Shirley Temple remains an icon of Hollywood's Golden Age, her blonde curls and dimpled smile
epitomizing childhood joy on the silver screen.
As "America's Sweetheart," she was beloved by audiences during the Great Depression,
becoming the biggest box office draw of her time.
But behind the scenes, Temple endured exploitation and distress at the hands of the very industry
that profited from her talents.
The darkness lurking beneath her public image reveals the predatory and profit-driven machine
behind early Hollywood.
Join FactsVerse as we uncover the disturbing truths about Shirley Temple's traumatic path
to stardom, which tarnishes the innocent legacy of this legendary child star.
Temple Endured Inappropriate Films and Cruel Punishments as a Toddler
At only 3 years old, Shirley Temple starred in a series of inappropriate short films called
Baby Burlesks.
The films featured toddlers dressed in revealing costumes and diapers, playing adult roles
that satirized major Hollywood movies and celebrities of the time.
In one short titled War Babies, Temple appeared dressed as a prostitute named Charmaine, wearing
thick makeup and a small bra, interacting in a sexually suggestive manner with male
characters.
She is seen entering a scene sashaying her hips before kissing a child actor playing
a senator on the lips.
Temple later condemned the films as a cynical exploitation of childish innocence.
Even worse, the child actors faced cruel punishments if they misbehaved on set.
The director Charles Lamont kept kids in a windowless "punishment box," forcing them
to sit uncomfortably on blocks of ice in the dark and cramped space.
Temple herself was locked in this traumatic box several times as discipline.
She claimed it did no lasting psychological damage, but taught that wasted time meant
money lost and trouble on the set for producers.
Producer Arthur Freed Exposed Himself to 12-Year-Old Temple
At just 12 years old in 1940, Temple had a deeply disturbing encounter with powerful
MGM producer Arthur Freed.
During her initial visit to Freed's office, the older man exposed himself to the young
actress while they were alone, telling her he had something made just for her.
Temple nervously giggled before Freed angrily threw her out of his office.
At the time, Freed was in his late 30s and already an established force in Hollywood
musicals, going on to produce classics like "Singin' in the Rain," "An American in Paris,"
"Gigi," and "The Wizard of Oz."
The fact that this known sexual predator could retain his esteemed and influential position
reveals the entertainment industry's complicity in enabling famous men to abuse minors. Power
dynamics allowed figures like Freed to take advantage of aspiring young performers desperate
to succeed in Hollywood, while studio dependence and age prevented child actors like Temple
from speaking out about mistreatment.
Her disturbing encounter illustrates the constant threats faced by child stars at the mercy
of men in charge.
David O. Selznick Attempted to Assault 17-Year-Old Temple
When Temple was 17 in 1945, she had an unsettling encounter with powerful producer David O.
Selznick in his office at his production company, Selznick International Pictures.
Selznick already had a reputation for improper behavior with young actresses.
An artistic director at his company warned Temple beforehand to be careful if she found
Selznick in stockings.
In her memoir, Temple reportedly stated that she was under the impression that casual sex
might be a condition of employment with Selznick.
During a private meeting, he locked his office door before making an aggressive sexual advance.
Selznick suddenly opened his trousers and lunged at Temple, groping at her body.
Thankfully, Temple was able to use her dancer's agility to dodge him until he gave up.
She realized that for influential men like Selznick, coercing teenage actresses for sex
seemed a casual, expected workplace demand.
Her disturbing encounter reveals the constant sexual predation and exploitation that she
and other young performers faced behind the scenes from powerful figures.
Graham Greene Wrote Disturbing Sexual Reviews About Child Temple
Even as a child, Temple faced inappropriate sexual objectification from reviewers critiquing
her films.
British novelist Graham Greene wrote a series of troubling reviews focused on sexualizing
her body and performance.
In a 1936 review of "Captain January," when Temple was just 8 years old, Greene specifically
commented on her neat and well-developed rump as she performed in the tap-dance.
In a review a year later for "Wee Willie Winkie," Greene made more disturbing observations that
could be interpreted as pedophilic.
He wrote that Temple, wearing short kilts, is a complete totsy, and commented on how
she measures a man with agile studio eyes, with dimpled depravity.
He claimed adult male viewers were drawn to her "dubious coquetry" and desirable little
body.
Greene's words emphasize the environment of predatory attitudes that Temple regularly
faced in Hollywood.
His position as an esteemed critic enabled him to publish such harmful sexualized views
about a child actress to wide audiences.
Temple responded by filing a successful libel lawsuit against Greene and the magazine that
printed his pieces.
Temple Faced Constant Sexual Harassment Throughout Her Career
Throughout her entire career, Temple faced a constant pattern of inappropriate groping,
threats, and terrorization at the hands of Hollywood figures in positions of power over
her career.
In a memoir, she described episodes of sexual harassment from studio executives.
