Preface: Shirley Temple

"On the Good Ship Lollipop

It's a sweet trip to the candy shop

Where bon-bons play

On the sunny beach of Peppermint Bay"

Who doesn't know these lyrics? Or the face that goes along with them? Shirley Temple is generally regarded as the greatest child actor the U.S. has ever seen. With a vibrant personality and adorable looks, she graced the movie screen during one of the most difficult periods in U.S. history. Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt praised Shirley's ability to lift the spirits of the American people during the Great Depression.

However behind those blond curls and dimples lay a girl who dealt with some significant events in her young life. While she did not seem significantly affected by these events, I would argue that she was more affected that she even realized. (like previous profile figures, she was raised in a generation that did not express much emotion)

Shirley Temple is the perfect example of someone who did not suffer from chronic mental illness, however still had experiences that likely affected how she saw the world, whether or not she expressed that publicly. Let's take a look at the ultimate child star's life and times...