A child star who brought joy and good humor to millions of Americans in the 1930s and 1940s, Shirley Temple was also the subject of wild rumours. One in particular, which caught the attention of the Vatican…
In February 2014, America mourned its little fiancée, Shirley Temple, the one who gave, as a child, joy and good humor to a country bled by the 1929 crisis.
She was then spotted by two producers, who hired her for a series of short films parodying the great cinematic successes of the time. The returns were positive and, after the bankruptcy of her first producers in 1933, she signed a contract with the Fox Film Corporation, with whom she would shoot most of her films.
This decade marks the peak of his career. Shirley sings, dances and has a string of successes, becoming the most profitable artist at the box office for four years, from 1934 and 1938, ahead of icons like Clark Gable and Gary Cooper.
It even inaugurated the awarding of the Oscar for Youth in 1935, for “his remarkable contribution to motion picture entertainment for the year 1934” (Year of Little Miss, First Love, It’s Forever and Shirley Aviator).
In 1938, during the 11th Academy Awards, she also had the honor of presenting Walt Disney with an Oscar for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In fact, an “adult” Oscar… And seven miniature versions!
The first child star of international stature, she declines her emblematic blond curls (legend has it that there are 54 of them) in all forms, from the doll to the hat, passing by the cup.
Vade Retro Pueri!
A notoriety that extended to Europe. And even to the Vatican. But not exactly for the reasons we imagine… At the height of her glory as a child star, she was the subject of numerous accusations born of rumors.
The prize goes to the hypothesis that Temple was not actually a child actress, but downright a 30-year-old adult with dwarfism. They were sure of it, the signs were not misleading: she had a stocky body, she wore a wig, dyed her hair, had her teeth filed, and wore dentures…
Absolutely grotesque rumors. But insistent enough that the Vatican decides to investigate to determine whether or not Shirley Temple was indeed a child. The interested party also told it in her autobiography published in 1988, Child Star.
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A priest sent by the Holy See, Father Silvio Massante, visited Shirley Temple and her parents to verify or deny the rumor: “I’m here to ask you about a persistent rumor that Shirley Temple is not a child” she wrote in her memoirs, quoting the priest.
“Mum’s eyes widened in astonishment. “In Italy, as in some other countries in Europe, there is a persistent rumor that Shirley is not a child at all, but that Shirley is in fact a dwarf” continued the priest. Although very young, Shirley says she was shocked to hear such comments.
A spectacular career rebound
At the age of 20, believing that her future was not in Hollywood, she made the decision to end her film career. The 50s and 60s are therefore entirely dedicated to his family. The year 1969 marked his return to the front of the stage, political this time.
Shirley Temple appeared alongside the Republicans, was appointed United States delegate to the United Nations by President Richard Nixon and even obtained the post of United States ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia between 1974 and 1992. In 1976, she even became the first woman to be chief of protocol of the United States Department of State.
A remarkable reconversion for a great lady, who left an unforgettable memory in the American collective memory.