Shirley auf Welle 303

A frantic radio producer must find the perfect Little Miss America for an advertiser's national program. He discovers her in his country neighbor, REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM, an incredibly talented & precocious moppet, who proceeds to charm all around her & bring happiness into the lives of those who love her.

Little Shirley Temple turns in another crowd-pleasing performance in this pleasant family film - which bears almost no resemblance to the Kate Douglas Wiggin classic. It's easy to see why the little tyke was Hollywood's top star for years. Her smile & vivacity are still stunning decades later.

This time Shirley is surrounded by a plethora of male talent: rugged Randolph Scott, giving a slightly wooden performance no doubt caused by the chagrin of playing second fiddle to a ten-year-old; peppy Jack Haley, always eager to please; veteran William Demerest, displaying some of his best pratfalls; laconic comic Slim Summerville, the unlikeliest lover; flustered Franklin Pangborn, as a very nervous organist; and the great Bill `Bojangles' Robinson, given distressingly little to do in his role as a farmhand - until the film's final moments when he gets to shine in a tap routine with Shirley.

Helen Westley is great fun as grumpy Aunt Miranda; lovely Gloria Stuart is given little to do except look, well, lovely.

That's champion character actress Eily Malyon as the Reverend's cake-eating wife. Movie mavens will recognize old Clarence Wilson as a shyster attorney.

Shirley sings `An Old Straw Hat' & `Come And Get Your Happiness', as well as a medley of her past hits.

Query: Why do film makers think radio audiences are thrilled by listening to tap dancing? In films like this you don't ask questions like that.

REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM (20th Century-Fox, 1938), directed by Allan Dwan, stars Shirley Temple as the title character in a screenplay suggested on but not entirely from the story written by Kate Douglas Wiggin. Returning to the formula best suited for Temple's musical talents following her performances in the more faithful adaptations to the literary works of 1937's WEE WILLIE WINKIE and HEIDI, REBECCA is actually a rehash of Temple's earlier effort, THE POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL (1936), which not only has her singing some songs composed for that production, reuniting her with co-stars Jack Haley and Gloria Stuart, with much of the setting taking place in a radio station, but another well staged military dance number finish.

The story revolves around Anthony Kent (Randolph Scott), a radio station manager, assisted by Orville Smithers (Jack Haley), on a promotional talent search auditioning hundreds of little girls for their upcoming "Little Miss America" campaign sponsored by Cyrus Bartlett (Paul Harvey), an important client for Crackling Grain Flakes. Enduring through the intercom of listening of one bad singer after another vocalizing the same song of "You Got to Eat Your Spinach, Baby" over and over again, plus having to deal with overbearing parents, Kent finally gets to hear Rebecca Winstead's (Shirley Temple) singing and is very much impressed by her. However, due to a misunderstanding by Orville, Rebecca, accompanied by her stepfather/manager Harry Kipper (William Demarest), leave the studio thinking the audition a failure. Now that he has found himself evicted from their 950 10th Avenue apartment, and flat broke, Harry, who is unable to support his stepdaughter, decides to have Rebecca live upstate with her Aunt Miranda (Helen Westley) at Sunnybrook Farm. Realizing Orville's mistake, and now at this point of a nervous breakdown, Kent decides to get away from it all by taking a rest on his farm in the country, which also happens to be at Sunnybrook. Eventually the paths of Kent and Rebecca meet, thanks to a little piggy, and discovering that Rebecca is the talented child he's been searching for, he sets out to star her on the "Crackling Grain Flakes Hour," but there's only one problem, Aunt Miranda, who detests show people, especially since her late daughter had married an actor, refuses to give Rebecca permission to perform on the radio. Gwen (Gloria Stuart), Rebecca's first cousin, also living under Miranda's roof, and in love with Kent, schemes in having Rebecca sneak out at night on a hook to book broadcast set in Kent's home. All goes well, even after Miranda hears her on the radio, until Uncle Harry, now remarried to a tough babe (Ruth Gillette), returns to Sunnybrook Farm with an attorney (Clarence Wilson) to reclaim his talented stepchild.

Amusing moments consist of Haley's love for Scott's temperamental fiancée (played by Phyllis Brooks), who performs with him but refuses to give him the satisfaction; William Demarest's frequent pratfalls on Aunt Miranda's loose board in front of her home; and Helen Westley as the strong-willed Miranda, who continues to hold a grudge on Scott's servant, Homer Busby (wonderfully played by Slim Summerville), her former fiancé, due to some misunderstanding 25 years ago. One thing about Wesley's character, every time she speaks, one expects her to lay an egg. Also in the cast are Alan Dinehart as Mr. Purvis, Kent's radio station rival; J. Edward Bromberg as Doctor Hill; and best of all, Franklin Pangborn as Hamilton Montgomery, a substitute organ player waiting for his big chance to go on the air; and Bill Robinson as Miranda's dancing farm hand.

The motion picture soundtrack includes: "Happy Ending" (sung by Phyllis Brooks); "You've Got to Eat Your Spinach, Baby" (sung by individual auditioning girls); ""An Old Straw Hat" (sung by Shirley Temple); "Crackling Grain Flakes" (sung by quartet); "Alone With You" (sung by Phyllis Brooks and Jack Haley); "Come and Get Your Happiness" (sung by Temple/by Jack Yellen and Sam Polgrass); a medley of Temple oldies: "On the Good Ship Lollipop" (by Richard Whiting and Sidney Clare); "Animal Crackers in My Soup" (by Ted Koehler, Irving Caesar and Ray Henderson); "When I'm With You," "Oh, My Goodness," and "Goodnight, My Friends (formerly "Goodnight, My Love" (all sung by Temple); and "The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" (performed by Temple and Bill Robinson/by Sidney Mitchell, Lew Pollack and Raymond Scott).

