Classic Movies - Famous Child Star: Shirley Temple 1938

Starring
Shirley Temple
Randolph Scott
Helen Westley
Gloria Stuart
William Demarest

Bill Robinson
Slim Summerville
Jack Haley
Phyllis Brooks

Today we will continue to talk Classic Movie Child Star – Shirley Temple. 1938 brought three movies for the child star, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Little Miss Broadway, and Just Around the Corner. Our favorite Shirley Temple movie of 1938 and today’s featured movie is Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

Directed by Allan Dwan and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is loosely based on a classic American 1903 children's novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin. The film stars Shirley Temple, Randolph Scott, Helen Westley, Gloria Stuart, William Demarest, Bill Robinson, Slim Summerville, Jack Haley, and Phyllis Brooks.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm tells the story of a talented orphan's trials and tribulations after winning a radio audition to represent a breakfast cereal. After Rebecca Winstead (Temple) auditions and wins the competition, she is mistakenly let go from the radio station by Tony Kent’s (Scott) assistant (Haley). The search for the talented youngster begins when it is discovered that there is no information on who the child is, or where she lives.

Harry Kipper (Demarest) is Rebecca Winstead’s stepfather who regards Rebecca as a burden and dumps her on the farm of her Aunt Miranda (Westley) and cousin Gwen (Stuart). Kent lives next door, recognizes Rebecca, and requests Miranda's permission to feature Rebecca on his radio show. When Aunt Miranda refuses to allow Rebecca to associate with show people, Kent broadcasts secretly from his house with Rebecca joining him on the sly. When Rebecca broadcasts from Kent's country home, she accompanies herself on the piano through a medley that includes "On the Good Ship Lollipop", "Animal Crackers in My Soup", "When I'm with You", "Oh My Goodness", and "Goodnight, My Love" – all Temple hit tunes from previous films.

Kipper hears Rebecca's broadcast and returns to the farm looking for easy money. As Rebecca's legal guardian, he forces Aunt Miranda to surrender the child. He takes her away from her friends and loved ones to New York City. There, he signs a contract with Kent's competitor, Purvis (Alan Dinehart), to star Rebecca on another radio show. When Rebecca suddenly develops laryngitis and cannot sing, Purvis angrily voids the contract. Kipper sells his legal guardianship to Aunt Miranda for $5,000. Rebecca reveals to her friends she feigned hoarseness to free herself from Kipper. The film ends with Rebecca and Aunt Miranda's farm hand Aloysius (Robinson) costumed as toy soldiers performing a dance on a flight on stairs.

Subplots for Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm include a romance between Kent and Gwen, another between the two radio singers, and the rekindling of an old romance between Aunt Miranda and neighbor Homer Busby (Summerville). Other tunes in the film include the first scene's "Happy Ending" sung by Brooks, "You've Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby” sung comically and never in its entirety by girls auditioning for the radio show in the first scene, "Come and Get Your Happiness" sung by Temple, "Alone with You" sung by Brooks and Haley, and "An Old Straw Hat" sung by Temple and which appears to be the film's unofficial theme tune by virtue of its several reprises.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a very delightful film and we highly recommend it. The songs are great and the film is very comical, too. Watch Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm soon! Don't forget to join “Let’s Talk Classic Movies” every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for more classic movie presentations and trivia.

**Trivia Question for Today: What item in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm did Shirley Temple wear in the farm scenes made headline news when this film was released?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: The scene in Heidi where she is suddenly squirted in the face while milking a goat was planned without Shirley Temple's knowledge. A tube of milk was attached to the goat’s udder where Temple couldn't see it, and when she was squirted, her surprised reaction was genuine.