The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America

by John F. Kasson

Her image appeared in periodicals and advertisements roughly twenty times daily; she rivaled FDR and Edward VIII as the most photographed person in the world. Her portrait brightened the homes of countless admirers: from a black laborer’s cabin in South Carolina and young Andy Warhol’s house in Pittsburgh to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s recreation room in Washington, DC, and gangster “Bumpy” Johnson’s Harlem apartment. A few years later her smile cheered the secret bedchamber of Anne Frank in Amsterdam as young Anne hid from the Nazis.
For four consecutive years Shirley Temple was the world’s box-office champion, a record never equaled. By early 1935 her mail was reported as four thousand letters a week, and hers was the second-most popular girl’s name in the country.


What distinguished Shirley Temple from every other Hollywood star of the period—and everyone since—was how brilliantly she shone. Amid the deprivation and despair of the Great Depression, Shirley Temple radiated optimism and plucky good cheer that lifted the spirits of millions and shaped their collective character for generations to come. Distinguished cultural historian John F. Kasson shows how the most famous, adored, imitated, and commodified child in the world astonished movie goers, created a new international culture of celebrity, and revolutionized the role of children as consumers.


Tap-dancing across racial boundaries with Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, foiling villains, and mending the hearts and troubles of the deserving, Shirley Temple personified the hopes and dreams of Americans. To do so, she worked virtually every day of her childhood, transforming her own family as well as the lives of her fans.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, American History, Pop Culture, Biography Memoir, Memoir

322 pages, Hardcover

First published April 14, 2014

About the author

John F. Kasson is a professor of history and American studies at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill and the author of Amusing the Million, among many other seminal works of cultural history. He lives in Chapel Hill.

Reviews

[Christina DeVane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a good amount about politics during the Depression and how Americans never stopped spending money on entertainment.
This story of Shirley Temple read more like a long research paper than an interesting biography.
Her life is so very unique and she thought that every child went to work like she did. Her mother was very involved in her career and was always pushing for better scripts and films for her to be cast in. I didn’t realize how well known she became world wide. There were look alike contests all over. 😆
The fact that her $3 million earnings turned into $44,000 is really sad although she didn’t hold her father accountable. She paid for their lavish lifestyle and sent her brothers to college.💞
Her second husband, Charlie Black, had never heard of her and they were married for 55 years.😁
Looking forward to reading her autobiography I just purchased!🤓

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, though not what I thought it would be. If you're looking for a straight-up biography of Temple, you won't find it here. In fact the author did not speak directly to anyone associated with Temple's acting career; his information is gleaned from books, periodicals and geneaology-type websites. There is no firsthand information on the child, no real description of her acting process. For that I suggest the interested reader turn to Ms Black's own writings--if you can find them.

Basically what we have here is yet another adult using little Shirley for his own ends: in this case, as a vehicle to drive his book about the Great Depression and America's subsequent consumer society and Shirley's supposed role as sociopolitical spearhead for change. The writing style is rather dry and impersonal, not helped by the fact that fully the first half of the book is a disquisition on the Depression itself and Roosevelt's role in reviving the economy after Hoover's percieved mismanagement. Okay, so it explained a lot that I never learned in history class, but it doesn't make for riveting reading; I very nearly gave up twice. Even then, there's a long section on Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and how he helped make Shirley a star--interesting in itself but contradictory in the author's hands. Why would Shirley practice for hours under Bojangles' tutelage to get "every tap just right" only to have him later record the taps so they'd be perfect? This leaves only the final third or less for dealing with Shirley herself and her life after cute. Her adult life as ambassador is rushed over; apparently the author didn't find that interesting or pertinent!

Another problem with the author's writing itself is his odd grammar. His favourite word seems to be "virtuosic" to describe dancers; well I have read of "virtuoso performances" but certainly never "virtuosic". On p106 we are treated to the following: "Her cheerful innocence gave (her films) an attraction who appealed to the widest variety..." Which, surely, when dealing with an abstract noun? And on the very next page: "Mothers around the corner" (for "country") would grab their daughters and rush to Hollywood..." And in the last third of the book, "Reportage of the case established a new low in the exploitation of childhood." Reportage? Why not "reports" or "reporting" or "newspaper accounts"? Whatever happened to proofreading? However, the author refers to the "emotional labour" required of those employed in service jobs, and I have to agree with that.

