Product Details

• Actors: Shirley Temple, Lionel Barrymore, Evelyn Venable, John Lodge, Sidney Blackmer
• Directors: David Butler
• Writers: David Butler, Anne Fellows Johnston, William M. Conselman
• Producers: Buddy G. DeSylva
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 81 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303095232
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #230,650 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Shirley Temple is at her plucky peak in this film. She bests legend Lionel Barrymore: literally (her credit is above his) and figuratively (as her character softens his). The Little Colonel is set in the post-Civil War South. Little Lloyd Sherman hopes to reunite her mother, Elizabeth Lloyd (Evelyn Venable), with her stern Confederate Civil War veteran grandfather, Colonel Lloyd (Barrymore). Six years earlier, Lloyd's mother had run away to marry Yankee Jack Sherman (John Lodge). Now the young family hopes to return to Elizabeth's plantation home.

Like The Littlest Rebel, made the same year (1935), the film has questionable politics, featuring a supplicant Mom Becky (the formidable future Oscar-winner Hattie McDaniel) and a poor-spelling butler, Walker (Bill "BoJangles" Robinson). But Temple, as sweetly energetic little Lloyd, is affectionate with both, as well as with her African American playmates, May Lily (Avonnie Jackson) and Henry Clay (Nyanza Potts). (Temple apparently shared the sentiment in real life, and once said Robinson was her favorite costar.) The Little Colonel features the amazing dance number with Temple and Robinson merrily tapping up and down a staircase. --N.F. Mendoza

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Temple, Barrymore, and Bill "BoJangles" Robinson..a Treasure, March 6, 2005

By 

L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (Huntington Beach,CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Little Colonel [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This review refers to "The Little Colonel" (VHS/20th Fox Family Feature)...

A very young Shirley Temple holds her own with the likes of Lionel Barrymore, Bill "BoJangles" Robinson and Hattie McDaniel, in this touching Civil War drama.

Little Lloyd Sherman(Temple), has just returned to the South with her mother as they wait the return of her father from duty. They move into a cottage, right next door to the mean old Colonel Lloyd(Barrymore), who happens to be Little Lloyd's grandfather. Years earlier the Colonel told his daughter that the door of their great mansion would never be open to her again, as she ran off to marry the man she loved, a Yankee!

Colonol Lloyd is a stubborn old curmudgeon who's heart has hardened to his daughter. He has met his match though, in our stubborn "Little Colonel", as Shirley works her magic on him(and us), and he slowly warms to his grandchild's charms. But..Shirley's job is not quite done, when the Sherman family is in trouble, little Lloyd must convince her grandfather to come to the rescue.

The film is one that confirms that Temple was one of the best child actresses to ever grace the screen. Her emotions seem authentic and it is a real treat to watch her work her magic on both Barrymore and McDaniel(pre-Gone With The Wind), who were also a joy to watch perform. And if that is not treat enough, Shirley and Bill Robinson do two wonderful tap dance numbers together, that are treasures to watch on their own.

If you haven't seen this one, you should know that there are a couple of scenes of dialouge, between the Colonel and the African Americans that work for him, and some children, that will be offensive. Unfortunatley this was probably though, a very realistic portrayal of the treatment they recieved and is very much a part of this film and history, just as the treament of women in many of the films of this era(including Gone With The Wind)is offensive to us now as well.

This edition is colorized, and I thought the conversion to color was very well done. There was an occasional color(red tones on a black and white checked dress) that looked like it didn't belong, but for the most part, I thought the color brought out many details of the film that might have gone unnoticed. Also having this film colorized may make it easier to share this cinematic treasure with a new generation.

Enjoy...Laurie

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great one for Shirley fans to enjoy!, January 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Shirley Temple: Little Colonel [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I loved this movie, as it showcases Shirley's seemingly unending talent, even at such a tender age. However, I resent it when people review this story and rail about how offensive the treatment of African Americans is in it. It makes me angry when people would seek to rewrite history, or worse yet, omit it altogether just because it isn't, in their opinion, "politically correct" for current times. What is depicted in this motion picture simply represents what was going on THEN. Yes, it is sad. But only by exposing our children to representation of historical events such as these and then making the comparison to how far we have come socially and politically now can we hope to ensure that they learn the lesson that this story seeks to convey--that prejudice and racism are always wrong and, if you lead the kind of life you should, you can help to overcome these wrongs. And who better to convey such a lesson than Shirley Temple?

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Little Colonel", January 10, 2000

By 

"sandy45" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shirley Temple: Little Colonel [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Charming Shirley Temple vehicle, with Lionel Barrymore as the irrascible grandfather, gruff and blustering but with a soft spot for Granddaughter, Shirley. Bill Robinson is at his best, or should I say, wonderful as usual as the old faithful family retainer and the dance rountines between him and Shirley are alone worth watching the movie for. Great family fare, touching in spots and easy on the eye as well.