Product Details

• Actors: Shirley Temple, James Dunn, Claire Trevor, Alan Dinehart, Ray Walker
• Directors: Harry Lachman
• Writers: Edward E. Paramore Jr., James P. Judge, Philip Klein
• Producers: John Stone
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: May 3, 1995
• Run Time: 76 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303364713
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #262,532 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A classic convict-turned-good-guy story, this DVD rendition of the 1934 Baby Take a Bow has been nicely restored in its original black and white format as well as colored and remastered for a whole new look. Viewers choose whether to watch in color or black and white, but no matter which is chosen, Shirley Temple shines as the adorable Shirley Ellison, an ex-con's daughter who's full of sweetness, energy, and a touch of the mischievous. As Eddie Ellison (James Dunn) and his prison pal Larry Scott (Ray Walker) try to earn an honest living and make a new life with the women they love (Claire Trevor and Dorothy Libaire), they're constantly harassed by private investigator Welch (Alan Dinehart) and are unwillingly dragged into a crime by a just-released convict Trigger Stone (Ralf Harolde). A comic and suspenseful game of hide-and-seek sweeps viewers along to the conclusion of the film, punctuated by Shirley's rooftop birthday party where she and her father perform the memorable vocal-tap duet "On Account-A I Love You." Though the plot is aimed at adult audiences and the film dated by various details like Shirley's unattended play on the sidewalk and the distinct lack of child-proofing in her home, Baby Take a Bow is a classic film that's appealing to modern audiences ages 6 and older. --Tami Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "C'mon baby, take a bow!", January 12, 2001

By 

Maureen R. Tagliaferro (Middlesex, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shirley Temple: Baby Take a Bow [VHS] (VHS Tape)

One of Shirley Temple's funniest movies and all time classics! She plays the daughter of an ex-con played by the loveable James Dunn and gets tangled up in a robbery that can almost put her father back into jail. With an award-winning cast, Shirley taps and acts as adorable and innocent as she can. In this movie, Temple deserves to take a bow!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shirley's First Lead Role for Fox, June 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Baby Take a Bow [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I love this film!! Since there are many reviews giving you a synopsis of the picture's plot, I'll skip that part and tell you what I enjoyed with this film. Shirley is delightful and at her highest entertainment in this film, and its amazing since this is one of her first lead roles. She's tiny and irrestible- its like you just want to climb into the movie and pinch her rosy cheeks!

She was lucky to get to work with a talented cast including James Dunn (one of her best partners) and Claire Trevor. The best part of the movie is when the officers at the end of the movie ask James Dunn's character if he's alright (he was just shot in the shoulder mind you) and he says- OH ITS JUST A SCRATCH! I always die on the floor laughing! God love the classic movies of the 30s. And of course James Dunn doesnt need any medical attention and it all ends pleasantly! And there is another part where Shirley Temple is help letting lose the bad guy (well she of course doesnt know hes bad until later) and she uses a knife to cut him lose- Just look at Shirley's face when she picks up the knife. She looks like a pyscho killer! It is excellent! Its little Shirley gone bad!

Dont get me wrong- I'm a die hart Shirley fan- I own practically all of her movies (all of the them under her fox contract from 1934-1940) and have read Child Star her autobiography which is like 700 pages. I just find these little things greatly humorous! I recommend Baby Take a Bow to any Temple fan- its one of her bests!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, August 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shirley Temple: Baby Take a Bow [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Little Shirley's father is a good father who once was a thief("Eddie"). Her family's best friends are a younger man who also once was a thief, but is going straight("Larry"), and his new wife. When "Trigger Stone", a robber and sometimes a killer, steals a pearl necklace from Eddie and Larry's employer, a detective who's trying to promote himself a job by blaming everything on Eddie and Larry blames it on them(well, of course!). Trigger Stone gives the pearls to Shirley, and tells her it's a "birthday present"(yes, in the movie it is her fifth birthday)to protect himself. Little Shirley hides the beads in her father's pocket, not knowing what she was doing. "Welch"(the detective), comes to Shirley's family's apartment and openly searches everywhere. He even tries to bribe Shirley into telling him where the beads are. then Trigger Stone comes to collect the beads and that's where I'll stop, but I will tell you that Shirley is in a lot of trouble, and I don't mean with her parents.