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:

character name as title | bullying | dirt in mouth | best friend | biting an ankle | 

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Taglines:

WHETHER YOUR HEART IS YOUNG OR OLD...THIS GREAT PICTURE TELLS A STORY THAT WILL TOUCH YOU DEEPLY! (original print ad-all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

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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 hands the note to Mr. Mordaunt, the shot changes to wide view and Lord Dorincourt no longer wears the eye monocle.

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Quotes

Earl of Dorincourt: [gazing down at Cedric, asleep] If anyone had ever told me I could be fond of a child, I wouldn't have believed them. I always detested children - my own more than most - but I'm fond of him... and, oddly enough, he's fond of me. You know, Havisham, I'm not popular - I never was - but he's fond of me, never was afraid of me, always trusted me. Yes, Havisham, he'd've filled my place... better than I've filled it. He'd have been an honor to the name.

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Connections

Version of Little Lord Fauntleroy (1976)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Excellent Adaptation of Childhood Classic

The Earl of Dorincourt, lonely in his great castle, has grown old. Now, with the death of both of his sons, he sends for his only grandchild to be with him. This is an innocent boy living in New York City with his American mother. Sweet-tempered and beloved, the earnest young child knows nothing of the crusty, fierce old lord in England, or of the wonderful changes about to happen in his own life, now that he is LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY.

This is David O. Selznick's wonderful & lavish retelling of the classic children's story by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Much effort was put into getting the details just right. Sentimental? Yes, but honest sentiment, with emotions straight from the heart.

Freddie Bartholomew & marvelous Sir C. Aubrey Smith are picture perfect in their roles as young Fauntleroy & his grandfather. There may never be a finer male child actor than Master Bartholomew and Sir C. was the epitome of the English aristocratic tradition. Two champion scene-stealers, they work together beautifully.

The rest of the cast is both extensive & uniformly excellent: Dolores Costello Barrymore, Henry Stephenson, Guy Kibbee, Jessie Ralph, Una O'Connor, Constance Collier, E. E. Clive, Lionel Belmore, Eily Maylon & Mickey Rooney. Film mavens will spot uncredited appearances by Mary Gordon as a churchgoing villager & Leonard Kibrick as one of Fauntleroy's Brooklyn tormentors.

Sir Hugh Walpole, the celebrated English novelist, wrote the screen adaptation.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Little Lord Fauntleroy

Filming Locations:

George Lewis Mansion - Benedict Canyon Drive, Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, USA

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