Media Advisory: Faculty can speak about Shirley Temple; Icon campaigned for Bob Dole in Kansas

LAWRENCE — Shirley Temple Black, the iconic child film star known for singing and dancing to cheer up Americans during the Great Depression, died Monday, Feb. 10, at her home in California. University of Kansas experts are available to speak about Temple Black’s legacy on the big screen.

John Tibbetts, associate professor of theatre and film, can speak to Temple Black's legacy as a shining star during Depression-era America. A triple threat who could sing, act and dance, Temple had entire productions built around her by the mid-1930s. She worked with era’s leading actors and directors. Tibbetts teaches film history, which looks at classic Hollywood movies from the 1930s and 1940s. 

“Her films hold up very well,” Tibbetts said.

To schedule an interview contact Christine Metz Howard at 785-864-8852 or cmetzhoward@ku.edu

Temple Black, who as an adult was an American diplomat, also has a connection to former Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas. She campaigned in Kansas for Dole and other Republicans in 1968 — a race he later won to secure his first term in the U.S. Senate. Photos of Temple Black and Dole during the 1968 campaign are housed at KU’s Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, and the images are available via the search engine in the Institute’s Dole Archives.

For more information about the Dole Institute and Dole Archives, contact Heather Anderson at 785-864-1422 or handers@ku.edu.