Fräulein Winnetou

I have a vast collection of Shirley Temple movies in my possession. I don't however have all of them I am still in search of some of the ones that I don't have but, I do have Susannah of the Mounties and I watch it often. I enjoy this movie because I've always liked movies that have a variety of nationalities in it. And Susannah of the Mounties has a mixture of white and native americans in it and I liked it. True she doesn't sing or dance in it like she is known for in her earlier works but, she still touches the hearts of watchers through her talents. In this movie she ends up teaching watchers that not all native americans are bad and that indeed whites and native americans could live together peacefully. Through her befriending the young native american chief she is showing people that all ethnic groups can live together peacefully and be friends to. She also shows how important it is to be there for loved ones or good friends when they are in need like she does for Inspector Montague after she finds out that he has been captured and almost put to death by the Blackfeet Tribe. And by being friends with Chief Big Eagle and Little Chief she convinces the Blackfeet tribe to save Inspector Montague and to punish the real traitor. I think all her movies teaches us the lessons of life we need to learn and because of her being the popular child star she was and how everyone loved her she was able to teach children good from bad and be the positive influence that she was and always will be.

SUSANNAH OF THE MOUNTIES (20th Century-Fox, 1939), directed by William A. Seiter, stars Shirley Temple, now 11-years-old, trying new ground so not to repeat herself. No songs or dance numbers here, just plain outdoors adventure between white men and Indians.

Set in the Canaadian mounties of the 1880s, the story revolves around Susannah Sheldon (Shirley Temple), a young girl who is orphaned after her family is killed in an Indian massacre, thus, becoming the sole survivor found and taken in by a Canadian Mountie, Angus Montagu (Randolph Scott). She soon bonds with the Mountie who assists she overcome her fear of Indians by living in peace among them.

Not as memorable as some of her earlier outings, but watchable. Temple has her moments with Scott in a scene in which she tries to teach him how to dance in order to impress an attractive visitor, Vicky Standing (Margaret Lockwood). Margaret Lockwood, an English actress, is best known for her performance in the Alfred Hitchcock's suspenser, THE LADY VANISHES (1938). She also worked in another Hollywood produced feature, RULERS OF THE SEA (Paramount, 1939) before returning to England where her roles surpassed those made in Hollywood. As for Shirley, she is even given some screen time opposite an Indian boy, Little Chief (Martin Good Rider), who calls her "papoose," which is Indian for "baby." Also featured in the cast are J. Farrell MacDonald, Moroni Olson and Victor Jory. As mentioned during the opening credits, scenes were filmed on location in the Canadian Mounties. With plenty of background scenery, one wonders why it wasn't done in Technicolor. Otherwise, it's convincing actioner.

SUSANNAH OF THE MOUNTIES, which can be found on video cassette from Playhouse Video, formerly played in the colorized context on the Disney Channel in the early 1990s, later on American Movie Classics (1996-2001), the Fox Movie Channel, where it's presented either in its original black and white format or colorization, and later on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: August 4, 2019). (***)

Susannah - Shirley Temple - is a young girl in the rough Canadian wilderness. Her grandfather died in a Blackfoot Native American raid, leaving her scared and alone. She is transported to a Canadian Mounties post nearby. It's there she meets Mountie Monty - Randolph Scott - a handsome man. He helps her recover. Soon, there is a surprise visit from the daughter of the regiments leader. She is lovely and Monty is bewitched. Meanwhile, Blackfeet are stealing horses. Monty tries to make peace with the Chief, who tells him it is a rogue group of Blackfoot stirring up trouble. He loans the Post his son who amazes Sue with his riding abilities. But, peace is fleeting. The Natives are upset that a railroad track is being built through their land. Can Susannah help make peace? I loved this film as a little girl, being a big Shirley fan. It still has humor and heart and gorgeous scenery. There is probably some accuracy in the depiction of the Blackfeet tribe but of course, they are made to be the villains of the movie. Too bad. Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable film with Shirley as enchanting as always. Do encourage family members to seek information and understand the history of the Blackfoot and that there are two sides to history.

This is one of my favorite Shirley Temple films. She as always is captivating. The story line is interesting, and the characters believable. I would recommend this to any family to watch.

"Susannah of the Mounties" begins with a group of Canadian Mounted Police (the 'Mounties') coming upon some wagons that were attacked by the Natives. All the settlers, aside from a child (Shirley Temple as the title character), have been killed and the girl is taken back to the fort to live. She is taken in by a handsome young officer (Randolph Scott) and she soon adjusts to camp life.

Because of this and other attacks, the leader of the Mounties calls a meeting with the local Chief. The two swear to end the violence and as a sign of his integrity, the Chief sends his young son to live with the white folks. Soon, he and Susannah are at odds with each other. BUT, because she is so gosh-darn spunky and sweet, soon she and the boy become best friends. However, a small group of evil renegade natives are bent on stoking the fires of war. Can resourceful little Susannah bring everyone together? Considering how many times she hit the peace pipe with her new friend, it's a good bet she can.

The film gets some credit for having a tribe of actual Indians play the natives....with a few obvious exceptions. The chief and the leader of the renegades are BOTH played by white guys painted up to look like natives. Why did Hollywood always insist in this era in giving all the major roles for most every ethnic group to white folks?! This is especially silly with the chief-- a guy by the name of Maurice Moscovitch! However, Shirley's acting is great (as usual) and the film is never boring. Overall, a pretty good family film--even if it isn't 100% politically correct!