An interesting subject, let down by unnecessarily dull writing. Growing up, my mother spoke of despising Shirley Temple and preferring Jane Withers because she was a brat. Now I realise just exactly what she wasn't saying out loud.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really surprised me. I picked it up as a Shirley Temple fan, thinking it was a biography. But this book is much more than that. Kasson talks about the mood of the country in the 30's and why Shirley became so popular. He parallels her movies with FDR's New Deal programs and shows how they complemented each other. Then he goes on to show how movie merchandising really took off in the 30's especially relating to Shirley Temple. At one point, literally thousands of people owed their jobs directly to her. Probably many more were indirectly employed because of her. This is an interesting side to Shirley's story that I have never seen explored before.

Highly recommended.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't specifically on Shirley Temple, although she is mentioned in tidbits throughout the chapters. Rather, this book focuses more of the cultural and societal impact she had during the Great Depression. It felt more like a history book than a biography, but still interesting for any history buffs out there.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this several months ago so I can't remember a ton, but it was an interesting read. I'm not really a fan of Shirley Temple's; in fact, I assumed she had died at an early age since it seems like she kind of fell off the map. But it turns out she led a long and productive life and died just recently (2014).

I learned a lot about the context of Temple's early life and the circumstances that caused her to be so popular. It was really interesting to read about that time period and different elements of entertainment and marketing during the Great depression.

After reading the book I watched a few videos of interviews with Shirley Temple Black and she insists that she enjoyed her "work" as a child and that she had a great childhood. She maintains that she had a great relationship with her mother and that's she's not screwed up from having been a child star.

I thought the author's writing style was mediocre and didn't always following a natural rhythm/course, but I felt like I learned a lot of interesting things that I wasn't expecting to learn about in this book.

[Trailhoundz · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for an easy-read biography of Shirley Temple, don't pick up this book. But if you're looking for a small slice of Shirley, highlighting her rise to fame in the 1930's and the cultural, societal and racial implications of her Depression-era movies- this is the book for you. It's quite deep and often reads like an academic textbook (not surprising, as it was written by a university professor) but if you can get past that you'll be in for a nice treat. Within the scope of the text, each movie is analyzed extensively- quite fascinating. I'll never watch "The Little Princess" (one of my favorite movies) the same way again!

[Susanbarto · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really disappointed in this book. The first half was barely about Shirley. The first chapter was about Roosevelt and the second was all about Bojangles. I guess because I love Shirley Temple so much I was just expecting so much more. Even the ending stopped abruptly.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's working towards two goals, only one of which I think it hits. In terms of looking at the Great Depression through the eyes of people looking for hope and distraction, this works. In terms of a biography of Shirley Temple, it's hit-and-miss (in fact, the overview of Hoover's Presidency is far more effective than the story of Shirley Temple). I suppose I'll have to read Ms Temple's autobiography for the full story, but there is much to enjoy here, especially in terms of the socio-cultural history of the time.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this book and it was disappointing. The book is centered more on facts about Shirley Temple. There's not a lot about her personal life. I would of liked more pictures too.

[Biblio Files (takingadayoff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a biography or a filmography of Shirley Temple and her movies, although it does contain plenty of information about both. The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression is a history of America when Shirley Temple's movies were massively popular, a period that lasted from 1934 until about 1939.

Author John F. Kasson describes the period leading up to the Depression and the conditions that made a child star such as Shirley Temple a perfect fit for the times. I enjoyed reading about Shirley's stage mother, perhaps the first stage mother in Hollywood to achieve such fabulous success. Apparently Shirley was not a natural blonde and her mother bleached her hair once a week in addition to adding the trademark curls (which Kasson correctly calls "sausage curls" or "ringlets", but a few times incorrectly calls "pin curls.")

If you believed the movie magazines, Shirley Temple was universally loved. She was a hard worker and got along with everyone. Kasson goes along with that belief for the most part, but does include the occasional tantrum or misbehavior, some of which Temple herself confesses to in her autobiography. Grahame Greene was one of the rare non-fans, characterizing her appeal as "dubious coquetry" and "dimpled depravity."

