R.I.P. Shirley Temple - one of the last surviving stars from the 1930s

Hearing of Shirley Temple's passing today made me sad, I remember watching her movies with my Grandmother when I was a little kid. (My Grandmother passed away last year).

Here's a great picture of Shirley (age 18) taken on the set of "The Bachelor & The Bobby Soxer" from 1947.



It also got me wondering how many movie stars from that era (late 30s) are still with us. It's a very short list:

Mickey Rooney (93)
Luise Rainier (first actress to win the Oscar in back to back years) (104)
Olivia de Havilland (96) (we just lost her sister Joan Fontaine in December)
Joan Leslie (89)

Aside from bit players and a few other long-forgotten child stars that's all I could come up with.

So, here's to you Shirley, you will be remembered…and here's hoping that Mickey, Luise, Olivia and Joan will be around a little longer.

R.I.P. I can remember watching her old movies on TV at my.grandmother's house as a kid, too. Must've been a Grandma thing.

Honestly though,.I could've sworn I'd heard that she had passed away some time ago. Obviously I had her confused with someone else.

Shirley was making $50,000 per film by 1935, if you adjust that for inflation it's the equivalent of $850,000. That was huge money for a child star in 1935.

She retired from acting in films at age 20.

R.I.P. Shirley. I didn't watch a lot of black and white movies back in my childhood but Shirley Temple movies were some of them, along with Ma and Pa Kettle and of course the great monster flicks. On a side note when my sister-in-law Weijun first came to the United States from mainland China in the late 90's, she took the name Shirley, because she was such a big fan.

Her films have always put me in a good mood; I used to collect them on VHS. She was a darling. RIP. I know I could wiki this, but I'll ask anyway: what did she end up doing after retirement?

I had no idea Olivia is still alive. Wow.

She retired to start a family with her second husband Charles Black (she was married to John Agar for a few years prior to that). She had a TV show for a couple years circa 59/60, got involved with politics and was an ambassador to several different countries.

Quote :

I had no idea Olivia is still alive. Wow.

Her sister Joan Fontaine just died in December, good genes in that family.

She lived a very full life a true Icon RIP

Sid Caesar has now passed away, too.  Two legends in the same week.

Never saw one Shirley Temple film (not my cup of tea) but there's no denying her iconic status.


  


And also to Sid Caesar, another true legend gone.

R.I.P.

Awesome that others had the same experience of watching Shirley Temple movies with their grandmothers. The thing that she never gets enough credit for was her comedic timing. Sad to be losing all these legends.

The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer (1947) is one of my favorite classic comedies. Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Shirley are the main stars, it's a hoot.

Fat Freddy wrote:

R.I.P. I can remember watching her old movies on TV at my.grandmother's house as a kid, too. Must've been a Grandma thing.

Honestly though,.I could've sworn I'd heard that she had passed away some time ago. Obviously I had her confused with someone else.

Me too! but that was in the per-internet age for me, 1980s/early-mid 1990s when I thought it was said she died. My family always watched her movies on TV, when she starred as a child. I never seen many of her other ones when she got older.

I had always thought this was an urban myth (like the kid from Wonder Years being Marylyn Manson).  Turned out to be true.  So random and great....
http://www.metalinsider.net/legacies/shirley-temples-daughter-was-in-the-melvins

I actually saw her play with them in 1989 when they and Nirvana opened for Skin Yard at the old 9:30 Club.  Needless to say at that point both the Melvins and Nirvana were still finding who they were as bands.  Nirvana was only notable in my memory of the show as destroying their instruments.  Which was bizarre and weird for an opening band in front of maybe 50 people.  

And since it gets referenced - every metal fan should own Houdini.

I remember her! But can't remember for sure if I read the story back then of her mother being Shirley Temple.
Totally had a crush on her from the photos in MRR, Maximum Rock N Roll fanzine and was kind of disappointed at first when she wasn't there when The Melvins finally played in Toronto in May,1990.