shirley temple

Shirley Temple was one of the greatest child actors of her time. She was talented, cute, and full of energy. However, what made her stand out? Sure, she was cute and fun, but these are common traits that almost all children share. What made her more talented than the other child actors? Shirley Temple Black was born on April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica California. Her Father, George Francis Temple, was a successful banker, and business man. Her mother, Gertrude Amelia Krieger, was a stay at home mother who loved dancing. Shirley had two brothers, Jack, and George Jr. (who were both older then Shirley). Shirley started her dancing lessons at age three with Mrs. Meglin, at Mrs. Meglin’s Dance Studio located in Los Angeles. She was soon spotted by two lucky producers, Jack Hays, and Charles Lamont from the Educational Films Corporation. She would work for them in 1932, and 1933. Shirley was chosen to star in a short film known as Baby Burlesks. She then stared in Frolics of youth. She was one of the greatest child actors of the 30’s. In 1933, Fox Films contracted Shirley, and agreed to pay her 150$ per week! They gave her a major role in Carolina (1934). This was her first full length feature film. She then stared in Stand up and Cheer (1934). It was a huge hit. This was her very first major film. She then continued to act in eight more films that same year. Some of the other films she stared in were Bright Eyes, and Little Miss Marker. She was soon given a miniature Oscar by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. From then on out, her career as an actress grew. She was at the top of almost all box office listings for the next decade! She was very talented at dancing, and often learned her lines as fast as the adult actors! However, by the time the 1940’s rolled around, much of her childish charm was gone. Her film, The Blue Bird (1940) was not a great success. She tried acting in the T.V. show, called Shirley Temple, but it proved to be another failure. People couldn’t seem to grasp the Idea that Shirley was growing up. They liked the cute, curly blond haired girl of the thirties. They seemed to forget about her amazing ability to dance, and her quick ability to remember lines. Maybe the thing that had made her so irresistible to the public was simply her youth. She was so young and cute, that everyone loved her. She was one of the few child actresses of her time, a rare find. As she grew up, her abilities only got stronger. Her dancing was better, she was an experienced actress, and her ability to remember lines was growing. Why did people seem to forget about her? What was so different about her? It was her age. She was growing up. She had lost her little girl charm that attracted so many people. Her skill may have played a part in her popularity, but the main attention grabber was her youth. She was a cute, young child in her prime. Her best films were made when she was still young. Maybe, it was merely her age that people liked. If she had been a teenager, she would have never landed a roll in Baby Burlesks. She would have never sighed with Fox Films and landed such complex important roles. However, she was still a great actress. She made almost anyone who watched her films smile.

shirly temple

Louis Armstrong

New Orleans native Louis Armstrong was the very first Jazz trumpet soloist to become world famous. His unique style and interesting past contributed to his world wide success as a jazz musician, and he was a huge influence on jazz music around the world. He had a huge smile, and as a result was nicknamed stachelmouth. This was later reduced to “sachmo”. However, it all started during his childhood. His father abandoned the family when Louis was just a little boy, and left his family to fend for itself. As a result, his mother turned to prostitution. Louis would often sing on the streets for money in order to help his mother. However, when Louis was twelve years old, in 1913, Louis fired a gun into the air on New Year’s Eve. He was quickly shipped away to the New Orleans colored waifs’ home for boys. Luckily, the Homes music instructor, peter Davis, noticed that Armstrong was quite talented and taught him how to sing, rhythm, and trumpet. When Louis turned fourteen, he was released from the Colored waif’s home for boys. He returned home, and grabbed any job he could. He often worked at local bars, and was introduced to a number of upcoming jazz bands. His favorite band was the Kid orgy band, led by Joe “king” Oliver. Oliver had become a good friend of Armstrong, and decided to be his mentor. By the mid 1920’s, Armstrong had formed his own Jazz band known as “Hot Five” (later known as the “Hot Seven”). He soon left them in 1929, and relocated to Los Angeles, and then Chicago soon after. He created a new traveling band, and travelled to New Orleans. Unfortunately, he was faced with racism when the white radio announcer refused to say his name on air because Armstrong was black. Luckily, his concert was still a big success. He soon toured all over Europe and America. He hired a man names Joe Glaser to be his manager. Joe stayed by Armstrong’s side for the rest of his life. Louis Armstrong was by far, one of the most important musical figures in the history of jazz. The question is why was he so popular? What made him stand out? What made him so important in the history of Jazz music? He had a raspy voice, and very little professional training. People liked him because he was unique. He was not your ordinary jazz trumpet player. His raspy voice was new, and uncommon in most music of the time. He also had his own original trumpet style. Because he was lacking in professional training, he developed his own techniques and ways of playing. He was also extremely talented at playing his horn. His lips often bled because of this, but he kept playing. He was important to jazz music, because it was him who spread Jazz around the world. He was so unique, so amazing at performing, and so different, people flocked to him. They were so used to the same boring old muscic, that when louis came into the picture, he was loved by all.