HomeShe will always be the most important part of our childhood, although she's no longer young at that time.
She's Shirley Temple.
It was in the last century - televisions came into our lives with this lovely curly girl, tap dancing and singing.
I already fell in love with her without a chance to catch her name. Actually, I did push lots of unnecessary activities - as least in my mind - to wait in front of TV just for her face.
She's the sweet darling in "Dimples", "The Little Colonel" and "The Littlest Rebel". I didn't even realize that black-and-white films could be as fascinating as that. In another word, Shirley Temple ignited all my imaginations of little girls: pure, true, native and sweet.
She's innocent with big bright eyes, lovely little frame and flickering dimples. She reunited parents in arguments, comforted a grandfather from the sadness of his eloped daughter, turned a thief to good, softened a stone cold pirate captain; she broke all these laws perfectly justified.
One film after another was released with quickly grew up Shirley Temple. I still remember her last film I've watched, "Since You Went Away". She was sixteen and she looked like an adult already.
She was pudgy in the past but mature at that time. I was so sad to realize it might be the end of her career as a child star.
But it's enough.
She was awarded an Oscar at 7. Because she's so young, organizers ingeniously customized a smaller gold trophy for her. It is said that the grown-up Temple made fun of that like "why children were awarded smaller trophy? I deserve a larger one."
That is true.
It seems that anyone in her film was only the supporting player, leaving her standing in the centre with gloriously radiant.
Had I dreamed of becoming her in my puberty? I was not quite sure except I did actually inquire the tap dance class but eventually quit; it's absolutely difficult.
Nevertheless, did all the gorgeous achievements bring a happy life to her? Or it's not real just like every wonderful dining hall has fragile kitchen? We don't know but the details as below.
In 1988, Temple published her biography "Child Star". In this book, she mentioned that she only lived two years baby with the rest of time keeping working.
At her ages three, Temple's mother took her for auditions everywhere. Soon after, Temple became the leading role of "Pageboy". But correspondingly, she lost her childhood as an ordinary person.
No friends, no classes at school, no snacks, no laughter and tear like other kids. She worked 5+ hours on the set from day to day, and 8 hours or more on weekends. She would even be locked in a dark room if she did act well.
Temple cannot read at that time, so her mother read every dialogue loudly for her. She had no time to take classes at school but learned from a private tutor.
She had not complained about that with thoughts of every child worked like that. She didn't know there're so many viewers for her films but only the tiredness at working intervals. Every time her mother woke her up toughly.
Temple mentioned that she no longer believed in Santa Claus at 6 years old, because Santa Claus asked for her autograph when she was taken to a department store to see him.
Also, her large revenues were taken away by her mother. She's not only the only girl in her family, but also a cash cow. As Temple grew up, she fought with her mother several times for her economic rights. At that time, she terminated the contract with 20 Century Fox.
In order to take back the control of her mother, she married one of her brother's classmates. This sudden marriage ended 5 years later, with a baby.
That same year, Temple met her Mr. Right trustingly with the help of her best friend Hoover.
She was the United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, she cared yet made huge contributions to public service; she developed breast cancer... but all these are meaningless to TV viewers and film fans. In our minds, she's forever young and the eternal sweetie despite the reality is she passed away at 85.
The real Shirley Temple that you've never know. A sad childhood and a rebellious puberty; the conflicts between her mother and her, although every of her films were about warm stories.
Shirley Temple's life is only a mythic memory, a live cartoon with days especially blue, blue like the sea; with spoke-animals, fantasy as a dream.
Myths are non-copyable. Geniuses, overachievers, superstars...each and every one of them are unique while it's unavoidable to come into confrontation with someone during our lifetime.
Farewell my baby, my curly top.
Enjoy paradise in the eternal rest in peace.
