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The Little Colonel (1935 film)

November 08, 2023

The Little Colonel is a 1935 American comedy drama film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by William M. Conselman was adapted from the children's novel of the same name by Annie Fellows Johnston, originally published in 1895. It focuses on the reconciliation of an estranged father and daughter in the years following the American Civil War. The film stars Shirley Temple, Lionel Barrymore, Evelyn Venable, John Lodge, Bill Robinson, and Hattie McDaniel.

The Little Colonel
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Butler
Written byScreenplay:
William M. Conselman
Novel:
Annie Fellows Johnston
Produced byBuddy G. DeSylva
StarringShirley Temple
Lionel Barrymore
Evelyn Venable
John Lodge
Bill Robinson
Hattie McDaniel
CinematographyArthur C. Miller
Music byCyril J. Mockridge
Production
company
Distributed byFox Film
Release date
  • February 22, 1935 (1935-02-22)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.2 million[1]

Cast edit

Production edit

 
Temple and Robinson in the staircase tap dance
 
Shirley Temple with U.S. Marines on the set of The Little Colonel (1935)

The Little Colonel is best known for the famous staircase tap dance between Robinson and Temple. It was the first interracial dance pairing in Hollywood history and was so controversial that it was cut out in the Southern United States. The idea was actually first proposed by Fox head Winfield Sheehan after a discussion with D. W. Griffith. Sheehan set his sights on Robinson, but unsure of his ability as an actor, arranged for a contract that would be voided if Robinson failed the dramatic test. Robinson passed the test and was brought in to both star with Temple and to teach her tap dancing.[2] They quickly hit it off, as Temple recounted years later:

Robinson walked a step ahead of us, but when he noticed me hurrying to catch up, he shortened his stride to accommodate mine. I kept reaching up for his hand, but he hadn't looked down and seemed unaware. Fannie called his attention to what I was doing, so he stopped short, bent low over me, his eyes wide and rows of brilliant teeth showing in a wide smile. When he took my hand in his, it felt large and cool. For a few moments, we continued walking in silence. "Can I call you Uncle Billy?" I asked. "Why sure you can," he replied... "But then I get to call you darlin′." It was a deal. From then on, whenever we walked together it was hand in hand, and I was always his "darlin′."[3]

During the filming, Temple drew the ire of veteran actor Lionel Barrymore when she prompted him for one of his lines after he forgot it, causing him to storm off in a fit of anger. Temple was sent off to apologize to Barrymore, but, instead of directly apologizing, told him she thought he was the best actor in the world and asked for his autograph, defusing the situation and bringing Barrymore back to the set.[4]

This film made brief usage of early Technicolor film, which required heavy usage of red-hued makeup for the actors. It would be the only time that Temple would wear makeup on the set of her Fox films.[5]

Release edit

Distribution edit

When screened for audiences in Southern states, to ensure the film's widest distribution, Fox removed the staircase scene where Temple and Robinson touch hands.[6]

Critical responses edit

 
VHS cover

Andre Sennwald in his New York Times review of March 22, 1935, thought the film "[a]ll adrip with magnolia whimsy and vast, unashamed portions of synthetic Dixie atmosphere". He further wrote that the film was "so ruthless in its exploitation of Miss Temple's great talent for infant charm that it seldom succeeds in being properly lively and gay". He finished his review noting the audience applauded for a full eleven seconds after the final fade-out, and that the film "ought to bring out the best in every one who sees it."[7]

Home media edit

In 2009, the film was available on videocassette and DVD in both the original black-and-white version and a computer-colorized version of the original. Some versions included theatrical trailers and other special features.

See also edit

References edit

Footnotes
  1. ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 217
  2. ^ Shirley Temple Black, Child Star: An Autobiography (New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1988), 90-91.
  3. ^ Shirley Temple Black, Child Star: An Autobiography (New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1988), 91.
  4. ^ Shirley Temple Black, Child Star: An Autobiography (New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1988), 93-94.
  5. ^ Shirley Temple Black, Child Star: An Autobiography (New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1988), 97.
  6. ^ Osterweil, Ara (2009). "Reconstructing Shirley: Pedophilia and Interracial Romance in Hollywood's Age of Innocence". Camera Obscura. Duke University Press. 24 (3): 14. doi:10.1215/02705346-2009-008. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
  7. ^ Sennwald, Andre (March 22, 1935). "Shirley Temple and Lionel Barrymore in 'The Little Colonel,' the New Film at the Music Hall". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-08.[dead link]
Works cited
  • Windeler, Robert (1992) [1978], The Films of Shirley Temple, New York: Carol Publishing Group, ISBN 0-8065-0725-X
Bibliography
  • Thomson, Rosemarie Garland, ed. (1996), Freakery: Cultural Spectacles of the Extraordinary Body, New York: New York University Press, pp. 185–203, ISBN 0-8147-8217-5 In her essay "Cuteness and Commodity Aesthetics: Tom Thumb and Shirley Temple", Lori Merish examines 'the cult of cuteness' in America.

