Shirley Temple’s Children Revealed The Raw Truth About Their Iconic Mom

[Music] shirley temple's children revealed the raw truth about their iconic mom one time child star shirley temple black sadly passed after a long life in 2014 unlike many such actors she didn't entirely fade away after growing out of her ringlets instead shirley had a whole second career such a high-powered life has little room for children surely yet she was a mother to three so how did they feel about having a mother that famous shirley had been a light in the dark years of the depression with an unsurpassed fame in those times people flocked to watch her 23 films what people adored about the child star was the bubbly personality she displayed and her undaunted optimism in those tough times in the years between 1935 and 1939 shirley was america's most loved film star she could have filled swimming pools with her fan mail and papered her walls with the photographs she featured in according to the new york times shirley was pictured even more than the president franklin d roosevelt himself a very popular man the star had begun life in 1928 near to hollywood in santa monica california mom gertrude showered her with affection as a child and she was reportedly a big factor in the youngster's choice of path being bathed in love as shirley would put it helped the star use her natural charm to win a spot in the film pantheon mom gertrude saint young shirley today at school when only three an investment of two bits a week that paid off handsomely within the next year she was seen by a studio agent and started her career in movies the films baby burlesques weren't entirely healthy and their exploitative content was a long way from the wholesome image shirley would later acquire a couple of years later a two-week gig making a musical for fox quickly led to a longer contract shirley's performance in stand-up and cheer caught the eye of variety magazine which tipped her for stardom more films followed and the performer's big break came when fox allowed her to star in the paramount hit little miss marker that breakthrough led to a string of films such as wee willy winky and susanna of the mounties shirley was often shown as an orphan so that she could lead the way in battling adversity in the hard times of the depression she certainly succeeded in that reportedly bringing in three million dollars before she even hit puberty and scooping an honorary oscar at six years of age according to the new york times shirley sometimes quipped about her popularity people in the depression wanted something to cheer them up and they fell in love with a dog rin tin tin and a little girl and their love for the child star went as far as owning her likeness in fact shirley temple dolls outsold all other types in the 1930s feeling shirley's popularity were the songs that people loved to hear her sing these included animal crackers in my soup and oh the good ship lollipop along with these ditties the talent showed impressive footwork as she danced alongside many co-stars these included bill bojangles robinson with whom she showed memorable chemistry yet the good times at fox couldn't last forever and school beckoned for surely after the bluebird bombed in 1940 before long though mgm came calling and more films followed for the child star although shirley was now aging out of her extremely youthful image she was still in plenty of demand every good thing has its end though and that was true for shirley's acting career the once golden child had turned brunette and according to film historian david thompson the young actress had become an unremarkable teenager laser focused on marriage shirley now 17 and very much her own woman found love in army air corps sergeant john agard jr she was then married shortly after the end of world war ii but the course of love true or otherwise did not run smooth john found being married to shirley a difficult course and he turned to the bottle the veteran tried his hand at acting himself and appeared in a few films but without anything like the success that his wife enjoyed the two had a single child called susan who came along in 1948. perhaps shirley felt that a home without much love wasn't a suitable place for a child or she just had enough of a bad marriage either way the star was out in december 1949 though love struck like lightning when she met the dashing charles black a year later charles swept to the former child star off her feet and it was a good time for shirley to find someone new shortly after the divorce with john the actress found out that her dad had lost a great deal of her money on poor investments once a wealthy child the grown shirley temple was now worth just 44 thousand dollars biographer john f kassin told closer weekly magazine ryder went on to explain how shirley had been something of a money machine for her family he said in 2018 she had been her family business keep dancing kid or the rickety house collapses but now another man and a new life beckoned for the young woman charles black was actually very distant from the hollywood world he worked for the hawaiian pineapple company as the president's assistant amazingly charles said that he'd seen no movies starring shirley a mere 12 days after meeting they were engaged and the resulting marriage would last for close to 55 years ending only when he passed in 1988 charles shared with a journalist over 38 years i have participated in her life 24 hours a day through thick and thin traumatic situations exultant situations and i feel she has only one personality she would be catastrophic for the psychiatric profession you can wake her up in the middle of the night as she has the same personality everybody knows what everybody has seen for 60 years is the bedrock shirley waved goodbye for good to the movies when she married charles in december 1950 children would follow charles jr in 1952 and lori two years later but she'd never appear in a film again in fact a brief run on tv at the turn of the 1960s was her only brush with the show industry after marrying charles though shirley didn't only work as a mother she headed the multiple sclerosis society and co-founded a global foundation of societies for the same condition these raised money to tackle the illness which afflicted her brother george and while on society business in prague in 1968 she witnessed the soviet invasion of czechoslovakia during the same time shirley was involved in local affairs in the vicinity of san francisco where she lived she actually also helped develop the san francisco international film festival though a dispute over one of the films that was shown at the event whose content she didn't approve of led her to quit in 1966 