R.I.P. Shirley Temple

The thing about Shirley Temple movies is that the best of them work on two levels. One, they are propaganda, pure and simple, cranked out in order to take advantage of the curly one's supernatural cuteness and innately upbeat outlook to raise hopes against all odds in the depths of the Great Depression. Two, they are, for the most part, darn fine movies as well, holding up even today and featuring some good performances from major stars including the undisputed greatest child actor of them all, Shirley herself.