Crazy Things People Used To Believe About Shirley Temple

Publish date: 2024-05-03

Out of all of the rumors that made headlines during the height of Shirley Temple's fame, this one may just be craziest — and it involved an assassination attempt. According to Temple's biography, "Child Star," in 1939, when she was merely 11, the A-lister was set to appear on a radio show for a Christmas special and perform "Silent Night." In her dressing room, Temple recalled spotting a woman outside staring at her and "scowling." Naturally, her mother told the staff about the incident, who in turn warned the police — who got the FBI involved.

Meanwhile, Temple took to the studio and "launched into song" when she suddenly noticed the same woman in the crowd, yet this time she was taking out a gun. As she stood up and pointed her weapon at the star, Temple remarkably didn't run — she simply "shrank down behind [her] microphone." Thankfully, two men managed to intervene and snatch the firearm away.

As Temple recalled in her book, the following day, the FBI called with an explanation. "She had indeed intended to kill me, for stealing her daughter's soul," Temple wrote. As it turned out, the woman had a daughter who was born mere hours before Temple, and at the "very hour" that the future celeb herself was born, "her baby had died." Because the woman truly believed Temple's soul was that of her daughter's, she "set out to kill [Temple's] body" as a means of revenge.

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