Not every movie goer was a fan though, as I learned as a child one day while watching an old Shirley Temple movie on TV. I turned around to ask my mother, who had grown up in the Depression, a question, and caught her silently mimicking Shirley. She had hated Shirley Temple and had had to suffer having her straight hair curled and had been constantly told to smile "like Shirley" throughout her childhood.

All in all an informative book about the Depression, Hollywood, child actors and stage parents, privacy laws (which were originally to protect public figures), and the movies that helped get America and the world through tough times.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. If people are fans of Shirley Temple. John F.Kasson, writes a unique approach. This book also focuses on the 1930s and the depression. How much affect this little star had on the Country. I have read many times that Shirley Temple was the number one box office attraction four years in a row. She became popular during a very difficult time in America. Some of this book talks about what is was like during the 1930s, the struggles, poverty, the presidents during this time. But mostly this is devoted to Shirley Temple. There are many chapters describing the movies she was in. I especially liked the chapter on Bill "bojangles" Robinson. much talk about her mother Gertrude and her devotion and determination to make her daughter a star.
Along with the fame her daughter had,were all the Shirley Temple dolls, games, paper dolls. dresses. Moms wanted to dress their little girls up like the famous child star. contests for Shirley Temple look a likes. And much more on the talented little girl who won the hearts of America then and now.
A pretty good read. for those who like Shirley Temple, they may enjoy this book. One of my complaints is the chapters are very long with no stop off parts. this can make it is bit annoying. I read Shirley Temple's book "Child Star" years ago{ a good book I would highly recommend} but this one is a pretty fairly written one. I did not detect any mud slinging by the author. also interesting take on living during this time period.

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and astute analysis of the political and cultural climate in the 1930s. What I really love about this book is that it goes into the in-depth analysis of the life and films of not only Shirley Temple, but her family, her fans, and even FDR, using her life and experiences as a kind of ballast to give better weight and relevance to the challenging political, economic, and yes, technological changes in the early 20th century, in America. It does this without compromising analysis of the emerging of popular culture, and the lasting effects that the new world of "movie stars" and media would have on girlhood, on womanhood, on our cultural perception of childhood, and on consumer culture. And without compromising the details of the life of Shirley Temple; her family, her career, the myths that built up around her real-life vs. her persona, and her life after the movies that made her one of the world's first superstars.

If you have any interest at all in the history of pop culture, or early cinema, this is a book you really want to read.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of the book was ok. Far too many quotes from other sources - somewhere between 'I get the point already' and 'I wonder if they've been added to meet a required word count for the chapter?' And, periodically, a statement in the text as to how the chapter relates to the title of the book... which if you have to state it, it sort of begs the question as to whether or not it really does. And, ultimately, I don't think the title befits the book - maybe it should be 'A History of Shirley Temple in the Context of the Great Depression.' But that's not very catchy.

The last half of the book is a much easier read, and here it finally felt like I was learning something about the era, Shirley Temple, Hollywood, child actors in general, without feeling like data was being thrown at me.

Overall it was ok. I'm glad I struggled through the first half of it to get to the better parts at the end.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise. I grabbed it from my library assuming it was a bio of Shirley Temple, but it's more of a cultural history of the Depression and movies. It focuses on the role that "feel good" movies (like the ones that Shirley Temple appeared in) had in during the Depression, and what the cult of Shirley Temple brought to people in America.

If you just want to know about Shirley Temple's life, this is the wrong book. If you want to know about how FDR's attitude of public optimism relates to themes in Shirley Temple movies, or the impact of the Shirley Temple movie persona had on girls' self-image in the 30s, then this is a great book.

I really enjoyed it, but recognize it's not for everyone.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

No doubt the majority of people choosing to read this book will do so believing it to be focussing entirely on Shirley Temple herself. I certainly did. No one refutes her enormous talent however this unique book relates her success to the feeling amongst people at this difficult period of war and depression. She was most certainly additionally 'in the right place at the right time'. A most interesting book and the title truly does reflect the most interesting content.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book expecting a biography of Shirley Temple. It was instead, a rehash of the plots of her many movies. There was some interesting information about 1930's culture and life during the depression, but I felt that both the title and cover were a misrepresentation if the content.

