Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Allan Dwan

Writers:

Kate Douglas Wiggin (novel) and
Don Ettlinger (writer)

Release Date:

18 March 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Comedy | Drama | Musical

Plot:

Rebecca's Uncle Harry leaves her with Aunt Miranda who forbids her to associate with show people. But...

Plot Keywords:

Talent Scout | Affection | Competition | Performer | Singer

Cast

Shirley Temple	...	Rebecca Winstead
Randolph Scott	...	Tony Kent
Jack Haley	...	Orville Smithers
Gloria Stuart	...	Gwen Warren
Phyllis Brooks	...	Lola Lee
Helen Westley	...	Aunt Miranda Wilkins
Slim Summerville	...	Homer Busby
Bill Robinson	...	Aloysius
Raymond Scott	...	Leader of Musical Ensemble (as Raymond Scott Quintet)
Alan Dinehart	...	Purvis
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Doctor Hill
Dixie Dunbar	...	Receptionist
Paul Hurst	...	Mug
William Demarest	...	Harry Kipper
Ruth Gillette	...	Melba

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Bill Robinson visited Shirley Temple at an exclusive and restricted hotel to rehearse the "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" number for this film. Temple later recalled, "I asked Bill what cottage he was staying in. He told me, 'I'm staying in the chauffeur quarters above the garage.' It wasn't until years later that I understood why."

Quotes:

Aunt Miranda Wilkins: Young man, what are you going to pay Rebecca?
Rebecca Winstead: But Aunt Miranda, I don't want any pay. I love to sing.
Tony Kent: Then you don't mind, Miss Wilkins?
Aunt Miranda Wilkins: Of course I mind. I'm not going to have my niece be a big radio star and not get paid for it.
Tony Kent: You won't have a thing to worry about, I assure you.
Gwen Warren: Aunt Miranda, you're an old dear.
Tony Kent: You're a honey, Miss Wilkins.
Homer Busby: And how about me?
Aunt Miranda Wilkins: Homer Busby, you're an old fool.
Rebecca Winstead: But you can't wait much longer, Aunt Miranda.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Last Tap Dance in Springfield (#11.20)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Oh My Goodness

My brief review of the film

A pleasant if not brilliant Shirley Temple vehicle, the young actress shines as the charming Rebecca and she sings quite well too. The film itself is formulaic and very predictable with typical characters, but it nevertheless does the job reasonably well, providing an opportunity for Temple to display her talents as and actress and as a singer. The songs are a delight to listen too as well. The main setback for the film is the amateurish editing - at least three or four times continuity is broken by the presence of jump cuts - however this can easily be ignored in light of the charms of the film. It supposedly is not faithful to the source material, but as a film on its own, it does fine.