Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Shirley Temple, 1929-2014: R.I.P.

The child star, beloved by millions during the Depression and WWII, has died at 85.

She was considered for the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, but was either busy with other projects or MGM wanted a more adult voice for the musical numbers, which Judy Garland certainly supplied. Temple, though, was closer in age to the little Kansas farmgirl that L. Frank Baum wrote of in his Oz novels.

Here's Temple in a dance routine with Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett, Barnaby Jones), who himself was cast for The Wizard of Oz but who had to drop out from an allergic reaction to his makeup as the Tin Man.



What a little cutie she was.

1 comment:

ProudHillbilly said...

Heart clenched up when I saw the headline today. So many sweet memories. And a life lived so differently from today's stars who spiral down the toilet by the time they are 30.