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:

brooklyn new york city | inheritance | grandfather grandson relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mali 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was first telecast in Los Angeles Sunday 29 August 1948 on KTLA (Channel 5), in New York City Thursday 25 November 1948 on WCBS (Channel 2), in Baltimore Saturday 25 December 1948 on WMAR (Channel 2), in Atlanta Friday 4 February 1949 on WSB (Channel 8), in Dayton Wednesday 9 Febrary 1949 on WHIO (Channel 13), in Detroit Sunday 6 March 1949 on WWJ (Channel 4), and in Cincinnati Sunday 4 September 1949 on WCPO (Channel 7).

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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

Miss Herbert: Come here, Lord Fauntleroy and tell me why you look at me so.
Cedric "Ceddie" Erroll: I was thinking how beautiful you are.

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Connections

Version of Little Lord Fauntleroy (1921)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

An excellent adaptation, a bit too sentimental, but. . . ah well.

John Cromwell gets a lot of credit for this Selznick Studio release. It is only the second time (at that time) the story had been filmed. The first was a poor silent version. Although Cromwell could have developed the story a bit more, it is well cast. Bartholomew is excellent as young Cedrick and Smith is fine as the crusty old Earl who learns to love his grandson, additionally Rooney as Dick the bootblack, and Kibbee as storekeeper Hobbs are also outstanding.

Although heavy with sentimentality, Cromwell has done an excellent job of cutting out all the terrible wordiness of the novel. (Burnett writes as though she is being paid by the word and puts in way to many adjectives.) The story is well told and the scenic effects are good for their time. Unfortunately the film has not aged well and some scenes have darkened with time. Perhaps an enterprising admirer will trouble to restore this film. IF they do, hopefully they will also restore the missing scenes so the film runs its full length.

A discount film hawker (Front Row Video, Canada) has the nerve to sell copies of the film (claiming a running time of 1:42) that are so butchered, that two conversations are cut right in the middle with a change of scene. Digiview Productions who states on the front cover "Sometimes the price we pay is too high" and charges only a dollar for their DVD version, has been caught with their foot in their mouth. They only charge a buck, but even that is too much for the hacked up 92 minute version of the film they sell.

For purists, I urge you to find a complete copy of this well done film. THe only way you can enjoy something is to see all of it.