External links edit

  • The Little Colonel at the American Film Institute Catalog
  • Annie Fellows Johnston and the Little Colonel
  • Kate Matthews Collection (includes illustrations for The Little Colonel books by Johnston's friend and neighbor, photographer Kate Matthews)
  • The Little Colonel at IMDb
  • The Little Colonel at the TCM Movie Database
  • The Little Colonel at AllMovie

November 08, 2023
little, colonel, 1935, film, little, colonel, 1935, american, comedy, drama, film, directed, david, butler, screenplay, william, conselman, adapted, from, children, novel, same, name, annie, fellows, johnston, originally, published, 1895, focuses, reconciliati. The Little Colonel is a 1935 American comedy drama film directed by David Butler The screenplay by William M Conselman was adapted from the children s novel of the same name by Annie Fellows Johnston originally published in 1895 It focuses on the reconciliation of an estranged father and daughter in the years following the American Civil War The film stars Shirley Temple Lionel Barrymore Evelyn Venable John Lodge Bill Robinson and Hattie McDaniel The Little ColonelTheatrical release posterDirected byDavid ButlerWritten byScreenplay William M ConselmanNovel Annie Fellows JohnstonProduced byBuddy G DeSylvaStarringShirley TempleLionel BarrymoreEvelyn VenableJohn LodgeBill RobinsonHattie McDanielCinematographyArthur C MillerMusic byCyril J MockridgeProductioncompanyFox FilmDistributed byFox FilmRelease dateFebruary 22 1935 1935 02 22 Running time80 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBox office 1 2 million 1 Contents 1 Cast 2 Production 3 Release 3 1 Distribution 3 2 Critical responses 3 3 Home media 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksCast editShirley Temple as Lloyd Sherman Lionel Barrymore as Colonel Lloyd Evelyn Venable as Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman John Lodge as Jack Sherman Sidney Blackmer as Swazey Stephen Chase as Hull William Burress as Dr Scott Frank Darien as Nebler Bill Robinson as Walker Robert Warwick as Colonel Gray Hattie McDaniel as Becky Mom Beck Porter Geneva Williams as Maria Avonnie Jackson as May Lily Nyanza Potts as Henry ClayProduction edit nbsp Temple and Robinson in the staircase tap dance nbsp Shirley Temple with U S Marines on the set of The Little Colonel 1935 The Little Colonel is best known for the famous staircase tap dance between Robinson and Temple It was the first interracial dance pairing in Hollywood history and was so controversial that it was cut out in the Southern United States The idea was actually first proposed by Fox head Winfield Sheehan after a discussion with D W Griffith Sheehan set his sights on Robinson but unsure of his ability as an actor arranged for a contract that would be voided if Robinson failed the dramatic test Robinson passed the test and was brought in to both star with Temple and to teach her tap dancing 2 They quickly hit it off as Temple recounted years later Robinson walked a step ahead of us but when he noticed me hurrying to catch up he shortened his stride to accommodate mine I kept reaching up for his hand but he hadn t looked down and seemed unaware Fannie called his attention to what I was doing so he stopped short bent low over me his eyes wide and rows of brilliant teeth showing in a wide smile When he took my hand in his it felt large and cool For a few moments we continued walking in silence Can I call you Uncle Billy I asked Why sure you can he replied But then I get to call you darlin It was a deal From then on whenever we walked together it was hand in hand and I was always his darlin 3 During the filming Temple drew the ire of veteran actor Lionel Barrymore when she prompted him for one of his lines after he forgot it causing him to storm off in a fit of anger Temple was sent off to apologize to Barrymore but instead of directly apologizing told him she thought he was the best actor in the world and asked for his autograph defusing the situation and bringing Barrymore back to the set 4 This film made brief usage of early Technicolor film which required heavy usage of red hued makeup for the actors It would be the only time that Temple would wear makeup on the set of her Fox films 5 Release editDistribution edit When screened for audiences in Southern states to ensure the film s widest distribution Fox removed the staircase scene where Temple and Robinson touch hands 6 Critical responses edit nbsp VHS coverAndre Sennwald in his New York Times review of March 22 1935 thought the film a ll adrip with magnolia whimsy and vast unashamed portions of synthetic Dixie atmosphere He further wrote that the film was so ruthless in its exploitation of Miss Temple s great talent for infant charm that it seldom succeeds in being properly lively and gay He finished his review noting the audience applauded for a full eleven seconds after the final fade out and that the film ought to bring out the best in every one who sees it 7 Home media edit In 2009 the film was available on videocassette and DVD in both the original black and white version and a computer colorized version of the original Some versions included theatrical trailers and other special features See also editShirley Temple filmography Lionel Barrymore filmography List of early color feature filmsReferences editFootnotes Aubrey Solomon Twentieth Century Fox A Corporate and Financial History Rowman amp Littlefield 2002 p 217 Shirley Temple Black Child Star An Autobiography New York McGraw Hill Publishing Company 1988 90 91 Shirley Temple Black Child Star An Autobiography New York McGraw Hill Publishing Company 1988 91 Shirley Temple Black Child Star An Autobiography New York McGraw Hill Publishing Company 1988 93 94 Shirley Temple Black Child Star An Autobiography New York McGraw Hill Publishing Company 1988 97 Osterweil Ara 2009 Reconstructing Shirley Pedophilia and Interracial Romance in Hollywood s Age of Innocence Camera Obscura Duke University Press 24 3 14 doi 10 1215 02705346 2009 008 Retrieved 2020 03 22 Sennwald Andre March 22 1935 Shirley Temple and Lionel Barrymore in The Little Colonel the New Film at the Music Hall The New York Times Retrieved 2009 10 08 dead link Works citedWindeler Robert 1992 1978 The Films of Shirley Temple New York Carol Publishing Group ISBN 0 8065 0725 X BibliographyThomson Rosemarie Garland ed 1996 Freakery Cultural Spectacles of the Extraordinary Body New York New York University Press pp 185 203 ISBN 0 8147 8217 5 In her essay Cuteness and Commodity Aesthetics Tom Thumb and Shirley Temple Lori Merish examines the cult of cuteness in America External links editThe Little Colonel at the American Film Institute Catalog Annie Fellows Johnston and the Little Colonel Kate Matthews Collection includes illustrations for The Little Colonel books by Johnston s friend and neighbor photographer Kate Matthews The Little Colonel at IMDb The Little Colonel at the TCM Movie Database The Little Colonel at AllMovie Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Little Colonel 1935 film amp oldid 1147749729, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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