One of the better radio musicals of the period, Temple shines as the little girl who is very self-reliant. This is also the initial film in which she loses her legendary curls, which comes after living under Aunt Miranda's roof on Sunnybrook Farm. And speaking of legendary, her tap dancing opposite Bill Robinson ranks one of their better team efforts, even if the tapping takes place on the radio for listeners to hear and not see, except for the movie viewing audience. REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM is not the sort of movie for grammar school students to base a book report on, for that this is the least faithful of the earlier screen treatments, 1917 with Mary Pickford, and 1932 with Marian Nixon. It seems interesting that the writers didn't come upon a musical version to the book from which it is based, as MGM later did with THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939), and not stray away from its original concept, but overlooking these major changes, with no harm done, it does make fine family viewing.

Distributed on video cassette and later DVD, REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM is currently available in both colorized and black and white versions. Formerly shown on American Movie Classics from 1997 to 2001, other cable broadcasts include the Fox Movie Channel and Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: November 22, 2012). See youz in church.(***1/2)

Although the film has absolutely nothing to do with the plot of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm as written, the film is a really enjoyable one with the self reliant Shirley at her best.

She has to be because Darryl Zanuck really went out of his way to give her a bunch of scene stealing character players as support for his golden little moppet. Jack Haley, Helen Westley, William Demarest, Slim Summerville all have their moments. Even Franklin Pangborn has a brief scene with Temple as a flustered organ player who is hired by a radio station to provide substitute music in case a live performer can't go on. He muffs his big chance in a hilarious scene.

Randolph Scott is a frustrated radio programmer who's looking for a child radio star to be Little Miss America. He hears all kinds of Shirley Temple wannabes and then hears the genuine article. But his dumb cluck of an assistant, Jack Haley, forgets to keep her in the studio.

Frustrated Scott goes back to his farm which just happens to be next to where Temple's deadbeat stepdad parks the prodigy. Shirley is now with her Aunt Helen Westley and another cousin Gloria Stuart. When Randy discovers her, his problems seem over.

Of course when the deadbeat stepdad William Demarest discovers Shirley is a budding radio star he schemes to get custody of her. But our little heroine being very self reliant is up to the challenge as she is in every one of her films.

I'm not writing any give aways but this is a Shirley Temple movie and there's only one way they turn out.

When adorable Shirley Temple gets dropped off, at her aunt's country farm, by her irresponsible uncle, she gets to know the simple life. Only life in the country isn't so simple. Her aunt, Helen Westley, has a decades-long feud with her old beau and neighbor, Slim Summerville. She refuses to speak to him, relaying messages through Shirley even when they're all in the same frame. Then there's the other neighbor, Randolph Scott, a handsome talent scout who's dating a radio singer, Phyllis Brooks. Jack Haley is in love with Phyllis, but she won't give him the time of day. And Gloria Stuart, Shirley's cousin, is trying to fight her feelings for Scottie.

In case that isn't complicated enough, Helen Westley is anti-show business, and Shirley's already auditioned for a Little Miss America radio contest! This is one of the more complicated Shirley Temple movies, which makes sense since she's growing up. She can handle more plot than Curly Top or Stand Up and Cheer. And supposedly, her audience can, too.

Shirley sings a few songs in this one, notably a medley of other songs she's performed in her older movies. While it is very cute for Shirley to sing a medley of her previous hits, it's also bittersweet. She's growing up, and she has to acknowledge that the days of her being a charming little tot are over. For her to "remind" us of her hits, it's also a reminder that those movies were a long time ago. For those who like a good story and lots of jokes sprinkled in the script, this might be your favorite Shirley Temple flick. Helen and Slim's feud is hilarious, and I always love Jack Haley. Scott and Stuart don't do much, but for no fault of their own; it's Shirley's show. Literally!

Lately, I have watched a bunch of Shirley Temple movies. I used to think they were all very schmaltzy, but this isn't always the case. Plus, since she was such a lovable and adorable child, even a bit of schmaltz manages to work. Of the dozen or so Temple films I've seen in the last month, I would place "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" among the very best. And, after over 70 years, it's still very enjoyable.

This film begins with Rebecca being shuttled about by her no-good uncle (William Demarest) from one audition to another. At the final audition, Rebecca wows the producer (Randolph Scott) and sponsor but the dumb assistant (Jack Haley) tells the girl that she was rejected when she really wasn't. At the end of their ropes, the uncle dumps the child on her aunt--an old grouch living at Sunnybrook Farm. The aunt is happy to take the child and Rebecca soon endears herself to everyone (big surprise). In a coincidence you'll only see in movies, her new neighbor happens to be the producer--who has been frantically searching for the child for his show. But, when he eventually discovers who she is, the aunt is not about to let the girl 'ruin her life by going into show business'! What's next? See the film.

While the film has almost nothing to do with the novel "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm", it manages to work very, very well. Much of it is the writing--the script has a nice sense of humor and is better written than normal. In addition, a wonderful supporting cast helps by not placing all the film on the shoulders of little Shirley. In addition to Haley, Demarest and Scott, Gloria Stuart, Slim Summerville and Bill Robinson round out the cast. Overall, a treat--a Shirley Temple film that manages to make you smile and keeps the saccharine level in check. Well worth your time. Plus, it made my wife laugh and smile throughout--a positive statement indeed as she's even more cynical than me when it comes to films.