Articles/ Reviews
ABC's Sunday
Night Ratings Release: Despite airing in an earlier time The New York Times,
Friday, May 11, 2001 By: Caryn James "Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story" The Wall Street
Journal, Friday, May 11, 2001 By: Barbara D.
Phillips The Wonderful World of Disney
truly is this week
as it offers a biopic of a Hollywood child star that. s actually suitable viewing
for children. The movie, based on Shirley Temple Black. s 1988
autobiography and starring Ashley Rose Orr as young Shirley and Emily
Anne Hart as Shirley' in her teens, focuses on the Hollywood star. s early
years, when the dimpled, curly-topped moppet sang and danced her
way into Americans. hearts. Young kids will love little Shirley. s smarts
and good-natured spunk, as well as the fairytale aspects of the
story, including the star. s studio bungalow, filled with this and child-size
furniture, and her meeting with her heroine Amelia Earhart.....And
there are enough winning re-creations of Shirley. s screen
routines - including the famous staircase dance with Bill Robinson to send
kids and their parents rushing post-haste to the nearest Blockbuster for
full servings of the real thing. Kansas City Star: A boring
. Blonde", a lovely "Temple" 5/13/01 By: Aaron
Barnhart Ashley Rose Orr
plays the 6-year-old starlet with the 56 hair curls and the unstoppable
smile. Fittingly, she steals the show here... But the big surprise
comes in the production numbers between Shirley and her Uncle Bill,
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Whereas the Monroe musical numbers in "Blonde"
is obviously lip-synced.......And if Orr is faking it as Shirley, I
couldn't. t tell. This is exactly what 21st century TV should be
doing-making you want to rush out and rent videos of the original
stars.Australian Herald Sun, Monday, November l3, 2000. By: Bob
Hart Little Ashley Orr
is probably one in a million: but she can prove that she is, at the very
least, one in 10,000. Because that. s how many young Americans
auditioned for the title role Ashley will play in "Child Star: The
Shirley Temple Story". The key to the endeavor is little Ashley - a
bubbling New Yorker, barely 10, with the world at her twinkling feet.
Ashley spent much of the weekend in a Melbourne studio - delivering
uncanny recreations of Shirley Temple songs for local musical wizard and
film composer, Allan Zavod. "Ashley is astonishing," said Zavod, who is
scoring the film. "She can be Shirley Temple. But when she sings in her
own voice, it knocks your socks off." While Ashley was singing The Good
Ship Lollipop for Zavod, the film. s producer, Iain Paterson, sang her praises.
"We listened to a lot of little girls before we found Ashley," he said.
"She. s extraordinary, and a lovely little girl. Totally unspoiled."
How times change, eh?The Palm Beach Post, Cover Story: -10-year old Orr
gets her dream role" May 13, 2001 By:
Kevin D. Thompson Ashley Rose Orr
is giggling. Ten-year-old girls do that a lot. But Orr is not your average
10-year-old. While most girls Orr. s age are preoccupied with
riding bikes or playing with Barbie dolls, the active fourth-grader has an
acting career to consider. For instance, by age 9, Orr already had spent
more than three years performing on Broadway in such productions as The
Sound of Music, Les Miserables and Annie Get Your Gun. But for Orr, those
gigs almost pale in comparison to her lead role in "Child Star: The
Shirley Temple Story". The teddy-bear-cute tyke, who grew up in Sarasota,
has idolized Temple since she could walk. Quite naturally, I wondered
coached by someone to tell that story in order to publicize her movie. But
as I continued to listen to her, l realized she actually sounded sincere.
"This is such a blessing for me," says Orr, who is wonderfully convincing
as Temple and does her own singing. "I've wanted to do this my whole life.
