Classic Movies - Famous Child Star: Freddie Bartholomew 1935

Freddie Bartholomew

March 28, 1924 – January 23, 1992

Starring

Freddie Bartholomew
W.C. Fields

Lionel Barrymore

Madge Evans

Elizabeth Allan

Basil Rathbone

Edna May Oliver

Frank Lawton

Jessie Ralph

Maureen O'Sullivan

Roland Young

This week let’s talk Classic Movie Child Star – Freddie Bartholomew. One of the most popular child actors in film history, Freddie was born Frederick Llwellyn in Dublin, Ireland, in 1924. He was raised in England by an aunt, Millicent Bartholomew, from whom he took his surname. Freddie had appeared on the London stage and in 2 minor British films. When visiting the U.S. with his aunt in 1934, he was offered the title role in The Personal History, Adventures, Experience, & Observation of David Copperfield the Younger (1935) by MGM. This film made him an overnight star and he went on to appear in such classics as Anna Karenina (1935), Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), and Captains Courageous (1937). Curly-haired Hollywood child star whose earnest presence, refined English diction and angelic looks established him as a box office favorite in the 1930s. His salary soared to $2,500 a week making him filmdom's highest paid child star after Shirley Temple.

Today we would like to feature Freddie in his Hollywood debut, The Personal History, Adventures, Experience, & Observation of David Copperfield the Younger (usually shortened to David Copperfield). Directed by George Cukor and produced by David O. Selznick, David Copperfield is based upon the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield, a classic tale of an orphaned boy’s fight for happiness and the colorful characters who help and hinder him. Although quite a few characters and incidents from the novel were omitted, the spirit of the book and the period were captured well. The all-star cast included Freddie Bartholomew, Edna May Oliver, Elizabeth Allan, Jessie Ralph, Basil Rathbone, Lionel Barrymore, Una O'Connor, W. C. Fields, Maureen O’Sullivan, and Frank Lawton.

David Copperfield was MGM's major Christmas release for its 1934-1935 season and also the first of producer David O. Selznick's major "literary" films for that studio. Freddie Bartholomew plays the young Copperfield, who, after the death of his mother (Allan), is cruelly mistreated by his stepfather, Mr. Murdstone (Rathbone). David's life brightens when he meets the ever-in-debt Mr. Micawber (Fields), and he is sheltered by Micawber's large and loving family until Micawber is carted off to debtor's prison. Forced once more to seek a home, David makes his way to the Dover estate of his Aunt Betsey (Oliver), where he meets another colorful cast of characters, none more so than the childlike Mr. Dick (Lennox Pawle). When Murdstone arrives, insisting that David be returned to him, Aunt Betsey and Mr. Dick form a united front to protect the boy. Flash-forward several years: the grown David (Lawton) is attending school, where he meets the lovely Agnes Wickfield (Madge Evans). David discovers that Agnes' businessman father (Lewis Stone) is under the thumb of the "'umble" prevaricator Uriah Heep (Roland Young) and the equally disreputable Steerforth (Hugh Williams). With the help of Mr. Micawber-who in a weak moment has taken a job working side-by-side with Heep-David proves Heep's treachery and rescues the Wickfields. By rights, he should marry Agnes, but David impulsively weds the empty-headed Dora (O'Sullivan). Only after Dora's death does David come to his senses, realizing that Agnes is the true love of his life.

Originally, Charles Laughton was slated to play Micawber, but he pulled out of the production, worried that he wouldn't be funny enough. The casting of W.C. Fields was an inspired choice: although he injects his own established screen personality at every opportunity, Fields was born to play Micawber. (Incidently, this is Fields favorite character of all his movies.)Likewise, second-billed Lionel Barrymore fits his portrayal of crusty old Dan Peggoty like a glove. In fact, there isn't a false bit of casting in the whole production, and this, as much as Selznick's sumptuous production values, is the key to David Copperfield's enormous success.

We highly recommend the 1935 version of David Copperfield with Freddie Bartholomew. This film is still one of the best-ever screen adaptations of a Charles Dickens novel. Read "Let's Talk Classic Movies" every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for more movie presentations and trivia.

**Trivia Question for Today: An American child actor had originally been cast as the title character in David Copperfield (1935). Who was the child actor replaced by Bartholomew? Who made this change and why?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: In the scene in The Little Princess where a parrot flies into Sara's room off of Ram Dass' shoulder, originally a small monkey was to be used. However, the monkey did not seem to like Shirley Temple and kept trying to bite her. So for safety sake, they used a Macaw parrot instead.