How Did Shirley Temple Contribute To The Great Depression

Shirley Temple in the 1930s
Corkscrew curls, dimples, a large personality, and an addicting singing voice caught the attention of the United States during the Great Depression. Life was challenging and difficult during the Depression. American people looked for many different ways in order to bring happiness and hope to their lives. They discovered this from the child-star, Shirley Temple. Out of all of the children actors in the 1930s, Shirley Temple was surely the most well known star and her stardom alleviated some of the pain of the Great Depression.
The start of Shirley Temple’s career was an outcome of her pushy mother’s greed for fame. Temple’s mom, Gerture Temple, “craved for dressing up Shirley” (Kasson 82). It seems that Gertrude

Temple truly knocked out every adult actor of her time because she learned her lines twice as fast (Shirley Temple 1928). This showcases that she was a very skilled and phenomenal actress. In addition, her determination towards her roles was evident. Even though she was a child, she was still quite outstanding. Many people loved to say she was a “beacon of light and hope” during the Great Depression (Foster 5). This is important due to the fact that she cheered people up even in the darkest of times. Temple had many nicknames; among them were “Little Colonel and Bright Eyes” (Kalb 1). It was clear that Temple was a welcoming and cheerful icon. Furthermore, during the Great Depression, Temple was surpassing a lot of other actors. Many people would say that Temple was “a beaming, precocious young girl who gladdened the hearts of millions” (Foster 5). During this time many people needed a cute little face of hope, such as hers. She undoubtedly seemed to be quite a charm to everyone. Her innocent face seemed to award hope to people in a time when it was greatly needed; putting a smile on people’s faces was a wonderful result of her

One of Temple’s very first lead roles was in Stand Up (Weintraub 29). This was her first movie that exploded her popularity. In addition to that, she then played a vital role in the acting industry. A second movie that helped bring attention to her fame was Bright Eyes (Weintraub 29). Temple held the lead role in this comedy movie. This movie had been such an important part to help boost her role modeling towards girls. Temple was the “most popular Hollywood actress for four consecutive years (1935-1938)” (Perfetti 1). She truly had an extraordinary career. She had a delightful impact on her audience. This is important due to the fact that it shows mostly how she stayed so popular over the years; with Temple being in so many movies one can see how talented she was. Temple even won a Special Academy Award in 1935 for the purpose of her outstanding tap dancing skills (Weintraub 29). This is a very unusual and remarkable achievement for someone her age. All of these early key events in her acting career helped her to grow so