Lauren Novak

Do you remember Shirley Temple? She was a big Hollywood star in the 1930s. You probably remember her for her blond ringlets, positive attitude, and all around cuteness. She could sing and dance and she began to spark optimism in an otherwise dark time for many. However, with many Hollywood stars, people began to start crazy and unusual rumors about Temple. Many said her hair was fake. Others said she was actually an adult dwarf, not a child. How weird is that? Let's dig a little deeper. Learn More About Shirley Temple Flickr She was born in 1928 in Santa Monica, California. Her mother had been a dancer and wanted her daughter to dance as well. Her mother enrolled Temple in a dance studio when she was only three years old. She wanted her to be a star. Temple got cast in some short films as early as 1932. Max Pixel Eventually, she landed a contract for 26 films in two years. She earned $50 a week at first, which was a lot back then! In her autobiography "Child Star", Temple remembers that when kids on set misbehaved they were made to stand in a cold puddle. If that didn't work, they had to sit on an ice block! Can you imagine? Pixabay In 1933, she got her first full-length movie, Stand Up and Cheer! Soon after she was cast in Baby Take a Bow and Little Miss Marker. Her popularity seemed to grow overnight. Many think she was the most popular child star of all time. Her salary went up to $1,000 per week and $15,000 after each film was finished. During the Depression era, this was an insane amount of money. Do You Remember Her Most Famous Song? Flickr You might remember Temple singing "On the Good Ship Lollipop". It was from the 1934 movie Bright Eyes. People often called her a doll, eventually making a Shirley Temple doll in 1941. Even former President Roosevelt said, "As long as our country has Shirley Temple, we will be all right." The world was in love with her. Wikimedia Commons However, you can't please everyone and neither could Temple. Some criticized her movies and suggest that Temple was, in fact, a dwarf. She often acted like an adult, and perhaps this confused some people. A movie critic posted a review that suggested that she may be a "midget", and the theory grew from there. Read on to the next page to find out what people thought was "evidence" she was actually an adult! What Did People Say Was Evidence? Max Pixel In the movies, Temple never lost her baby teeth. She always had a full smile. It wasn't because she wasn't losing her baby teeth. The studio made her wear dental caps to fill in missing areas. When Temple and her parents found out about the rumor, they couldn't believe people actually thought that. At one point, the Vatican actually investigated the rumor. Can you believe that? Temple also reflects in her autobiography saying that people would tug on her curls to see if they were real or fake! She admits a wig may have been better. Her hair ritual was intense and time-consuming. Wikimedia Commons By the 1940s, she grew up and became a teen. She lost some of that innocence that made her a star. She retired in her early 20s. Her last movie was in 1949, but she did go on to have her own show called Shirley Temple's Storybook from 1958-1961. She died in 2014 when she was 85 years old. We still really miss her! Do you remember watching Shirley Temple movies? Wasn't she the cutest? Did you think she might be a dwarf? If you enjoyed this article, please SHARE with your friends and family who loved Shirley Temple! Watch Shirley Temple sing her famous song "On The Good Ship Lollipop":