Page 63 - Reason To Sing by Kelita Haverland

Chapter Ten

Little Miss Starlet

What was it in me that created the ‘need’ to perform – to sing,
dance, entertain? Was it in my genes? Was it the applause and
my unquenchable need for love and acceptance? Was it simply
because I was designed, created and gifted for showbiz?
My earliest predilection for performing came from
watching Shirley Temple movies on television when I was 4.
I fell in love with her bouncing ringlets and dimples the first
time I saw her, and with great anticipation waited week after
week to see another one of her movies. I adored her smile, her
voice, the way she danced. She charmed me with her vibrant
personality. She was just the cutest thing and I wanted to be a
star just like her! There was never any wavering.
I still treasure a small and simple booklet I made in Grade
1. There is an old black and white polaroid photograph of yours
truly on the cover, posing, talking into an ancient black phone,
dressed in a puffy crinoline with matching brimmed hat, white
lacy ankle socks and black patent leather shoes. I remember
the dress so vividly. It was soft pink and I loved it! I felt like
a little star wearing it. The booklet has subtitles like Family,
Favourite Foods and When I Grow Up. My ambitions were
simple – movie star, #1 and #2, nurse.
My dreams for a future in the entertainment business
were also fuelled by popular American television shows. Ed
Sullivan, Carol Burnett, Red Skelton, Sonny & Cher. We also
loved Canadian country music shows like Country Hoe Down,
Don Messer’s Jubilee and The Tommy Hunter Show. And just

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