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

Ceddie has an English accent.

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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 Il piccolo lord (1960)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Exquisite!

They just don't make 'em like this anymore. You can take all your Culkins and Woods and Osments and roll them into one, and they still couldn't shine the shoes of Freddie Bartholemew (as Mickey Rooney does in this film). The difference, I believe, is that these contemporary performers think of themselves as CHILD actors, where Bartholemew and his contemporary Shirley Temple thought of themselves as ACTORS -- just as Rooney's character thought of himself as a BUSINESSMAN. The effect is palpable: you just can't fake being a real person. This of course is the familiar story of an American boy in the 1880's who learns he is the heir to an English earl and must go live with the old bloke, who parenthetically hates his mother, in an old castle. Needless to say, it is the earl who is transformed by the strength and purity of the boy's character, and not the intended reverse. Every scene and every line in this film is perfect, and if it is a "period piece," then I say we'd be so much better off if we could return to that "period."

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