A man whom Temple referred to as "the Wizard" explicitly told her that engaging in sexual
activity was a casual expectation in the workplace, likening it to drinking a glass of water when
thirsty.
When Temple rebuffed his advances, he warned her ominously that they would have to get
along and that what he had in mind was merely a workplace formality.
Even the beloved comedian George Jessel once horrifically attempted to sexually assault
her in his office.
The young actress recalled having to constantly reject unwanted advances and aggressive contact
from these influential industry figures.
Her experiences illuminate the larger dynamics of predatory famous men exploiting their status
to pressure and abuse aspiring young performers.
Temple's enormous popularity and box office draw enabled studios to ignore such mistreatment,
which came at the steep cost of her enduring repeated trauma no child should ever face.
Temple's Father Squandered Her Millions in Earnings
Despite being the world's highest-paid child star, Temple did not get to keep most of her
earnings.
By 1935 at age 7, she was making $50,000 per movie, the equivalent of over $1 million today.
Her contract entitled her to bonuses between $15,000-35,000 per completed film.
However, she only had access to about $13 per month as pocket money.
In total, Temple earned an estimated $3.2 million as an actress.
But when she turned 22, she discovered her savings only contained $44,000.
Her father George, who became her manager, had misused her earnings and spent lavishly
from her fortune on himself.
He failed to properly set up court-ordered trust funds to protect her finances.
In her memoir, the forgiving Temple described his financial ineptitude with surprising dispassion,
feeling neither anger nor disappointment over this betrayal.
While beloved by fans, the hard truth was that Temple endured exploitation by the very
people meant to protect her.
Temple Suffered in an Abusive First Marriage In 1945 at age 17, Temple married actor John
Agar, who soon revealed a dark side.
Over their 5-year marriage, Agar physically and mentally abused Temple.
The former soldier struggled with alcoholism and was prone to violence when drinking.
Temple's daughter later described Agar as someone who was charming when sober, ugly
when drunk.
He cheated on Temple repeatedly and was frequently arrested for drunk driving.
Temple finally filed for divorce in 1949, citing mental cruelty as the cause.
She worked to shield her young daughter from Agar's abuse during their marriage.
Temple showed strength leaving him despite the stigma of divorce at the time.
But the relationship added more pain and trauma to a childhood already filled with mistreatment.
Even after gaining more independence at 17, she continued to be victimized by predatory
men.
Temple Faced Bizarre Public Rumors and Harassment Temple also faced bizarre rumors and harassment
from the public.
Some accused her of not truly being a child at all, suspecting she was an adult dwarf
or using false teeth.
Fans would even yank her hair to try uncovering proof it was a wig.
When Temple naturally lost her baby teeth, she had dental caps installed to hide the
gaps.
But rumors spread they were fake teeth proving she was much older.
The public obsession went so far that the Vatican sent a priest to investigate whether
she was lying about her age.
These rumors took a toll on the young star, who just wanted to live a normal childhood.
She was sexualized by adults who doubted her child identity and subjected to invasive physical
contact from aggressive fans.
Temple also survived a 1939 assassination attempt by a mentally ill woman convinced
she had somehow stolen her daughter's soul.
The bizarre incident shows the frightening side of early Hollywood fame she endured.
Producers Forced Temple to Work While Sick or Injured
Temple's producers prioritized profits over her health and recovery time after medical
issues.
When she was just 3, she had an urgent ear operation, but was back performing strenuous
song and dance scenes the very next day.
The studio head threatened to fire her if she did not comply.
In later reflections, she mentioned that she had to bang her ear that lacked an eardrum
with the flat of her hand during dance routines.
She did this to force her off-balance mechanisms into equilibrium and prevent herself from
falling over.
The message was clear - she was expected to work nonstop.
On another occasion, she danced despite a badly injured foot.
Temple realized refusal could end her career.
So she sacrificed her own wellbeing to appease the men in charge.
Even as a tiny child, she was denied rest and care in order to keep money flowing into
the studio system.
Her needs never came before profits.
A Stalker's Attempt to Murder Temple Revealed Dark Side of Fame
Stardom also made Temple a target of mentally ill stalkers, like the woman who tried to
assassinate her at age 11.
On the MGM lot in 1939, a middle-aged woman suddenly threw lye in Temple's face and struggled
to pull out a handgun.
A quick-thinking guard wrestled the gun away.
The crazed attacker later explained she believed Temple had somehow stolen her daughter's soul.
While physically unharmed, the encounter shook Temple.
She traveled with an armed guard for months after due to public obsession over child stars.
Obsessive fixation from unbalanced people was part of the alarming underside of fame.
As the biggest star in the world, Temple symbolized an innocent childhood ideal that made her
both idolized and threatened.
Her traumatic encounter captures the extreme darkness she encountered alongside unprecedented
popularity and success few understood.
Well, there you have it.
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