Shirley is just a great person." Child Star may not be a great movie
(those looking for an E! True Hollywood Story-like film about Temple.
s dark side will be disappointed), but it is a sweet one as it
chronicles Temple. s Childhood
career.... The movie features such classical musical numbers as
The Good Ship Lollipop, Old Straw Hat and Temple. s legendary staircase
dance with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, played by famed choreographer
Hinton Battle. Battle, says he had a ball working with Orr. "She
brought out the child in me when we got together. I became this 9 year
old little boy running around the set being mischievous." Paula Hart, the
film. s executive producer, says Orr beat out scores of other actresses
because she was able to become the adorable Shirley Temple without being
"annoying" adorable. And for those who didn't. t like "America.
s Little Sweetheart," she was annoyingly adorable and precocious.
Not Orr. "She had that sparkle in her eye," says Hart.TV Guide, May 12-18,
By: Matt Roush Child Star. s ABC. s Shirley
Temple Story Pleasant Fare Aimed at Fans Let's face it, there are two
kinds of people in this world. The first group adores Shirley Temple and
will drop everything to watch The Little Colonel for the 98th time. Then
there are the rest of us who would rather suck grout. It. s a
pleasure, and no little surprise, to report that Child Star: The
Shirley Temple Story will
go down pleasantly enough for either group. The ABC movie, Which
premieres Sunday, May 13, Chronicles the childhood career of Temple (Ashley
Rose Orr of Broadway. s "Annie Get Your Gun) ending just as
the young actress begins her second career as a teen......Credit much of
the movie. s painlessness to 10-year-old Orr, who somehow manages
to capture Temple. s voice (she does her own singing) and mannerisms
while minimizing the cloying aspect that turns off non-Shirley fans.
"Ashley was just amazing and I think she humanizes the character," says
Connie Britton, "Ashley is so grounded that she was able to handle the
singing and dancing demands brilliantly, but she also shows us, the little
girl behind it all. She was just a joy to work with"...... Shirley Temple
fans - and they are legion- will jump at the chance to spend two hours
when nothing bad happens to anyone and the world seems to run by a simpler
set of rules. And thanks to Orr and Britton, the rest of us don. t
suffer much, either.The Times Union, The Hearst Corporation, May 7, 2001,
By: Mark McGuire Like
Montgomery
(from "Blonde") 10-year-old Ashley Rose Orr does a very capable job
of playing one of the most recognizable actors ever, especially in handling
recreations of Temple. s famous dance scenes with Bill "Bojangles"
Robinson.The Washington Post May 13, 2001, By: Tom
Shales Orr
has mastered
several of Temple. s mannerisms, including the adorable
wrinkled-nose smile, and she has a twinkle in her eye that can definitely
hold a candle to the original Temple twinkle, a picker-upper that helped a
great generation go through the Great Depression.The Columbus Dispatch May
13, 2001 By: Tim Feran Grade: B+ Child
Star: The
Shirley Temple Story is perfect for Mother. s Day . sweet, eager to
please and cute, like the child actress, Ashley Rose Orr, who plays the
title character....Amid a gaily sung rendition of On the good Ship
Lollipop....All the while, the young Shirley and later, the teen-age
Shirley, exhibit a cheerful and well balanced attitude.Houston Chronicle
May 2001, By: Ann Hodges The
hardest job in this
movie is playing little Shirley. She. s played by l0-year-old, Ashley Rose
Orr, whose Broadway resume runs from Baby June in" Gypsy" (should have
said, "The Sound of Music") to the latest "Annie Get Your Gun. This
is her first TV role, and let. s get it over with: She's no Shirley
Temple, but she. s about as close as could be expected. She does
her "Oh, my goodness!" in top-grade Shirley-speak. She does all the
dancing and the singing-even "The Good Ship Lollipop". And she really
shines in the famous staircase dance with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.San
Antonio Express - News April 30, 2001 By: Jeanne
Jakle Women of all
ages, sizes and situations will dominate the television spotlight in the
coming month.....Cute-as-a-button actress Ashley Rose Orr re-creates the
Hollywood darling who inspired everything from blond ringlets to tap
dances to a cherry-tingled drink in this two-hour Wonderful World of
