Adventure in Baltimore

I saw this movie about ten years ago and absolutely loved it! It made me laugh and cry. I have always been amazed when I hear of Shirley Temples "struggle" to have successful movies as an adult. I think she was delightful and had a real gift for comedy. I am sorry her career ended so soon and can't help but wonder what we're now missing out on because of it. I am also frustrated that her later movies are not made available on DVD...at least hardly any. I think people could now begin to appreciate her...to rediscover the adult Shirley, because they'd be able to see her in a fresh way...something they had trouble with years ago. Adventure in Baltimore is a movie that makes you long for the innocence of the day and at the same time cheer for new youthful freedoms. I found myself really involved in her situations and couldn't wait to see what would come next. If you want a great and entertaining afternoon, just hope some channel is playing this movie and enjoy!

After a few successful teen-age roles (and a couple of ill-fated ones), Shirley's uneven career as a young lady was not helped by this routine romantic comedy of the early 1900s in which she plays a rebellious daughter of a minister (Robert Young) with shocking ideas about love. As a crusader for women's suffrage, Shirley seems more petulant than feisty, playing a girl who crusades for women's suffrage. Nice to see Robert Young in his pre-Father Knows Best days. The film has an attractive look with handsome photography and a good feel for the period atmosphere, but the script is too lightweight to carry much conviction. Pleasant enough if you want to see what Shirley Temple looked like at this stage in her career. She had three more "clinkers" to go before quitting the screen.

Her then-husband John Agar wasn't much help--here he comes across as a wooden actor, not well suited to comedy. Pleasant enough film, but just a trifle.

I wasn't that impressed by the first half or so of this film. Shirley Temple plays Dinah Sheldon--a very liberated and modern young woman who ruffles many folks' feathers in this turn of the 20th century slice of life film. Now Dinah is never bad--just way ahead of her time and the narrow-minded folks back in 1905 couldn't stand a woman pushing for equal rights. Much of this portion seemed kooky and silly--and very inconsequential. Fortunately, midway through the film, things picked up. Dinah enters a very nice picture in a contest--and the local gossips begin ripping her apart and impugning her good name. This is particularly hard for her father, the Reverend (Robert Young)--as stands firmly behind Dinah regardless of the consequences to himself. He plays a guy very much like Jim Anderson from "Father Knows Best"--very wise, gentle and kind. This portion was both heartwarming and interesting--far more than the earlier part of the film. Overall, a nice little family film that starts slowly (and a bit too kooky) and ends on a very high note.

Back in 1905, atypical teenager Shirley Temple (as Dinah "Di" Sheldon) is expelled from school after telling her teacher she wants to study human anatomy by painting nude models. Called "immoral," the budding art student also advocates a woman's right to vote. Plus, she wears two petticoats instead of the standard five. Sent home to North Baltimore, Ms. Temple receives moral support from understanding minister father Robert Young (as Andrew Sheldon). As a youth, he dabbled in ballroom dancing. Temple is attracted to tall, dark and handsome John Agar (as Thomas "Tom" Wade), but he prefers a traditionally feminine woman...

Back home, Temple gets into more political trouble when she paints Mr. Agar in his bathing suit. But, we do not see this on camera. Agar appears fully clothed while posing for Temple, but is bare-chested in the finished product. First of all, we are left to wonder when Temple became an expert in his male anatomy. Of course, in real life, they were married. After an interesting start, this becomes a silly film. However, the star (now being billed below Robert Young) shows her natural appeal. This is especially evident in the opening minutes. With cast and crew possibly helping set the mood, Temple appears to be comfortable and competent.

***** Adventure in Baltimore (4/19/49) Richard Wallace ~ Shirley Temple, John Agar, Robert Young, Josephine Hutchinson

Plot-- A reverend's 1905 family must find a way to adjust to the eldest daughter's instincts for equality at a time when women were denied many opportunities. Meanwhile, Dad may lose his chance to become a bishop because of town gossip over his daughter.

Looks like the misleading title and Shirley's rebellious upstart were meant to provide some edge to her squeaky-clean image. However, the results are what could be expected of the Temple brand—a wholesome little family drama, on the order of Father Knows Best. As daughter Dinah, Shirley manages to keep her feminist instincts within appealing bounds; at the same time, she defies confining norms placed on 1905 women. The rebellious context is carefully calibrated so as to be acceptable to 1949 audiences without offending the values of that later time. Note how in the movie Dinah's desire for women's suffrage is endorsed, but not her inclination for a career as a painter. That accords with norms of the late-40's when women still weren't expected to have careers. Careers would come later in the 1960's.

As Pastor Sheldon, Young is likably bland in the type role soon to define him. More importantly, as the voice of reason and church authority, he gives official approval to his daughter's actions. So the audience knows she's more than just rebellious— she's on the right track. On the other hand, too bad the studio didn't hire a more appealing swain than the dull- as-cement John Agar. But then he's certainly no competition for his then real life wife.

On the whole, the movie tells us more about Temple's career and the social norms of two historical periods than anything else. However, I'm still wondering how this revealing slice of fluff escaped from RKO's dream factory that was then turning out noirs by the dozen.