SHIRLEY TEMPLE: American Princess

by Anne Edwards ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 1988

Big, burly bio of a child genius surviving early fame. Edwards' early pages on Shirley's childhood as the biggest box-office star in the States for three years running are told with a deadly stolidity that works against the life of her subject. However, once Shirley is out of the movies and into political life this approach works well and even allows Shirley Temple Black to shine through more richly than she did as Shirley Temple. In 1985, Shirley's husband Charles Black said of his wife of 35 years, ""Her whole life has been spent in. . .public service, either by entertaining people or by serving them. I think she's some sort of deity. . ."" Shirley has 57 film credits, all earned by age 21, when she retired, followed by a substantial TV career as hostess/narrator for Shirley Temple's Storybook. Her childhood appearances were governed by her mother, Gertrude, who early noticed Shirley's phenomenal ability to learn tap-dance steps by listening to rather than by watching her mentors (who later included Bill ""Bojangles"" Robinson, Alice Faye, and Buddy Ebsen). She also had perfect pitch and an amazing ability to lip-sync her own voice so well that few viewers were aware of a syllable's disparity. She scored as genius on the IQ test. All the early landmark events are here, climaxed by marriage to John Agar, divorce, retirement, then marriage to San Francisco socialite/sportsman/naval officer/corporate businessman Charles Black, who married her without having seen one of her movies. Among Edwards' most moving pages is Shirley's breast cancer, mastectomy, and public announcement of her loss. She was in Prague the morning Russian tanks took over the city. Her political appointments, always successful because of her business sense, included Ambassorship to Ghana and being Representative to the 24th General Assembly of the U.N. Her work on various charity and environmentalist boards is widespread and devoted. A big meal, and one that whets the appetite for an even bigger one to come: Shirley's own autobiography (of which Edwards makes no mention) is due out in October.

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 1988

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1988

Categories: NONFICTION