Captain January (1936)

Director:

David Butler

Writers:

Sam Hellman (screenplay) &
Gladys Lehman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 April 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Family

Tagline:

Singing, dancing, laughing...in the most lovable story she's ever had!

Plot:

Shirley lives with a lighthouse keeper (Kibbee) who rescued her when her parents drowned. A truant officer...

Plot Keywords:

Boarding School | Lighthouse | Lighthouse Keeper | Truant Officer | Schoolteacher

Cast

Shirley Temple	...	Star
Guy Kibbee	...	Captain January
Slim Summerville	...	Captain Nazro
Buddy Ebsen	...	Paul Roberts
Sara Haden	...	Agatha Morgan
Jane Darwell	...	Eliza Croft
June Lang	...	Mary Marshall
Jerry Tucker	...	Cyril Morgan
Nella Walker	...	Mrs. John Mason
George Irving	...	John Mason
Jim Farley	...	Deputy Sheriff (as James Farley)
Si Jenks	...	Old Sailor

Runtime:

77 min (FMC Library Print) (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #1823)

Filming Locations:

Monterey, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The lobsters that appear in the background during the "At the Codfish Ball" sequence were real. To prevent them from crawling out of their baskets, the props crew cooked them, which turned them from their natural dark color to bright red. The crew painted them back to the original color, and as soon as the scene was completed, they cracked the lobsters opened and ate them on the spot.

Quotes:

Ira J. Slocum, storekeeper: Better watch out, Star. One day she'll tie a tow rope onto January, and you'll lose him.
Helen: Not while I'm in charge of the lighthouse. We need another case of brass polish. We need it right away.
Ira J. Slocum, storekeeper: [holding out a jar of lollipops] Here, have one on the house. They're all the same size, I checked.
Helen: I know, but the black ones last longer. Now don't forget about our special prize. You know I'm giving you all our trade.
Ira J. Slocum, storekeeper: I won't forget.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "20 to 1: Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (#6.6)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

A Life on the Ocean Wave

Typical Temple Movie - Which Means Feel-Good Fun

Here's another "cute" Shirley Temple movie with interesting characters and a decent share of good song-and-dance numbers. The story is similar to a few other Temple films in which a nasty person takes Shirley away from the good people but the good guys prevail in the end. It was a tried-and-true formula in the Temple movies.

Here, the "villain" is truant officer (Sara Haden) who wants to take Shirley away from good guy "Captain January" (Guy Kibbe). Kibbe and Slim Summerville are fun to watch as peers and friends who squabble all the time. Haden is effective in her role because you just want to slap that woman!

Shirley and Buddy Ebsen team up for a very entertaining song-and-dance routine to "The Codfish Ball," the best song in the movie.

The film gets a bit uncomfortable when Shirley gets taken away but ends in the normal tearfully-happy Shirley, as always, back with her loved ones and the people who really care about her. Those include the "widow" played by Jane Darwell and the school teacher, acted by June Lang.

All in all, it's the normal Temple movie that provides good feelings, something we viewers always need.