Susannah of the Mounties

Well, "all good things come to an end," or "nothing lasts forever." One of those clichés can pertain to this film which, sadly,signaled the end of Shirley Temple's career as the cute kid America and the world fell in love with during the 1930s. Her films that were so successful during this decade that she was number one at the box office for several years. This movie did not do well at the box office and certainly is not a memorable film.

One reason it wasn't appealing was that Shirley only sang one quick number (a waltz). That's it - one song! There was no dancing, nothing up-tempo to perk up the audience.....zilch!

The story is a Canadian Mounted Police/railroad one with good and bad Indians thrown in. The two main bad men, a railroad guy and an Indian, don't have big roles so most of the people in the film are good guys. Randolph Scott and Margaret Lockwood are appealing leads.

I just found the story too bland, too flat....just nothing to get excited about or warrant giving a second look. Most people who saw it at the theater seemed to agree. Her "era" had come to an end.

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). (***)

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.

Mountie Randolph Scott is leading a patrol when they discover a massacred wagon train with the sole survivor, a little girl hidden inside a barrel. Scott takes Shirley Temple back to the post where she becomes the mascot of the post.

Susannah of the Mounties borrows a whole lot from Shirley's previous film Wee Willie Winkie. She's the granddaughter of the post commandant there, also becomes a mascot. She's got an Irish sergeant as a special friend in Wee Willie Winkie it's Victor McLaglen, here it is J. Farrell MacDonald. And of course the little child in all her innocence brings about an accommodation between Indians on two separate continents and the white man.

The period identified here is 1882-1884 when the Canadian Pacific Railway is being constructed and that's worked into the plot also. I thought I had spotted a goof in Susannah of the Mounties when I saw during a flag raising ceremony a British Union Jack raised. A Canadian cyberfriend says I was wrong and proved it. Canada even though it became a self governing dominion in 1867 never got its own flag until 1965. Learn something new every day.

Susannah of the Mounties also reminded me of the Rin Tin Tin series from back when I was a lad. A boy and a German Shepherd puppy were the only survivors of a wagon train massacre and Lee Aaker as Corporal Rusty got to grow up on Fort Apache. I thought the same back in the Fifties when I saw this film re-released as the second half of a double bill.

Randolph Scott and Shirley Temple show some real affection for each other, he may have been the best of her adult male co-stars. Of course Scott also has eyes for the extraordinarily beautiful Margaret Lockwood who is his commanding officer's daughter. Lockwood did two films in Hollywood, Rulers of the Sea and this one before returning to the UK.

Although Shirley was getting a bit old and her box office was just beginning to wane, Darryl Zanuck still made a mint off Susannah of the Mounties. And the public got its money's worth too.

I found this Shirley Temple film delightful. It would not meet the current climate's cancel police nor pass any political correctness test, but Shirley Temple actually got first billing over the handsome Randolph Scott in this film about the Canadian westward movement and the Royal Mounties battle with the first peoples.

Mounties lead by Randolph Scott come upon an native raid and rescue the only survivor, a small girl named Sue. Sue, who is now orphaned, is brought back to the Mounties' station where she lives with Randolph Scott, gets jealous of a visiting woman who attracts his attention and makes friends with Little Chief who is left there by his father to guarantee his word and learn the ways of the white man.

The interaction between Sue and Little Chief are delightful, he teachers her to ride a pony and she puts up with him treating her like a little squaw...including walking behind the Chief!

No it is not politically correct but it speaks of a different time. Shirley is adorable and Randolph Scott is handsome in this film that does not try to do too much.

Sweet and one of the better Shirley Temple films...I highly recommend it if you are a fan and it was wonderful to watch for the anniversary of her birthday!