Hollywood star Shirley Temple dies

[Divernan]

3. She charmed & cheered America and the world during the Great Depression

A rare example of a child star who carved out a new career (as a diplomat) "when the cameras stopped rolling." I think of her as the antithesis of Justin Bieber & the other sad juvenile "stars" who sink into an abyss of narcissism, sexual exhibitionism and drugs.

In 1935 she was awarded a special juvenile Oscar and her foot and hand prints were added to those of stars such as Jean Harlow and Mary Pickford outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

By the age of 10, Temple was the country's top box office draw. President Roosevelt even credited her with helping to raise American morale during the trials of the Great Depression.

Her own assessment of this period is somewhat different. "I class myself with Rin Tin Tin," she once said, referring to the canine star. "They fell in love with a dog and a little girl."

Goodness always triumphed over evil in her plots which were often based on traditional fairy stories

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