Hollywood darling Shirley Temple passed away at the age of 85 on Monday, Feb. 10.
In 1934, as 5-year-old Shirley was starting to dazzle audiences on screen, JTA’s film and theater critic George Joel offered a lengthy biographical introduction to the young actress who made hearts melt:
Shirley Temple . . .a pound per inch of truth and beauty . . . weighs 43 and is that tall . . . doesn’t go to school but has the best memory for lines on the Fox lot . . . her mother read her part in the forthcoming “Baby Take a Bow” twice for her, she listened attentively and then did it letter-perfect through the whole first rehearsal.
Likes three things better than anything in the world, her parents, Jimmy Dunn, the actor, and ice cream with gravy on it . . . by gravy she means chocolate syrup . . . hasn’t been ill a day in her five years of life . . . her worst habit is taking a stroll off the lot at the most inappropriate moments . . . her best habit is acting naturally, unconscious of cameras or the art of make-believe.
The Jewish Daily Bulletin columnist wrote a number of articles updating readers with news tidbits about Shirley Temple’s career.
In August 1934, the publication ran a photo of her holding a King Arthur book, in conjunction with a column detailing the terms of her latest contract with Fox Films.
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