The first child star to win a Juvenile Oscar
Being a child actor in Hollywood is no small feat, but Shirley Temple danced and sang her way to stardom from the age of three. Known as one of the most successful child actors of all time, Temple was known for being the ultimate triple threat, able to sing, dance, and act, all while most other kids were barely starting nursery.
With a seemingly limitless sense of enthusiasm and joy, the actor became known for her roles in Bright Eyes, The Little Colonel and The Little Princess, brightening the screens of global audiences at a time when there wasn’t much to be happy about as the Great Depression swept through the United States. Temple experienced an unprecedented level of success very early on in her career, going on to win a Juvenile Oscar.
But how old was she when she received this honour?
Temple was encouraged to try singing and dancing from a young age, studying at a local dance school where she was spotted by Charles Lamont, a casting director for Educational Pictures, noticing her infamous golden ringlet curls. She was invited to audition at the studio and later signed a contract with them in 1932, starring a short skit called Glad Rags to Riches in a series of short films created by the company called Baby Burlesks. She quickly became the star of this series and was given the chance to act in longer films, slowly working her way up the ranks until she was given small roles in feature films such as The Red Haired Alibi and To The Last Man.
After seeing one of these short films, an executive at Fox Film Corporation arranged for Temple to audition for their upcoming film Stand Up and Cheer!, which became one of Temple’s defining roles, leading to other feature film projects such as Bright Eyes, Now and Forever, The Little Colonel and Curly Top, with the young actor having her contract updated to require four films a year instead of three. Temple was booked and busy, working on back-to-back projects that were intended to lift the spirits of Americans and entertain a downtrodden nation.
And after her string of successes in 1934, Temple was awarded the Juvenile Academy Award in 1935, largely due to her hit performance in Bright Eyes, in which she performed alongside James Dunn in a role that was written for her, with the two of them tap-dancing and singing their way through the picture. While Bright Eyes was one of her most popular films, the award was given to commend all her contributions to the film industry, with a list of credits that matched even her adult counterparts.
Temple stopped acting when she was 22 but remained a prominent figure in the public eye and was heavily involved in politics. She is one of the most revered American icons and continues to be a symbol of a new era in Hollywood that was looking towards a brighter future, finding hope in the eternal optimism of the young Shirley Temple.
