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

Writers:

Frances Hodgson Burnett (from the book by), Hugh Walpole (screen play)

Stars:

Freddie Bartholomew, Dolores Costello, C. Aubrey Smith

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freddie Bartholomew	...	Ceddie
Dolores Costello	...	'Dearest' (as Dolores Costello Barrymore)
C. Aubrey Smith	...	The Earl of Dorincourt
Guy Kibbee	...	Mr. Hobbs
Henry Stephenson	...	Havisham
Mickey Rooney	...	Dick
Constance Collier	...	Lady Lorridaile
E.E. Clive	...	Sir Harry Lorridaile
Una O'Connor	...	Mary
Jackie Searl	...	Tom
Jessie Ralph	...	The Applewoman
Ivan F. Simpson	...	Rev. Mordaunt (as Ivan Simpson)
Helen Flint	...	Minna
Eric Alden	...	Ben
May Beatty	...	Mrs. Mellon

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

lord | heir | disowned | england | grandfather grandson relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der kleine Lord

Company Credits

Production Co:

Selznick International Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor High Fidelity System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Due to the demise of Selznick International Productions, this movie is now in the public domain.

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Goofs

When Ceddie writes the note telling the estate manager not to evict Mr. Higgins, Lord Dorincourt folds the letter and puts his eye monocle in. Just as he is handing the note to Mr. Mordaunt, the shot changes to wide view and Lord Dorincourt is no longer wearing the eye monocle.

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Quotes

Cedric "Ceddie" Erroll: You don't wear your coronet all the time?
Earl of Dorincourt: No, it does not become me.
Cedric "Ceddie" Erroll: Mr. Hobbs said you always wore it, but after he thought it over, he said he supposed you must sometimes take it off to put your hat on.
Earl of Dorincourt: Yes, I take it off occasionally.

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Connections

Version of Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Jingle Bells"
(1857) (uncredited)
Music by James Pierpont (uncredited)
In the score a bit at the beginning

User Reviews

Old-fashioned, quaint and mushy - but it works.

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.