As Shirley Temple entered adulthood, her career was booming, with film historian David Thomson observing that after transitioning from her bouncy blonde curls to a more mature look, she had become a “mundane teenager” (via New York Times). By 1949, audiences were losing interest in his films and Temple was losing a husband, divorcing John Agar at the end of that year. Temple’s personal life took a turn when she met Charles Adlen BlackUS naval officer, businessman, and avid surfer (via Almanac). They met at a cocktail party, with Temple noting “I fell in love with him at first sight. It sounds corny, but that’s what happened” (via Los Angeles Times). Less than 60 days after her divorce from Alden, Temple and Black became engaged and married on December 6, 1950.
By the time Temple and Black married, Temple had finished his film career, his last film credits being 1949’s “A Kiss for Corliss”. Essentially retired from show business, Temple followed Black to Washington D.C. during the war. from Korea, where he was stationed at the Pentagon. Together, Temple and Black were a terrific couple, producing two children, son Charles Jr. and daughter Lori, as their marriage lasted nearly 55 years.
