Starring:
Shirley Temple
Alice Faye
Gloria Stuart
Jack Haley
Alice Faye
Gloria Stuart
Jack Haley
Michael Whalen
and
Jane Darwell
Today let’s continue to talk Classic Movie Child Star – Shirley Temple. Yesterday we tal
ked about Shirley’s 1935 films. To conclude this week, we will move on to 1936 which produced four more movies for Shirley, Captain January, Poor Little Rich Girl, Dimples, and Stowaway. I
n this post we are going to concentrate on Poor Little Rich Girl.
Directed by Irving Cummings, Poor Little Rich Girl was based on stories by Eleanor Gates and Ralph Spence, and on the 1917 Mary Pickford vehicle of the same name. The film stars Shirley Temple, Michael Whalen, Jack Haley, Alice Faye, Gloria Stuart, a
nd Jane Darwell. Mack Gordon and Harry Revel wrote the film’s songs: “When I’m with You”, “Oh My Goodness”, “ You’ve Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby”, “But Definitely”, “Buy a Bar of Barry's”, “Military Man”, and “Peck’s Theme”. Shirley Temple sang all the songs and was joined by other cast members for several.
Barbara Barry (Temple) is the young daughter of wealthy Richard Barr
y (Whalen), a recently widowed soap manufacturer. An accident separates Barbara from her father and the girl masquerades as an orphan. She attracts the notice of two vaudeville performers, Jimmy Dolan (Haley) and his wife Jerry (Faye), who put her in their radio act, posing as their daughter. With the help of advertising executive Margaret Allen (Stuart), the trio become an overn
ight success. Barry hears his daughter on the radio and the two are reunited. Subplots involve a romance between Barry and Allen, and a crook trying to kidnap Barbara. But all is made clear near the end of the film when Barbara clarifies the mix-up regarding the kidnapping. The trio is able to keep performing on the radio with a final song and dance routine to “Military Man”.
Poor Little Rich Girl received a lukewarm critical reception from Frank
Nugent of The New York Times. He described the script as “formless and generally ridiculous” and the picture “virtually non-existent” but “as a display window for the ever-expanding Temple talents, it is entirely satisfying. Miss Temple, as some one has said, never looked lovelier. She dances in a manner which must delight her mentor, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson; her 
voice has begun to take on torch-singer and crooner qualities. Beneath the fascinated gaze of a world-wide audience, a conscious artistry is developing along Hollywood and Broadway lines. It is an engrossing phenomenon: The precocious infant becomes a knowing child.”
Poor Little Rich Girl is another classic movie where Shirley shines with
her singing and tapping abilities. Even though the film received criticism, it is still one of our favorite Shirley Temple movies. We recommend watching Poor Little Rich Girl or any of the other Shirley Temple films of 1936. Read “Let’s Talk Classic Movies” every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for more classic movie presentations and trivia.
**Trivia Question for Today: What did Shirley Temple lose during the filming of Poor Little Rich Girl?
Trivia Answer for Previous Post: Shirley Temple memorized every line of
dialogue in The Little Colonel, and while filming a scene with Lionel Barrymore, the veteran actor forgot a line. When Shirley prompted him, he flew into such a rage that one crew member took Shirley away for fear that she might be harmed.
Bonus Trivia Answer: Bill Robinson was the acto
r in The Little Colonel who created the famous staircase dance scene. The idea for the dance came from a dream. He later recalled, "I was being made a lord by the King of England and he was standing at the head of a flight of stairs. Rather than walk, I danced up."
ked about Shirley’s 1935 films. To conclude this week, we will move on to 1936 which produced four more movies for Shirley, Captain January, Poor Little Rich Girl, Dimples, and Stowaway. I
n this post we are going to concentrate on Poor Little Rich Girl.Directed by Irving Cummings, Poor Little Rich Girl was based on stories by Eleanor Gates and Ralph Spence, and on the 1917 Mary Pickford vehicle of the same name. The film stars Shirley Temple, Michael Whalen, Jack Haley, Alice Faye, Gloria Stuart, a
nd Jane Darwell. Mack Gordon and Harry Revel wrote the film’s songs: “When I’m with You”, “Oh My Goodness”, “ You’ve Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby”, “But Definitely”, “Buy a Bar of Barry's”, “Military Man”, and “Peck’s Theme”. Shirley Temple sang all the songs and was joined by other cast members for several.Barbara Barry (Temple) is the young daughter of wealthy Richard Barr
y (Whalen), a recently widowed soap manufacturer. An accident separates Barbara from her father and the girl masquerades as an orphan. She attracts the notice of two vaudeville performers, Jimmy Dolan (Haley) and his wife Jerry (Faye), who put her in their radio act, posing as their daughter. With the help of advertising executive Margaret Allen (Stuart), the trio become an overn
ight success. Barry hears his daughter on the radio and the two are reunited. Subplots involve a romance between Barry and Allen, and a crook trying to kidnap Barbara. But all is made clear near the end of the film when Barbara clarifies the mix-up regarding the kidnapping. The trio is able to keep performing on the radio with a final song and dance routine to “Military Man”.Poor Little Rich Girl received a lukewarm critical reception from Frank
Nugent of The New York Times. He described the script as “formless and generally ridiculous” and the picture “virtually non-existent” but “as a display window for the ever-expanding Temple talents, it is entirely satisfying. Miss Temple, as some one has said, never looked lovelier. She dances in a manner which must delight her mentor, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson; her 
voice has begun to take on torch-singer and crooner qualities. Beneath the fascinated gaze of a world-wide audience, a conscious artistry is developing along Hollywood and Broadway lines. It is an engrossing phenomenon: The precocious infant becomes a knowing child.”Poor Little Rich Girl is another classic movie where Shirley shines with
her singing and tapping abilities. Even though the film received criticism, it is still one of our favorite Shirley Temple movies. We recommend watching Poor Little Rich Girl or any of the other Shirley Temple films of 1936. Read “Let’s Talk Classic Movies” every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for more classic movie presentations and trivia.**Trivia Question for Today: What did Shirley Temple lose during the filming of Poor Little Rich Girl?
Trivia Answer for Previous Post: Shirley Temple memorized every line of
dialogue in The Little Colonel, and while filming a scene with Lionel Barrymore, the veteran actor forgot a line. When Shirley prompted him, he flew into such a rage that one crew member took Shirley away for fear that she might be harmed.Bonus Trivia Answer: Bill Robinson was the acto
r in The Little Colonel who created the famous staircase dance scene. The idea for the dance came from a dream. He later recalled, "I was being made a lord by the King of England and he was standing at the head of a flight of stairs. Rather than walk, I danced up."
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