Disney movie.Us Weekly Issue 325/326 May 7-14, 2001 By: Tom
Conroy Child
Star: The
Shirley Temple Story. Dance partners Orr and Battle conquer Hollywood one
step at a time...And Orr can tap, sing and even imitate Temple. s pouty
delivery.The Boston Globe Cover Story: Baby Take a Bow, May 13, 2001 By:
Bruce McCable Ashley Rose Orr
appears in her first starring role as the number one movie star at the depths
of the Depression, a girl with ringlet curls and dimples who tap-danced,
sang, and captivated the nation......One of the most diverting aspects
to the movie is 10-year-old Orr. s performance as Shirley as she
was from ages 5 to 10.Orlando Sentinel May 2001, By: Hal
Boedeker Little Shirley wins
again: Moppet soars, bombshell bores....Young children will enjoy this
movie, but older viewers will appreciate it more. If Ashley Rose Orr,
10, can. t fully capture Temple. s charm . who could? . she works
hard and has appeal of her own. And she performs electric dances with
Hinton Battle. Charlton News May
12, 2001, By: Mindy Spar Ashley Rose
Orr portrays Temple with uncanny accuracy. Her voice and movements
perfectly recall the little girl with 56 pincurls, a bright smile and
pouty little voice. Orr's renditions of "The Good Ship Lollipop" and
"Animal Crackers in My Soup" prove her voice teacher accurate when she
proclaimed Orr had perfect pitch. What makes "Child Star" enjoyable,
beside the obvious charm of Orr, is the emphasis on the love and support
Temple received from her family.South Coast Today Massachusetts, May
12, 2001 Ten-year-old Ashley Rose
Orr makes her TV debut In "Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story" on The
Wonderful World of Disney" (7 p.m. Sunday, ABC, (TV-G). A veteran of the
Broadway musical "Annie Get Your Gun," Orr captures much of the spunk and
sparkle That made the pint-sized Temple the darling of Depression-era movie
audiences The film recreates some of Temple. s most famous
Song-and-dance numbers, including her groundbreaking tap collaboration
with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (Hinton Battle). This marked the first time
a black man and a white woman (even a 5-year-old white woman) ever
performed on screen together. Much of "Child Star" involves the efforts of
her parents to keep their daughter from being exploited by Hollywood
moguls. The movie is based on Temple's memoirs.Contra Costa Times Bay Area
Entertainment, May 14, 2001, By: Chuck
Barney AMERICA'S SWEETHEART: ABC's
"Wonderful World of Disney" presents, a very different kind of
show-biz biopic on Sunday with "Child Star," a film that focuses on the
meteoric 1930s movie career of Shirley Temple.The film' s saving grace
is the charming Orr, who seems to be having a time hamming it up and imitating
Temple's pouty delivery. Also worthwhile the meticulous re-creations
of some of Temple' s most famous song-and dance numbers,
including the delightful staircase duet from "The Little Colonel" with
Hinton Battle playing Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. The film was produced by
former child star Melissa Joan Hart and her mother Paula. Melissa's
sister, Emily, plays the teen-age Temple in a few brief scenes toward the
end of the movie.Santa Rosa Press - Democrat NY Times, May 13, 2001,
By: Bill Mann Gist TV Movies Feature Story
period
with lower viewing levels, "Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story"
stood as the most watched movie of the night. The Shirley Temple
movie
generated the largest audience for the Wonderful World of Disney
franchise in
8 weeks.
"Child Star"
Tonight's entertaining, lavishly
produced movie shows how Temple, played energetically by preternaturally
cute 10-year-old actress/Broadway vet, Ashley Rose Orr, became a ray of
sun during the Depression. Orr has uncannily captured Temple's charm
(the curls, the nose-crinkling, etc., etc.)
Orr does an excellent job of
believably stepping into Temple's famous tap
shoes to play the child
actress. Sporting Temple's signature 56 pin curls,
she re-enacts
such musical numbers as "The Good Ship Lollipop," "Old Straw
Hat" and
her famous "Staircase Dance" duet with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
(Hinton Battle) from the film, The Little Colonel. Temple fans
will love
Orr's flawless portrayal of the legendary star, and the
updated, repackaged
musical numbers will surely appeal to kids who may
not have had any interest
in seeing Temple's original black-and-white
films.
