TCM Star of the Month July 2015: Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple (r.) with Jane Withers in a still from Bright Eyes

We didn't have a Star of the Month on TCM last week because the last several months have had Stars of the Month on Wednesdays, and this Wednesday was July 1. TCM apparently didn't have enough films to run five nights of programming for July's Star of the Month, Shirley Temple, so her tribute is showing up on Mondays instead.

To be fair, having Shirley Temple as your Star of the Month means having to get the rights to a bunch of films from Fox. Bright Eyes, from which the photo above is taken, is one example. That movie is airing tonight at 11:00 PM. There have been three of Temple's movies getting regular airings recently on FXM Retro, and one of them shows up in this month's tribute: Wee Willie Winkie is on next Monday at 9:45 PM.

As it is, TCM couldn't get enough to have four full nights of prime time, as the last movie in the night, that is the one that leads into 6:00 AM, is just a film with another child star. As for tonight's schedule:

Shirley winds up with gambler Adolphe Menjouy in Little Miss Marker at 8:00 PM;
Temple gets to meet long-lost father Gary Cooper in Now and Forever at 9:30 PM;
The aforementioned Bright Eyes is on at 11:00 PM;
Orphan Temple gets adopted by a wealthy man in Curly Top at 12:30 AM; and
Temple runs off in New York and helps two struggling dancers hit it big in Poor Little Rich Girl at 2:00 AM.