By Stephanie Holz, Staff Writer
Shirley Temple Black, the little girl known so well for her cute little dimples, singing, tap-dancing, 56 blonde curly locks, and professional acting has died of natural causes in her home in Woodside California at the age of 85. According her publicist Cheryl Kagen, Black was surrounded by family at the time of her death.
Born on April 23rd, 1928 in Santa Monica, California to George and Gertrude Temple, Black lived life to the fullest, beginning acting at age three and starring in box office stealers such as “Curly Top” and “The Littlest Rebel”.
Her first film “War Babies” was an 11 minute long comedy released in 1932 which featured Black singing, dancing, and drinking milk in a café.
Also in 1932, Black was chosen to appear in “Baby Burlesks”, which was a series of one-reel shorts in which children wearing promiscuous clothing played all the parts. Fancy adult costumes ended at the waist, from where diapers with oversized safety pins where worn. When a child would misbehave in production they would be locked in a windowless sound box with nothing but a block of ice on which they could sit.
“So far as I can tell, the black box did no lasting damage to my psyche. Its lesson of life however, was profound and unforgettable. Time is money. Wasted time means wasted money means trouble.” Black said in her bibliography “Child Star”.
No movie was complete without a song such as “Animal crackers in my soup” or “On the Good Ship Lollipop” which remain in the minds of many today, and a dance. At a fee of 50 cents a week, Black had been educated on dance at Mrs. Meglin’s Dance Studio at age 3 after her mother decided to make her a professional dancer.
“Every mother at that time probably wanted their child to have her curly hair” Said Sister Dorothy Neuhofer of Saint Leo. “She was very popular”.
The child star received more mail than Greta Garbo and was photographed much more than Franklin D. Roosevelt. Shirley Temple dolls where the best-sellers of the century as fans rushed to purchase memorabilia. By the time she was 6 years old, Black had won an Academy Award and was the youngest to win an Oscar.
“She was a ball of energy, so full of life, and so happy.” Said Victoria Peacock, a freshman.
Temple’s acting career lasted only until her teenage years after both FOX and MGM dropped her contracts from lack of public interest. She had starred in a total of 23 movies total.
“She never made it as a grown-up star. It just wasn’t the same. I think she knew that.” Added Sister Neuhofer.
Moving on in life, Temple enrolled in Westlake Private School for Girls where she shared chewing gum with Amelia Earhart, spoke to Eleanor Roosevelt, and inspired the Derby Restaurant in California to create a non-alcoholic drink in her honor made with lemon lime soda, grenadine, and a maraschino cherry on top.
After school, the chain smoking 17 year old took Sargent John Agar Jr.’s hand in marriage on September 19th, 1945. Together the couple had one child, Linda Susan Agar. The marriage did not last though, as Black’s acting career was too overwhelming for Agar and in December 1949, a divorce was filed.
At age 21, Black married Mr. Charles Alden Black and remained his wife for 55 years until his passing in 2005. Together they had two children, Charles Black Jr., and Lori Black.
During the time of her new marriage Mrs. Black, began to show her interest in politics as a conservative republican. In 1969 she was appointed by President Nixon in to the United States delegation to the 24th session of the United States General Assembly. Success followed in 1974 when Black was appointed ambassador to Ghana and then once again in 1989 under George H.W. Bush as ambassador to Czechoslovakia.
In addition, Black also became one of the first public figures to discuss and write about breast cancer. The world was startled to hear of Black’s mastectomy in 1972 as she spoke out from a hospital room.
“My doctors have assured me that they are 100 percent certain the cancer is removed. The only reason I am telling you this is to convince other women to watch for any lump or unusual symptom. There is almost certainly a cure for this cancer if it is caught early enough.” She said.
Black also became president of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and co-founder of the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies to try and raise funds against the disease her brother George was suffering from.
“Although we often think of the curly-haired orphan that warmed our hearts and affirmed our childhood years, just because we no longer see these individuals as stars does not mean they don’t shine elsewhere.” Said Nicholas Cotter, a Senior.
Black is survived today by three children, a granddaughter, and three great-grandchildren.
