Page 216 - Cousins - Celebrities, Saints & Sinners

Her mother encouraged Shirley to develop her singing, dancing, and acting talents, and in September
1931 enrolled her in Meglin's Dance School in Los Angeles. At about this time, Shirley's mother began
styling her daughter's hair in ringlets.
While at the dance school, she was spotted by Charles Lamont, who was a casting director
for Educational Pictures. Temple hid behind the piano while she was in the studio. Lamont took a liking
to Temple and invited her to audition; he signed her to a contract in 1932. Educational Pictures launched
its Baby Burlesks, 10-minute comedy shorts satirizing recent films and events, using preschool children
in every role. Glad Rags to Riches was a parody of the Mae West feature She Done Him Wrong, with
Shirley as a saloon singer. Kid 'n' Africa had Shirley imperiled in the jungle. The Runt Page was a pastiche
of The Front Page. The juvenile cast delivered their lines as best they could, with the younger players
reciting phonetically. Temple became the breakout star of this series, and Educational promoted her to
20-minute comedies. These were in the Frolics of Youth series with Frank Coghlan Jr.; Temple played
Mary Lou Rogers, the baby sister in a contemporary suburban family. To underwrite production costs at
Educational Pictures, she and her child co-stars modeled for breakfast cereals and other products. She
was lent to Tower Productions for a small role in her first feature film (The Red-Haired Alibi) in 1932 and,
in 1933, to Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Pictures for various parts.

Temple was the recipient of many awards and honors, including a special Juvenile
Academy Award, the Life Achievement Award from the American Center of Films
for Children, the National Board of Review Career Achievement Award, Kennedy
Center Honors, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.

On March 14, 1935, Shirley left her footprints and handprints in the wet cement at
the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. She was the Grand
Marshal of the New Year's Day Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, three times in Temple wearing the
1939, 1989, and 1999. On February 8, 1960, she received a star on the Hollywood Kennedy Center
Walk of Fame. Honors, 1998

In February 1980, Temple was honored by the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania,
th
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along with U.S. Senator Jake Garn, actor James Stewart (13 cousin), singer John Denver (13 cousin, 1
time removed), and Tom Abraham, an American businessman who worked with immigrants seeking to
become US citizens.
On September 11, 2002, a life-size bronze statue of the child Temple by sculptor Nijel Binns was erected
on the Fox Studio lot.
Temple died at age 85 on February 10, 2014, at her home in Woodside, California. The cause of death,
according to her death certificate released on March 3, 2014, was chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD). Temple was a lifelong cigarette smoker but avoided displaying her habit in public
because she did not want to set a bad example for her fans.

References:
1. Relative Finder, associated with FamilySearch, and the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS)
2. Wikipedia.org
3. Learn more – The Disturbing Truth About Shirley Temple
4. LDS Family Tree attached

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