the former child star was rather conservative by nature and took up republican politics she hoped to be elected to congress and ran for a seat in 1967. the vietnam war which she supported proved to be a hot issue though and she lost out to a candidate with more moderate views yet even that defeat didn't put shirley off the idea of serving the public in one way or another so in 1969 she took a place on a delegation from the united states to the general assembly of the united nations there shirley's natural ability as a performer stood her in good stead as she spoke strongly on refugees the environment and the aged that experience gave shirley a taste for diplomatic work and she was sent as ambassador to ghana in 1974. some of the professionals were apparently unhappy that she got the gig but she didn't let the country down in the end the word at state was that she'd done a great job shirley also worked as chief of protocol training ambassadors shirley's big posting saw a return to prague as ambassador to czechoslovakia sure the talent did not have the usual background of a whole career in the diplomatic service though she did very well part of her success was down to how well-known and beloved she was in prague the former actress might no longer have wanted the life of shirley temple but the name certainly opened doors for her given that shirley was widely hailed for her skill as a diplomat it's fair to ask what the star's family made of her was she a grande as tough with them as with foreigners well that's not how shirley's kids remember her daughter susan told closer weekly in 2018 she was sweet she just liked to kiss hug and be loving son charles didn't hesitate to endorse that view of his mom in 2015 he told closer weekly she was the most optimistic person you can imagine and that wasn't the only good thing about shirley her son continued she had good energy and a wonderful sense of humor she was extraordinary but you can have a lot of energy and humor and still be distant from your family right well charles made it very clear that the former star was nothing like that he said my mother would say that her family was her biggest accomplishment apparently it even went a little deeper than that charles explained that their upbringing had seemed very normal to us they hadn't felt as though they were the children of a superstar he told closer weekly in another interview in 2018 the only time i noticed her star quality was when someone else would ask for her autograph she was an amazing person it's clear that charles was very fond of his mom but so too was susan she revealed as a mother she was devoted and generous although she could be a little bit stern if we didn't behave and it went both ways susan added but family was a really really important part of her life she was all about her children and her husband it turned out that shirley put as much work into being a family member as she did into acting or diplomacy susan said we had a lot of parties it also seems that shirley's license as an interior decorator came in useful her daughter went on we had a lot of fun decorating the living room being a wife and mom is the greatest of her achievements susan remembered shirley as a great friend she told closer weekly we were shopping and travel buddies we went many places together she was one of my very best friends she'd had the opportunity to go on travels with shirley who as a diplomat was called to serve overseas susan noted mom would say come with me it'll be fun so susan ended up seeing plenty of eastern europe she recalled we ordered things we had no idea what they were off of the menus and fiddled with whether or not we were tipping enough shirley seemed to enjoy the travels susan recalled with the latter saying she was very interested in what was happening and always up for adventure susan was not alone in remembering a mother who gave her children everything that they needed in life though charles jr told closer weekly she was wonderful and normal yet despite her busy schedule as a diplomat shirley maintained a normal family routine he added we had dinner at the table every night all together and it seems that they were good dinners if shirley's kids are to be believed susan went on she was a wonderful cook she loved to invite people over she would say come by my house and i'll make you leg of lamb she made a beautiful lamb and was famous for her mashed potatoes shirley didn't remain entirely domestic during this period mind you her career featured an international perspective and that didn't daunt the former child star susan said she was always up for an adventure always interested in what was happening and very involved with the world always these are good qualities for a diplomat naturally reminiscing about her mother susan paints a picture of a wonderful parent she told closer weekly shirley was devoted and generous and she could be a little stern if we didn't behave but she was also a lot of fun very inventive and imaginative she was all about her children and her husband for her part shirley had plenty to be thankful for when she looked back on her life according to closer weekly the star once said i've led three lives the acting part wife and mother and international relations i'm proud of my career the first one and i'm proud of the other two clearly it seems that she did a great job of all three though one thing that shirley didn't do was push her own kids into show business charles jr had a spell as an actor but was most recently reported to be a realtor her youngest lori has been a punk rock musician and a photographer meanwhile susan who also goes by linda works in a place a million miles from a film set a library so we can imagine the star celebrating the successful and normal lives that she gave her kids with the shirley temple mocktail right nope she never liked them closer weekly notes that one night went out with a friend barry bersamian he asked her whether she was having one and the talent told him no i'm having a black russian with vodka i'll call it a shirley temple black shirley has of course passed now but barry told closer weekly in 2018 how she'd like to be remembered he said if you go to her graveside it's not set up like shirley temple the star or the diplomat it's more surely temple black the wife the mother the grandmother of the great-grandmother it's very humble and normal

Channel: STAR NEWS 365

Views: 1,573,437

Keywords: News, star, star news, entertainment news, Life, Breaking News, STAR NEWS TODAY, singer, musician, family, home, actress, world star, STAR NEWS 24/24, comedian, film, Shirley Temple

Id: bSAPgRPAiTk

Length: 13min 34sec (814 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 26 2021