Customer Reviews

Our Little Girl [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Our Little Girl" is a lesser Shirley Temple film, but it's still pretty good. Quite different from the musical spectaculars Temple was known for, "Our Little Girl" gave her a chance to show off her acting skills.

The storyline is surprisingly contemporary. If you changed the costumes and cars, it could be a modern TV script.

One interesting thing about this film is that Shirley plays a very normal American child--not a waif, an orphan or someone's long-lost granddaughter. She's Molly Middleton, the only daughter of a doctor and a housewife. She has a splendid house, an adorable Scottie dog and a room furnished with anything a 6 year old could want. Her parents take her on outings, have pinics at the river and spoil her rotten.

However, there's trouble in Paradise. Molly's father (Joel McCrea), a brilliant researcher, begins to neglect his family and put in long nights at the lab. Molly's mother (Rosemary Ames), who grows bored of sitting around the house by herself, takes up with a dashing new suitor, Rolfe Brant (Lyle Talbot). The marriage falls apart, and Mrs. Middleton plans to seek a divorce and run away with Brant.

Caught in the middle of all the chaos, of course, is Molly. She stresses out over her parents and tries to sabotage her mother's new relationship. As she is increasingly ignored, Molly worries that her parents don't love her anymore, and, eventually, runs away from home. Since this is a Temple film, there is a happy ending, but not before her parents are given a scare and a chance to re-evaluate their situation.

Molly's fears about the divorce and her parents are honest and realistic, and they are played out well in the script. In one scene, she cries while her parents fight in the next room. In another, she confronts her mother's boyfriend Mr. Brant with some biting, but painfully polite, retorts (Molly, on being asked to call the boyfriend 'Uncle Rolfe': "can't we just talk without my calling you anything...sir?"). When Molly meets her father, right after discovering that Mrs. Middleton and Mr. Brant plan to marry, she is too grief-stricken to speak.

Temple handled the role well. She was not given a showcase for her musical talents in this film (excepting one short song), but she did prove that she was just as gifted in acting. Her interactions with McCrea and Talbot were especially strong.

Among the other actors, the dapper Lyle Talbot was phenomenal. Cast as Rolfe Brant, he did a good job of portaying the film's closest thing to a villain. He also had a great speech at the end of the movie.

The material isn't always top-notch, however. There are a few other scenes that are extremely sappy, and some of the lines and later plot twists are a bit implausible. The action also tends to drag a little. However, this is still an interesting find and worth watching.

I think this movie is absolutely wonderful! It gives great insight into family life!! Not all kids are lucky to have a 2 parent family. It shows how children are affected by the problems of there parents!! There is alot of fun in this movie also. It is not one to be missed!

This sounds like a more modern movie and many children could relate to this. Molly (TEMPLE) is a sweet little girl who only see both parents together two days a year. When they want to get a divore Shirley(Molly) tries to keep them together. She goes to the circus and decides to run away. I think they could have found a better thing then running away but can't do that now. She sings one short song in this movie and it takes away from the hapiness because when Shirley sings-everyone's happy. In the movie her parents really don't seem to care about her which I think is very odd. Not the greatest- but see it anways-you might think diffrent.

I am a Shirley Temple fan, and I think that this is one of her best movies. It also has a good moral to it.

1935 co staring Joel Macrea. This is a hard to find Fox movie because it is not included in her DVD boxed sets. I think it is because she doesn't sing or dance in it. She was 7 when she made this movie. It was made the same year as Curly Top and The Little Colonel. It is about a couple considering divorce, but I don't think it was left out of these sets because of the plot. I find the plots of Baby Take a Bow,(where she is used as a human shield) and Bright Eyes(were her mother dies at Christmas time) more objectionable. Still OLG script is pretty thin.

I ordered Our Little Girl, and got The Little Princess (which I already owned!) Very dissatisfied with the service and remarks from the non-Amazon person who sent it!

This movie is very different from a usual Shirley Temple movie. But she is still so very cute. If youre a big Shirley Temple fan like me than you must buy this and if you dont like Shirley Temple (which is impossible) then dont buy it. It is a sweet movie and it is very enjoyable. Although there is only one song and no dancing. I gave it three stars because it has Shirley Temple and because it made me smile!

In this movie Shirley's parents start out as a happy loving, couple that adores Shirley. Her father even leaves work early to go on special picnics with Shirley and her mom. But, suddenly an old friend of the family offers Shirley's mom riding lessons and everything changes.

Shirley's mom starts having an affair and Shirley's mom plans to move out-- It's like watching a horrible version of on-screen child abuse when it comes to poor little Shirley who is just a confused sad little girl not understanding why her family is in shambles.
Shirley runs away after hearing her mother's boy-friend asks her mother to forget about Shirley since she is "in the way" and "things would be so much easier." But her dad after talking to a drifter while looking for the girl suddenly remembers what matters. In the end there is a happy ending-- but, this movie will break any young child's heart.

In this movie there are no cutesy songs, or dance scenes. I don't think that many children will enjoy it-- in fact this one of two Shirley movies I recommend you don't watch with your children. It tackles issues that kids will not be able to understand. This is not suitable for a good family movie night.

I love this movie I remeber it well. This was one first of Shirley Temple movie I saw when I was a little. This a good story. It is about a little girl name Molly who has 2 Saturdays a year to be with mom and dad. Problem Dad is always working. Mom is lonely. They decided not to be marry anymore, but Molly is tring to save the marriage.

Never received. Seller sent to wrong address. Would like re-mailed. Never heard anymore about this item. Not pleased with results.