A Star is Born

One of the most celebrated careers in the history of Hollywood began in 1932 on a stage here at Hollywood Center Studios. Shirley Temple, the daughter of a bank teller, was just three years old when she was spotted in a dance class by Charles Lamont, a casting director from Educational Pictures, and chosen to star in series of one reel “baby shorts” that were produced on the lot (then called General Service Studios). Lamont was smitten with the little girl’s precociousness and ability to perform spot on imitations of Marlene Dietrich and other celebrities.

Shirley Temple soon signed with Fox and her appearance in the 1934 film Stand Up and Cheer made her a star. That same year, she was awarded an Oscar “in grateful recognition of her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment.” Temple’s contribution came primarily in the form of ticket sales; from 1935 to 1938, she was the number one box office star in the world. She appeared in 35 films in the ‘30s and ‘40s, including such classics as Little Miss Marker, Curly Top, Heidi and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

Like many child stars after her, Temple struggled to maintain her success as she entered adolescence. She “retired” at 12, and although she made several comeback attempts, she never came close to her former celebrity. She did, however, find success in other ways, among other things serving as a representative to the United Nations under President Richard Nixon and later as ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.

Educational Pictures didn’t fare as well. The company, which specialized in short subjects, saw its fortunes falter through the ‘30s as the distribution model for pictures changed, one-reelers fell out of favor, and the Great Depression brought declines in movie attendance. By the end of the decade, just as Shirley Temple’s popularity was at its zenith, Education Pictures was out of business.

You can watch Shirley Temple’s screen debut in The Runt Page here.