How Shirley Temple Really Got Her Start
Hulton Archive/Getty Images By Hope Campbell/June 19, 2021 2:55 pm EST
When one thinks of Shirley Temple, it’s easy to conjure up images of a pint-sized young girl with perfectly-styled golden ringlets and an innocent plaid dress singing “On The Good Ship Lollipop” with all the innocence of a happy-go-lucky child. However, that happy-go-lucky kid got her show business start in small films playing an adult.
Shirley Jane Temple was one of Hollywood’s first child stars and was born in the Hollywood area in Santa Monica, California, on April 23, 1928. Her mother is the one who decided her daughter would be a star when Temple was just 3 years old. She enrolled the little girl in Melgin’s dance studio and in 1932 an agent took a liking to her, casting her in what was called “Baby Burlesks,” as reported by The New York Times. Early in the late 19th century and early 20th century, sexually-explicit burlesque shows were popular, according to Britannica. “Baby Burlesks” was a take on that, per the Times. In these little film shorts, small children played adult roles and were dressed in adult costumes that ended at the waist. Below the waist, they wore large fake diapers with safety pins, with Temple and other children performing parodies of popular movies of the era, including “The Front Page” and “War Babies” (via the Times).
How Shirley Temple Really Got Her Start
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
By Hope Campbell/June 19, 2021 2:55 pm EST
When one thinks of Shirley Temple, it’s easy to conjure up images of a pint-sized young girl with perfectly-styled golden ringlets and an innocent plaid dress singing “On The Good Ship Lollipop” with all the innocence of a happy-go-lucky child. However, that happy-go-lucky kid got her show business start in small films playing an adult.
Shirley Jane Temple was one of Hollywood’s first child stars and was born in the Hollywood area in Santa Monica, California, on April 23, 1928. Her mother is the one who decided her daughter would be a star when Temple was just 3 years old. She enrolled the little girl in Melgin’s dance studio and in 1932 an agent took a liking to her, casting her in what was called “Baby Burlesks,” as reported by The New York Times. Early in the late 19th century and early 20th century, sexually-explicit burlesque shows were popular, according to Britannica. “Baby Burlesks” was a take on that, per the Times. In these little film shorts, small children played adult roles and were dressed in adult costumes that ended at the waist. Below the waist, they wore large fake diapers with safety pins, with Temple and other children performing parodies of popular movies of the era, including “The Front Page” and “War Babies” (via the Times).
Shirley Jane Temple was one of Hollywood’s first child stars and was born in the Hollywood area in Santa Monica, California, on April 23, 1928. Her mother is the one who decided her daughter would be a star when Temple was just 3 years old. She enrolled the little girl in Melgin’s dance studio and in 1932 an agent took a liking to her, casting her in what was called “Baby Burlesks,” as reported by The New York Times. Early in the late 19th century and early 20th century, sexually-explicit burlesque shows were popular, according to Britannica. “Baby Burlesks” was a take on that, per the Times.
In these little film shorts, small children played adult roles and were dressed in adult costumes that ended at the waist. Below the waist, they wore large fake diapers with safety pins, with Temple and other children performing parodies of popular movies of the era, including “The Front Page” and “War Babies” (via the Times).
Shirley Temple lived a much different life from her Hollywood beginnings
Vince Bucci/Getty Images
Eventually, Temple Black ran for Congress in 1967 and became a U.S. diplomat, serving as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 1969-1970 and as the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana in 1974. Temple Black passed away at age 85 on February 10, 2014 (via The Washington Post).
