Bad Little Angel

The truly delightful Virginia Weidler is at her most engaging as an innocent teenage orphan in this film excellently directed by Austrian émigré William Thiele. She is supported by a host of splendid character actors of the period such as Elizabeth Patterson and Guy Kibbee. The film has some truly hilarious moments and is most entertaining. The South African actor Ian Hunter is wonderful as the ever-cheerful adoptive father who battles corruption in his town with fearless intrepitude, risking ruin for his whole family. And Gene Reynolds is perfect as the young boy who befriends Virginia. Reynolds had come fresh from his excellent work earlier in the year in 'They Shall Have Music' with violinist Jascha Heifetz (one of the best such musical films ever made), and he later ended up as the producer of the TV series 'Mash'. The girl played by Virginia is deeply religious in a conventional Southern Baptist way, and opens the Bible at random to receive a message from the Lord in exactly the same manner that Oliver Cromwell used to do in the 17th century. Although this film may seem 'deeply religious' now, in this far more secular age, there was nothing at all unusual about the story in 1939, and it was not made as a religious film at all, but as a comedy fable. If it had been of truly religious intent, it would not have made such jokes out of the Biblical passages. Early in the film, Virginia is fleeing the horrible orphanage, having been instructed by the Bible to 'flee into Egypt'. She goes to the train station and asks for a ticket to Egypt, and is told blandly that that will be one dollar and fifty cents. The ticket turns out to be to Egypt, New Jersey. This film is a wonderful joyride, highly recommended to all who can laugh and to all who can cry, and Virginia Weidler was a marvellous presence on the screen, a child actor who was far from beautiful but whose personality shone.

Patricia Victoria 'Patsy' Sanderson (Virginia Weidler) is an orphan under the care of god-fearing Mrs. Perkins who dies suddenly. She is put back into the orphanage. She follows the old lady's advise and reads the Bible for direction in life. She reads about Egypt in the Bible and runs away to Egypt, New Jersey.

I love this premise. It is a fun concept with plenty of morality and sweetness already built-in. Virginia Weidler is a good child star who retired in her teens. She may not be the biggest star but she has the natural innocence required for the role. I wonder if anyone is making a remake.

This movie makes us believe that there is still goodness in this crappy world. I watched on the 26 of Dec and was in the mood for a movie that shows people's good side, if we only give them a chance to be, if we believe they could only be. No, i'm not naïve, have gone through my share of suffering, and will till the end of my life, but oddly enough, i believe in people, in love and in God.

No, still not naïve - how can a lawyer be naïve? But i believe that as there is bad in men, there is also good and that is this movie shows. It is very worth a try, if you still have a little faith in humanity. And even if you don't have it - it may be a good start to it.

10 stars.

Okay, I'll admit I was in tears watching this film. Virginia Wiedler was a wonderful alternative to the Shirley Temple/Margaret O'Brien acting style, and I really like her sincerity without the "sugar coating" that Shirley and Margaret always added.

Wonderful supporting characters, (although more important), since she played an orphan, and was constantly looking for guidance and acceptance. The Father figure, the boyfriend, his alcoholic father, and the other character actors made this a balanced film. Christian overtones wouldn't get it through to the big screen these days, but this was 1939. Late in the Depression, Christian thinking was very strong. Worth watching!

As an atheist, ordinarily I'd steer clear of religiously themed shows. Too often they're sanctimoniously smug with their Christian message. On the whole, however, this little MGM programmer manages to avoid most of the pitfalls, and I watched all the way through.

Shrewdly, the religious theme is carried by the charming little Patsy. As the little girl, 11-year old Weidler is anything but sanctimonious in her reliance on the Bible as a guide for her future. An orphan, Patsy is hoping for a home after running away from a cruel orphanage. Due to the late Mrs. Perkins' influence, the orphan uses Biblical passages chosen at random as God's wisdom in guiding her. The book's a substitute parent, as it were. At the same time, however, she thinks herself a jinx because she seems to leave misfortune in her wake, as when kindly Mr. Creighton is seriously injured, which Patsy blames on her jinx. Which of these influences will prevail amounts to the plot's crux.

It's not surprising that an 11-year old orphan, now footloose, would hunger for emotional backup that a source like the Bible could provide. Thus, I didn't object to the Bible's use in that regard. Of course, that the passages would be so wisely relevant when picked at random is pure Hollywood contrivance. Nonetheless, the unheralded Weidler carries the film in winning style.

All in all, the movie's fairly heart-warming without being sappy. Plus, the special effects from the factory fire are worthy of an A-production. For a non-believer like me, the 70-minutes works pretty well as a human interest story, whatever else might be gleaned.

(In passing—Catch Patsy's pig-tails, a popular hair style among little girls of the time, which gave mischievous little boys like me a chance to pull on them! But only if we liked the girl. For sure, I would have tugged on Patsy's.)