The six-year-old girl on the screen was just the panacea Depression movie audiences needed. Shirley Temple's first major role in a feature film was June 1934's "Little Miss Marker." Her presence on the screen in this groundbreaking movie established the pattern of an innocent young child who finds herself in a bleak situation, but manages to find a way, through luck or ingenuity, to lift herself up and face a happy, idyllic future. Miss Temple's cheerful disposition while undergoing such hardships served as an inspiration to those distressed families churning through the ordeals of the Great Depression.
After her short skit with actor James Dunn singing 'Baby Take a Bow' in April 1934's "Stand Up and Cheer!" Shirley's popularity within Hollywood circles jumped considerably. The film wasn't released, however, until after the young actress auditioned for the role of Marky, the daughter of a gambler who commits suicide after losing a horse race bet. Shirley had auditioned with Paramount, but the casting agent felt she didn't have enough maturity for the role in "Little Miss Marker." Her mother, Gertrude Temple, the guiding 'manager' to Shirley, approached the film's director, Alexander Hall, for another audition. She passed with flying colors. It was ironic that during filming, Temple's adult co-star, Adolphe Menjou, had a tough time saying a line. After repeated takes, Shirley turned to the director and asked, "Is it too late to replace Mr. Menjou on this picture?"
"This movie was a great showcase for Shirley Temple," reflected film reviewer John Sinnott. "She really was adorably cute and you could see how everyone around her would start feeling protective of the little child." One actress who grew terribly fond of her on the set was nineteen-year-old Dorothy Dell. She played the character Bangles Carson, the girlfriend of gang leader, Big Steve (Charles Bickford), who, along with Sorrowful Jones (Menjou), take care of Marky. Temple and Dell developed a close relationship during the production, and were friends after filming wrapped.
A few short months later, Dell was the passenger of a car with driver Dr. Carl Wagner, who was speeding excessively down a California highway when his car veered off the road, hitting several obstacles. Both died in the crash. Manipulative studio executives withheld the news of her friend's death to the young child until Shirley was filming a sequence in her next Paramount film, 1934's "Now and Forever." She was told on the set about Dell's fatal crash just before a scripted tearful scene that shows her being told her father stole some jewelry. Temple is seen crying on her bed, sobbing real tears on hearing about Dell's death.
With the release of "Stand Up and Cheer!" and a month later with "Little Miss Marker," Shirley Temple's life was never the same. She became the most popular childhood actor in Hollywood. And she emerged as a marketing machine, nearly on par as Mickey Mouse. Temple's clothing line and toys made millions. One of the first items she endorsed was the Shirley Temple doll, wearing the polka-dot dress just like the one she wore in "Stand Up and Cheer!" Other studios attempted to duplicate her cuteness and adorability by hiring other actors her same age, but none approached the popularity and mania that surrounded Shirley for nearly a decade. Shirley Temple's outstanding year in 1934 was such a standout the Academy awarded her with a special honorary Oscar. The six-year-older was the first to receive the Academy Juvenile Award, a periodic honor that eventually was bestowed to twelve childhood film performers.
After her short skit with actor James Dunn singing 'Baby Take a Bow' in April 1934's "Stand Up and Cheer!" Shirley's popularity within Hollywood circles jumped considerably. The film wasn't released, however, until after the young actress auditioned for the role of Marky, the daughter of a gambler who commits suicide after losing a horse race bet. Shirley had auditioned with Paramount, but the casting agent felt she didn't have enough maturity for the role in "Little Miss Marker." Her mother, Gertrude Temple, the guiding 'manager' to Shirley, approached the film's director, Alexander Hall, for another audition. She passed with flying colors. It was ironic that during filming, Temple's adult co-star, Adolphe Menjou, had a tough time saying a line. After repeated takes, Shirley turned to the director and asked, "Is it too late to replace Mr. Menjou on this picture?"
"This movie was a great showcase for Shirley Temple," reflected film reviewer John Sinnott. "She really was adorably cute and you could see how everyone around her would start feeling protective of the little child." One actress who grew terribly fond of her on the set was nineteen-year-old Dorothy Dell. She played the character Bangles Carson, the girlfriend of gang leader, Big Steve (Charles Bickford), who, along with Sorrowful Jones (Menjou), take care of Marky. Temple and Dell developed a close relationship during the production, and were friends after filming wrapped.
A few short months later, Dell was the passenger of a car with driver Dr. Carl Wagner, who was speeding excessively down a California highway when his car veered off the road, hitting several obstacles. Both died in the crash. Manipulative studio executives withheld the news of her friend's death to the young child until Shirley was filming a sequence in her next Paramount film, 1934's "Now and Forever." She was told on the set about Dell's fatal crash just before a scripted tearful scene that shows her being told her father stole some jewelry. Temple is seen crying on her bed, sobbing real tears on hearing about Dell's death.
With the release of "Stand Up and Cheer!" and a month later with "Little Miss Marker," Shirley Temple's life was never the same. She became the most popular childhood actor in Hollywood. And she emerged as a marketing machine, nearly on par as Mickey Mouse. Temple's clothing line and toys made millions. One of the first items she endorsed was the Shirley Temple doll, wearing the polka-dot dress just like the one she wore in "Stand Up and Cheer!" Other studios attempted to duplicate her cuteness and adorability by hiring other actors her same age, but none approached the popularity and mania that surrounded Shirley for nearly a decade. Shirley Temple's outstanding year in 1934 was such a standout the Academy awarded her with a special honorary Oscar. The six-year-older was the first to receive the Academy Juvenile Award, a periodic honor that eventually was bestowed to twelve childhood film performers.