The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America
When Franklin Roosevelt was elected president in 1932, he dedicated himself to turning the country around from the depths of the Great Depression. But he needed an indefinable something to focus the country’s attention away from poverty and fear and toward optimism and faith. That something appeared in the form of a little girl with curly hair and a twinkly smile: Shirley Temple, whose 20-odd movies between 1934 and 1940 made her one of the most beloved box-office draws in the world. It is impossible to overstate how popular Temple was as a movie star, and, as the author shows, her influence on the country was astonishing: in a very real sense, Shirley Temple helped America survive the Depression. This is a remarkable dual biography: the story of Temple’s brief reign over Hollywood, but also the story of an entire country, which took its cues from such an unlikely source. Temple pretty much retired from the entertainment business when she was in her teens, but her impact resonates to this day. A deeply fascinating book about an unlikely superstar, whose recent death may renew interest in her career. --David Pitt