Lamont is generally credited with starting
Shirley Temple's career. He
discovered her while visiting a dance studio in search of children for
a one-reel comedy short he was directing. He was so impressed with her
talent (she was about five years old) that instead of putting her in
the background with the rest of the children, he featured her in her
own dance number and gave her a few lines. Her career took off from
there.
