Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936)An American boy turns out to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. He is sent to live with the cold and unsentimental lord who oversees the trust. Director:John Cromwell |
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Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936)An American boy turns out to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. He is sent to live with the cold and unsentimental lord who oversees the trust. Director:John Cromwell |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Freddie Bartholomew | ... |
Ceddie
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Dolores Costello | ... |
'Dearest'
(as Dolores Costello Barrymore)
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| C. Aubrey Smith | ... | ||
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Guy Kibbee | ... |
Mr. Hobbs
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Henry Stephenson | ... | |
| Mickey Rooney | ... | ||
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Constance Collier | ... |
Lady Lorridaile
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E.E. Clive | ... |
Sir Harry Lorridaile
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| Una O'Connor | ... | ||
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Jackie Searl | ... | |
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Jessie Ralph | ... | |
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Ivan F. Simpson | ... |
Rev. Mordaunt
(as Ivan Simpson)
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Helen Flint | ... | |
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Eric Alden | ... |
Ben
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May Beatty | ... | |
After the death of Cedric ('Ceddie')'s English father, he and his mother live together in Brooklyn. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, had disowned Cedric's father when he married an American. But when the Earl's remaining son dies, he accepts Cedric as Lord Fauntleroy, his heir, and the Earl sends for Cedric and his mother. Cedric uses the first of his newly found wealth to do some favors for his old friends, and then heads to England, where he must try to overcome the Earl's dislike for Cedric's mother. Written by Snow Leopard
This is an example of the type of film where I reckon all the characters act like they know they're in a famous novel. The style and delivery is VERY self-conscious and prosaic, with everyone declaiming their lines in a very "noble" fashion (sort of like the "traditional" delivery of Shakespeare).
C Aubrey Smith is by far the most interesting performer in this story, his irascible nature adding some much-needed bite to the movie. Mickey Rooney is also very memorable, showing once again he was a very dynamic and versatile child actor, handling comic and dramatic scenes very well
- even in the same film. The mark of a true consummate performer.
I would rank him as a definite child prodigy. (You should also check him out in YOUNG TOM EDISON for another example of this)I actually think the 80s tele-movie with Ricky Shroder and Alec Guiness worked slightly better than this version does; the characters are a lot more casual in their delivery, and the story flows better. But this is a pretty good version on its own terms any rate.