Parts of the book were interesting , but on the whole there was nothing new or remarkable about it.

[LeAnn Swieczkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has a big smiling and cute photo of Shirley Temple on the cover. That photo, using the movie studio tactics of old, would alone sell this book. In the 1930’s particularly anything with Shirley’s photo on it would sell like hot cakes. There were Temple dolls, toys, games and more. Little girls dressed like her, had their hair like hers and tried to emulate her in every way. From 1935 to 1938, she was the number one box office draw. Some say this book wasn’t totally about Temple but instead about the politics of the great depression. The first two chapters discuss how Hoover and Roosevelt handled the country during the late 1920s and the 1030s. One in every four workers was unemployed. There were hungry people and soup lines. Despair showed on many faces. But Roosevelt and Temple brought back the smile. From chapter three to the end of the book, the author describes Temple’s movies and American’s overwhelming reaction and support to see these movies. I felt like I was in the theatre and seeing the movies again. I watched all of these movies when I was a kid growing up in the Detroit suburbs. Every Saturday a local station showed Temple movies. My sister and I loved the stories, and we loved watching them some 20 years after the movies were first run. This book really showed me how popular Shirley Temple was and what hope her movies provided to the nation in a time when hope was greatly needed. I learned that Temple was popular the world over. I highly recommend this book for putting into context the important role Temple and her talent in the movies played in giving hope to the hopeless and how an unlikely child actress became an inspiration to millions.

[Lada Moskalets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Книжка, яка намагається пояснити феномен популярності дитини-акторки Ширлі Темпл, поставивши його в контекст Великої Депресії. Насправді, це не так про Ширлі, як про те, що кіно може рятувати завдяки своєму ескапізму. Відчай 1930-х років американці забували в кінотеатрах, на сентиментальних комедіях про дівчинку, що допомагає дорослим вирішувати їх клопоти. Автор порівнює популярність Ширлі Темпл з іншими явищами того часу, наприклад регулярними виступами Рузвельта по радіо, які мали піднімати дух американців.
Кіно, радіо - це також спосіб гуртування, люди слухають виступи, сидячи цілими родинами біля приймачів, ставлять окреме крісло "для Рузвельта" і переживають події життя кінозірок, як свої власні.
Оптимізм Ширлі Темпл всі ці пісеньки про "не будь сумним, бо ніхто тебе не любитиме" зараз, у еру розвинутої емпатії, де треба повсякчас згадувати як ти розумієш біль іншої людини сприймається як щось дивне і дике. Так само дико сприймається і маленька дівчинка, в короткій сукенці, оточена мужніми чоловіками - зазвичай Ширлі єдиний дитячий персонаж у своїх фільмах
Щиро кажучи, я починала читати цю книжку з двох причин - дізнатися про те, чому Ширлі Темпл стала такою супер-популярною, перевершивши своїх сучасників і наступників. І щоб почитати про темний бік і експлуатацію дітей в Голівуді. Щодо другого, насправді, все було не так трагічно, як описували Ільф і Петров у нотатках з подорожі Америкою - принаймні сама акторка, яка згодом стала дипломаткою і прожила довге щасливе життя, не намагалася розповідати жодних кривавих подробиць.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delight and a surprise. Seeking a diversion, I happened upon this book. It is not only a partial biography of Shirley Temple, it is an historical account of the times that made her the darling of the country. She became a teenager about the time of WWII, and her devotees had other concerns. She also was too old to be too cute any longer. She did remain a child star for a long time, which was rather unusual at the time. Even more interesting is the politics of the time. The rise of FDR and Shirley Temple coincided, and the push for being positive led the country through the depths of the depression. The need for leadership during a time of great trial is still most important. Mrs. Temple did a very good job in handling Shirley's career with the studio heads, but the handling of her money was not well done, a story similar to many child stars. Fascinating story!

