Shirley Temple's 15 Most Memorable Roles
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"Baby Take a Bow" (1934): A rare instance where her onscreen character actually has parents, Temple portrayed a tyke named Shirley — go figure — whose dad has a checkered past and wrangles her into a sordid little mess of necklace thievery. Temple was just coming into her own acclaim by the time this supporting role came along, but her earnest demeanor made her a standout on the screen. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"Little Miss Marker" (1934): As Shirley Temple's first major hit, this film introduced the world to its littlest superstar in a big way. It featured the then 6-year-old as a girl tragically left to live with a bookie. Temple was, of course, her stunning little self in the pic. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"Bright Eyes" (1934): Yet another picture with her as a pint-sized, parentless peach, "Bright Eyes" stands out among Shirley Temple's filmography for her famed performance of "On the Good Ship Lollipop," a tune which still resonates as one of her most memorable movie and musical moments of all time. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"Now and Forever" (1934): Holding her own among legends Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard, Temple was convincing as the sort of scamp who could make a criminal change his ways. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"Curly Top" (1935): Shirley Temple was one lovable, tightly-tressed orphan girl as little Elizabeth Blair, the charge of an orphanage. Blair's playfulness gets her into some trouble with the headmistresses but ultimately lands her in a swanky beach house by way of a wealthy benefactor (John Boles) jonesing for her also-orphaned sister (Rochelle Hudson). Temple's tiny arm-swinging delivery of "When I Grow Up" was the exact sort of thing the public had come to love about her. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"The Little Colonel" (1935): Shirley Temple was most definitely the kind of little girl who could mend the very broken relationship between a Yankee-loving southern woman and her cold, Confederate Army veteran father. Donning her buttoned-up best and tap-dancing with Bill Robinson on the swanky staircase, Temple's popularity continued to soar to its peak. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"The Littlest Rebel" (1935): Set amid the strife of the Civil War, Shirley Temple's Virgie Cary, the daughter of a plantation owner, must find it in her song and dance repertoire to convince President Lincoln himself — a rather tall order for a 6-year-old indeed — to pardon her father from his death sentence. Nothing a little "Polly Wolly Doodle" can't handle, though. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"Poor Little Rich Girl" (1936): Shirley Temple's curly-haired cuteness was working overtime with her turn as young Barbara Barry, the daughter of a wealthy and busy manufacturer who decides to ship her off to boarding school — but instead accidentally sets her on course to pose as an orphan walking the streets, join a pair of vaudeville performers, and try a plate of spaghetti for the first time. While the film itself received only lukewarm reviews, Temple charmed the socks off audiences with her signature array of talents and fun numbers like "But Definitely" and "Military Man." (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"Captain January" (1936): Temple and her yellow raincoat were unforgettable. She played the adoptive daughter of Captain January (Guy Kibbee) who must prove her smarts by way of a third grade exam in order to avoid getting taken away from her lighthouse abode. Most memorable was her little sailor-suited song and dance performance "At the Codfish Ball" opposite Buddy Epsen. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"Stowaway" (1936): Shirley Temple's orphan character du jour in this movie went by the name of "Ching Ching," a girl who finds herself stranded on a world traveler's ship. Unique to this picture was Temple's mastery of certain Mandarin Chinese terms and phrases. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"Heidi" (1937): Ask anyone to name one or two Shirley Temple pictures, and they're bound to spout out this title. Enjoying a whirlwind of success and adoration at the time, America's original sweetheart appeared as — you guessed it — an orphan child. In the film, she is sent to the mountains of Europe to live with her grandfather before being swept away to Germany with dreams of returning to the Swiss Alps where her beloved grandpa and wooden shoes await. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"Wee Willie Winkie" (1937): Based upon the famed Rudyard Kipling short story of the same name, this picture featured Temple as young Priscilla Williams, who decides to join the British army to win over her colonel grandfather while visiting him in India. Featuring perhaps one of Temple's most somber musical performances — "Auld Lang Syne" — the movie gave Temple and her special brand of gumption plenty of room to thrive. (Photo: Everett Collection)
"Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" (1938): Much like herself, Temple's Rebecca Winstead was endowed with a certain set of gifts just bound to make her a star. When her fame-hungry stepfather (William Demarest) gives up on her too quickly and ships her off to the farm, it's only a matter of time before she's blasting all over the radio. Soon a custody battle ensues between her wicked stepfather and lovely Aunt Miranda (Helen Westley), culminating in a very lively performance by Temple in a toy soldier costume. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"The Little Princess" (1939): There've been several iterations of this Frances Hodgeson Burnett novel adaptation, but Shirley Temple's work as poor Sara still remains the seminal one. The daughter of a wealthy captain called away to war, Sara finds herself placed in Miss Minchin's School for Girls — a fortune which turns sour very quickly once Captain Crewe (Ian Hunter)'s funds stop coming. She's soon treated bitterly as a servant girl and forced to live in shambles but refuses to give her father up for lost. Her final box office success as that finger-snapping youngster who won the world over, "The Little Princess" remains one of Temple's most memorable movies. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
"The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" (1947): As a teenager and beyond, Shirley Temple enjoyed but moderate success in the industry. This romantic comedy featured her as a relentlessly hard-crushing schoolgirl who sets her sights on a philandering artist (Cary Grant), much to her sister's (Myrna Loy) chagrin. While Temple remained adorable, it was her commitment to being a card that made her performance in the film memorable. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
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"Baby Take a Bow" (1934): A rare instance where her onscreen character actually has parents, Temple portrayed a tyke named Shirley — go figure — whose dad has a checkered past and wrangles her into a sordid little mess of necklace thievery. Temple was just coming into her own acclaim by the time this supporting role came along, but her earnest demeanor made her a standout on the screen. (Photo: Everett Collection)
(Everett Collection)
Shirley Temple was tremendously prolific onscreen — especially between the ages of five and seven, performing in 12 films in 1934 alone and a whopping 11 the year before. Take a look back at her best roles. —By Amanda Bell
