Evening star., 1938-05-19


friendly, demure 9-year-old idol Of
everybody, We had good two minutes
of collapsing completely, growing
tongue-tied, fumbling for something
to say. 1t was not Shirley's fault. She
was fine about the whole thing; so
fine in all truth that in just about l20
seconds she had us quite back to
normal.
Why it happened that way, We don't
know The overture to the meeting
had been very happy one Shirley,
playing in Lucky Penny tentative
title), was busy when we arrived on
sound stage at Twentieth Century,
Fox. While she was running through
a scene with Bill Robinson and Bert
Lahr. we sat on a plank and dis
cussed life, New York, Marta Abba and
the probable future of blonds with
Amanda Duff Miss Duff. who is
young and, by che way. blond, is close
to the ideal person for discussing those
subjects. She is also a good person
to bear in mind if you ever want to
talk about Washington, where she
played Helen Dupont in 'Tovarich' at
the National Theater last fall.
She's marvellous" said Miss Duff,
referring to Shirley. You'll adore
her"
She is and we do" we countered
brilliantly
Here she is now" said Miss Duff
(about whom We shall write more
later, preparing with no obvious
reluctance to surrender us to Shirley.
Then almost Immediately came the
meeting, the collapse. the subsequent
recovery due to Shirleys patience and
consideration. Then came the inter-
view in which it became almost IN
stantly apparent that it is going to De
too bad if Shirley cannot make that
trip East, including Washington. next
month. She is very anxious to GO.
And, in spite of the emotional deoacle
of meeting her. one finds oneself
fiercely on the side of seeing that she
is denied nothing she wants to do.
Americas sweetest sweetheart IS
more earnest than dramatic about 1t
as she stands on the steps OF her
trailer dressing room and talks about
the trip.
The famous Temple smile, which
brings millions of dollars in the open
market, was given to US for nothing
several dozen times in the course OF
the conversation about the trip. 1t
compensated many times over for the
correlative frowns coming from Shlr-
leys teacher sitting at desk inside
the trailer. The teachers froWnS,
which need explanation. were due to
the fact that O'Clock was coming
on very rapidly Shirley still had
some acting to 90. and the California
law requires that she shall finish three
hours of schoolWork before that dead
line.
Shirley herself took the interruption
In the education of Shirley Temple
with excellent grace Working, being
educated and being interviewed all at
the same time might nettle you or
us. but 1t is all in the days routine
for her
Two reasons why she wants par
ticularly to come to Washington are to
see MIS-. roosevelt anu MI. I1OOSC1.
Mr. Hoover is J. Edgar Hoover. Both
of them have been here recently Shir-
lev met them both and is very proud
to have done so. Whether she gave
them the jitters by being such poised
little girl, we don't know. We hope
she did. but she hardly seemed the
person to ask.
AS Shirley talks about Washington,
one gathers that the Board of Trade
ought to strike off special medal
for Mr.. Hoover at its next meeting.
He deserves it for the enthusiasm
which he created in her to see the
mechanism of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. She is fascinated with
police work. something probably in
duced by the publicity department,
and G-men are practically the most
awe-inspiring fellows in the world to
her 1t is in the middle Of her smil-
ing anticipation of having Mr.. Hoover
personally lead her around his big