Talkative small-town teenager Anne Shirley (as Jenny Yates) wants to follow in her deceased mother's footsteps and become an actress. Her other desire is for handsome painter Phillips Holmes (as Philip "Phil" Greene Jr.). Grandfather and guardian Edward Ellis (as Uriah Lowell) forbids Ms. Shirley to even attend local plays. He doesn't want her anywhere near the stage. Given a difficult time by young farm hand George Offerman Jr. (as Michael Arbuckle), Shirley is locked out of the house and decides she's not wanted. Conveniently, Mr. Holmes is driving off to live in New York City and make his fortune. He also seems eager to get away from "Chatterbox" Shirley. She stows away in Holmes trunk and joins him at a boarding house run by motherly Margaret Hamilton (as Emily "Tippie" Tipton). Shirley gets a part in "Virtue's Reward", the revival of a play which once starred her mother...
All seems to be going well, but the "melodrama of the gay nineties" isn't the play Shirley is expecting. She doesn't know it, but director Erik Rhodes (as Archie Fisher) has turned her mother's melodrama into a burlesque. Whatever she's playing, Shirley is cute and endearing. She talks too much, but has a very pleasant sounding voice. Shirley's strong supporting cast includes platinum blonde Lucille Ball (as Lillian Temple), who is featured in a few scenes. It's fun to watch Ms. Ball spitting out her lines like young 1930s versions of Bette Davis and Carole Lombard. The film would have been improved by a final look at Mr. Offerman Jr., who is only spoken about after his memorable opening scenes. Since we aren't told what happened to Holmes automobile, the ending might have been better off building on Shirley's romantic prospects – a look at her first kiss would have been welcome.
***** Chatterbox (1/17/36) George Nicholls Jr. ~ Anne Shirley, Phillips Holmes, Edward Ellis, Lucille Ball
All seems to be going well, but the "melodrama of the gay nineties" isn't the play Shirley is expecting. She doesn't know it, but director Erik Rhodes (as Archie Fisher) has turned her mother's melodrama into a burlesque. Whatever she's playing, Shirley is cute and endearing. She talks too much, but has a very pleasant sounding voice. Shirley's strong supporting cast includes platinum blonde Lucille Ball (as Lillian Temple), who is featured in a few scenes. It's fun to watch Ms. Ball spitting out her lines like young 1930s versions of Bette Davis and Carole Lombard. The film would have been improved by a final look at Mr. Offerman Jr., who is only spoken about after his memorable opening scenes. Since we aren't told what happened to Holmes automobile, the ending might have been better off building on Shirley's romantic prospects – a look at her first kiss would have been welcome.
***** Chatterbox (1/17/36) George Nicholls Jr. ~ Anne Shirley, Phillips Holmes, Edward Ellis, Lucille Ball