Little Big Shot (1935)

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Jerry Wald (screen play), Julius J. Epstein (screen play),

Stars:

Sybil Jason, Glenda Farrell, Robert Armstrong

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sybil Jason	...	Gloria
Glenda Farrell	...	Jean
Robert Armstrong	...	Steve
Edward Everett Horton	...	Mortimer
Jack La Rue	...	Doré (as Jack LaRue)
Arthur Vinton	...	Kell
J. Carrol Naish	...	Bert (as J. Carroll Naish)
Edgar Kennedy	...	Onderdonk
Addison Richards	...	Hank Gibbs
Joe Sawyer	...	Doré's Henchman (as Joseph Sauers)
Emma Dunn	...	Orphanage Matron
Ward Bond	...	Kell's Henchman
Tammany Young	...	Ralph Lewis - the Rajah
Murray Alper	...	Doré's Henchman
Marc Lawrence	...	Doré's Henchman

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

soda fountain | reward | judge | con artist | rehabilitation | 

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Taglines:

"A great kid!" "A great bet!" "A great show!" -- Say the Critics

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 September 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Pequena Ditadora

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Vitaphone Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min 72 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sybil Jason stated in her autobiography that director Michael Curtiz filmed some scenes at a real Hollywood orphanage, and (in the interest of realism) cast real orphans as extras. Among them, Jason remembered, was a young Marilyn Monroe, long before her first "recognized" role. This has not yet been confirmed by film historians and Monroe biographers.

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Soundtracks

"I'm a Little Big Shot Now"
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Allie Wrubel
Lyrics by Mort Dixon
Played during the opening credits and as background music often
Sung and danced to by Sybil Jason
Reprised by Sybil Jason and Glenda Farrell

User Reviews

A Gritty "Little Miss Marker"

Warner definitely seems to have seen Sybil Jason as their answer to Shirley Temple, and this film takes many elements from "Little Miss Marker", which Shirley starred in the year before. But the screenplay spends a good deal of time with the gangsters who are the cause of Sybil's troubles, and there is a very real sense of Depression-era desperation. Director Michael Curtiz makes all this very vivid, framing and lighting the shots to give this urban melodrama a hard edge. Robert Armstrong gives an excellent performance as one of the con men who takes Sybil in. This film may be a little too intense for Shirley Temple fans, but it's a strong melodrama with a solid cast.