Dimples (1936)

Dimples Appleby lives with the pick-pocket grandfather in 19th century New York City. She entertains the crowds while he works his racket. A rich lady makes it possible for the girl to go legit. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is performed.

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writers:

Arthur Sheekman (screen play), Nat Perrin (screen play)

Stars:

Shirley Temple, Frank Morgan, Robert Kent

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shirley Temple	...	Dimples Appleby
Frank Morgan	...	Prof. Eustace Appleby
Robert Kent	...	Allen Drew
Helen Westley	...	Mrs. Caroline Drew
Stepin Fetchit	...	Cicero
Astrid Allwyn	...	Cleo Marsh
Brook Byron	...	Betty Loring (as Delma Byron)
Hall Johnson Choir	...	Choir (as The Hall Johnson Choir)
Berton Churchill	...	Col. Loring
Paul Stanton	...	Mr. St. Clair
Julius Tannen	...	Hawkins
John Carradine	...	Richards
Billy McClain	...	Rufus
Jack Rube Clifford	...	Uncle Tom (as Jack Clifford)
Betty Jean Hainey	...	Topsy

Storyline

Dimples is a busker - a street entertainer, and lives in mid-19th century New York City's Bowery with her kindhearted but pickpocketing Grandfather, Prof. Eustace Appleby. Dimples is a talented child and is hired to perform at a party in the home of Mrs. Caroline Drew, an elderly widow living in Washington Square. Dimples delights the gathering and charms not only the elderly mistress of the house but her nephew Allen as well, a theatrical producer betrothed to a lovely society belle. Allen engages Dimples to perform the role of Little Eva in his production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" while Mrs. Drew makes it possible for Dimples to remain in her genteel home and enjoy its benefits. Various complications ensue and Dimples bravely makes the decision to sacrifice her happiness to return to her slum dwelling Grandfather. Mrs. Drew traces Dimples's whereabouts and convinces Prof. Appleby that his lovely granddaughter deserves something better than a life of poverty and crime in the Bowery. The...

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | uncle tom's cabin | street entertainer | slum | minstrel show | 

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Genres:

Family | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bowery Princess

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Herman Bing as "Proprietor" and Greta Meyer as "Proprietor's Wife" are in studio records/casting call lists as cast members, but they did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie.

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Goofs

The movie is set in 1850 but the song, "Little Brown Jug" (heard during a scene), was not written until 1869.

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Quotes

Dimples: Sometimes I wonder if men are worth all the trouble they give us.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Referenced in 20 to 1: Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (2008)

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Soundtracks

Dixie-anna
(1936) (uncredited)
Music by Jimmy McHugh
Lyrics by Ted Koehler
Sung by Shirley Temple and the Hall Johnson Choir and Danced by Jesse Scott and Thurman Black

User Reviews

What a charming musical!

What a charming musical! Shirley Temple is absolutely adorable. I love when she sings "Get on Board" as Eva in Uncle Tom's Cabin. Her character is dressed in white. I love plenty of song and dance. It does not make me tired at all. What it does, is make me so very happy. The title alone, Dimples, is very charming. Shirley Temple herself as a child has had what the title says. That was for quite a long time. I have been very glad of that. It is a very old movie, but then again I like old ones. Whatever age you are, it is a must that you like good movies. This especially holds true for most of Temple's films. They are absolutely irresistible. Maybe someday I'll put on a song-and-dance myself. Who knows? The number "Miss Dixie-Anna" at the end makes it a great movie. Would I dare to say anything else about the ending? I really don't know for sure. No one wants to know that in advance. They want to see for themselves, thank you. Please let everyone enjoy this really good vehicle of Little Miss Temple.