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kasson equates Shirley Temple's film career in the 1930s with the propaganda campaign of the U.S. government in its fight to turn around the Great Depression. Although Shirley was a symbol of the promoted attitude, she was not a single force. The movie industry was pushed to show Americans overcoming hardship to create a better country; to avoid showing the true depth of despair; to uplift people's spirit and to promote an attitude of all being in this together. Other issues made included were: her marketing getting people to buy and stimulate the economy; her connection with black performers pulling races together; and her ability to reconcile enemies to bring peace. An interesting premise, although I would have liked a bit more on Shirley's life.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I'm in the minority. I found the first half of the book much more interesting than the second half. Knowing what life was like in 1930s America is important to understand the context of Shirley Temple's popularity at that time. There isn't too much about Shirley after her brief "retirement" in 1940, which I suppose is all right because the book is about 1930s America, but as someone who knows very little about Shirley Temple, I wanted to know more about her life after the movies. The closing paragraph eludes to her ambassadorship, but the author doesn't even mention which country she was an ambassador to, not to mention how she obtained her post. I guess I'll look for another Sbhirley Temple biography to find out more about her as a grown up.

[Amy Leuchtmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I’m simply repeating the other reviewers, but this book wasn’t what I expected. It is not a straight up biography, in fact you need to get through several chapter before it begins to focus on Shirley. But, it was an interesting intellectual read about the Great Depression era, particularly consumerism.

I can’t help but notice the irony in that the author devoted a lot of print to the idea that companies recognized the advantage of putting Shirley’s name and picture on their products in order to get them to sell and that’s exactly why I picked up this book, though it was a misdirection! I am clearly no more enlightened than the average 1930s consumer.

[Jason A. A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

As many other reviewers have pointed out, this isn't a comprehensive biography of Shirley Temple. This book covers her start and the years of her greatest success which roughly corresponds to the last years of the Great Depression.

The author's thesis is that Shirley's success and impact on American culture was unique and so great as to actually help the economy during the Depression. He does a good job of explaining her unique standing and makes a solid case for his thesis. The text does sometimes seem padded by unnecessary recounts of film plots which become as interchangeable to the reader as they must have to film goers during that time. But otherwise, it is a quick and solid read.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as much Shirley Temple as I thought there would be, surprisingly enough. The years sort of jumped around depending on what subject the author was explaining, which threw me off a bit.

I did like the other topics talked about, especially about FDR and the Coogan Act, but we kept skipping back and forth from her earlier days to her later days. I understand why it was done, and it can be my uneducated view on it, but I’m not a fan.

As stated before, I like the extra history we get, but at times I wish we would focus on Shirley more.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really liked this book. There were some sections in the middle I could have done without but overall really liked it and I learned a great deal! The book is so interesting and full of history but in a good way. I knew the name Shirley Temple but not much else about the time. I must have slept through that section of history class. There was great information about President Hoover and Roosevelt. Strongly recommend this book. I didn’t give it five stars because of the “dry” middle section.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I thought it be more of a biography, but turns out it’s more of a starting point if you are looking to read more about the Great Depression, FDR or 1930’s. The author uses an analysis of Shirley Temple, and her image of persevering optimism in film (a reference point throughout), as a lens to study this section of history, which is something that is a bit different and unexpected. Try it if you want to read/study history through pop culture influence.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather interesting, not what I was really expecting. Do not expect this to be a typical biography about Shirley, it is more of a history of the times in which Shirley contributed to. The final chapter is rather short and I would have liked to have seen Shirley's later life explored just a bit more even though I understand the point of the book was about the depression era. Good read for any Shirley fan or those interested in history of the 1930s.

[Maeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, in that I expected it to be more focused on Shirley Temple and her life than it was. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the history of the film industry and how Hollywood came to be so powerful in it. I can't give this book a 5 star review because I found parts of it rather dull, and I found it hard going to pick the book back up again and keep reading at points.

[Judi Politte-Downs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting but seemed somewhat repetitive. The same movies were mentioned repeatedly with different types of data. I was definitely surprised by some of the information, like there was an attempt on her life by some woman. I was not surprised that she personally for very little of her earnings. I wish the author had told more about her life as Shirley Temple Black. However, the book was really about how she influenced people during the depression.

[Madison A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only chronicles the first years of Shirley's life in detail, but a really fascinating look at how the "politics of cheer" impacted the Great Depression, and how Shirley Temple was a large contributor to that. Americans went to the movies for the sole purpose of seeing Shirley, and spending money was the most important factor when it came to lifting Americans out of the depression.