step etc where even if the kids career fizzles as adults and they go into obsurity they lead pretty normal lives.