Curly Top (1935)

Waste of time

Pretty Good

good back-story, and good acting

A different way of telling a story

My lovely grandmother took me to see this film when I was ten years old. I can still remember the huge theater, packed to the doors. So it was a real pleasure to find the film available on a DVD - even if that DVD was somewhat less than perfect and seems to have been duped from a worn if serviceable projection print which has an ugly jump in the middle of Shirley's delightful song, "Animal Crackers".The movie also has rather modest production values, but Rochelle Hudson also has a song and she looks absolutely terrific! On the other hand, Mr. Boles carries the air of having strolled into the wrong film by mistake! Fortunately, the rest of the players are most agreeable and it's real nice to see Esther Dale in such a large part.However, I don't like Cummings' direction. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now! This guy had a TV complex long before TV became a household necessity. He just loves (and way overdoes) close-ups! But despite the director's attempt at sabotage, I still give the movie an 8/10 rating.

The only Shirley Temple(S.T.) film I can think of where Shirley has a sister(Rochelle Hudson as Mary) interacting with her. However, clearly, Mary is an adult, maybe a dozen years older than Shirley. In fact, she's the romantic interest of the lead male(John Boles),and we wonder what she is doing still being treated as an orphan?! Most of the personal conflicts are relatively mild compared to many S.T. films. The exceptions are Shirley vs. the orphanage superintendent: Mrs. Higgins and orphanage trustee Wyckoff: a no nonsense elderly gentleman. Unfortunately, he came visiting on the wrong day for Shirley. Some of Shirley's antics understandably angered the power elite of the orphanage. John Boles, an easy-going trustee, who held the purse strings of the orphanage, had to bail Shirley out of trouble by offering to adopt her and her sister Mary. When these two left the orphanage, the superintendent and matron(Jane Darnell) broke down in tears, which they told each other was occasioned by happiness. But, it's obvious this isn't the explanation.The second half of the film, which takes place in Boles' aunt's home, where Boles lives, is almost free of significant conflicts. There is the question who is going to marry Mary. The obvious choice is Boles. However, he inexplicably doesn't let on that he's interested in her until the end, although it's obvious he likes her. This leaves Mary open to other suitors, and Boles almost looses her. Such conflicts are mostly kept under wraps. There are 5 main songs. Shirley's lengthy rendition of "Animal Crackers in my Soup", sung during supper at the orphanage, is much the best remembered. However, I think all are catchy. Shirley's other big song "When I Grow up" is actually composed of several distinct segments, making it quite long, with changes of wardrobe. Later, Arthur Treacher, as the very tall, thin, amusing butler, and Billy Gilbert, the chubby cook, sing their version of this song. Shirley also briefly sings "On the Beach at Waikiki", while doing the hula. Rochelle Hudson(Mary)sings "The Simple Things in Life". Near the end, John Boles sings "Curly Top" to Shirley, primarily. He had a great singing voice.All in all, a pleasant viewing experience, and one of the most tuneful of S.T. films... I lost count of the number of times Shirley exclaimed "Oh, my goodness". But in the closing frames, she changes it to "Oh, my word", which was Treacher's standard exclamation.John Boles was also the lead male in the S.T. film "The Littlest Rebel". He obviously had great rapport with Shirley. This is the first of 4 S.T. films that Arthur Treacher played the eccentric, if proficient, butler. Jane Darwell played a minor character in quite a few S.T. films.

This was only my second Shirley Temple film and therefore I don't have much to compare it with, but I have to say it was pretty good and it's very obvious why little Shirley was such a hit with audiences way back in the 1930's. Full of sweetness, charm, charisma, and sometimes even a hint of darling incorrigibility, Miss Temple gets to shine brightly in this picture.Shirley stars as Elizabeth Blair (later dubbed "Curly"), a little girl residing at an orphanage with her much older sister Mary (Rochelle Hudson). It's an awfully tough place to live in, as Shirley gets into all sorts of trouble for doing things like allowing her little pony to sleep in her bed and daring to sing her popular song "Animal Crackers In My Soup" during mealtime with all her friends in the lunchroom. Enter the rich trustee of the orphanage, Edward Morgan (John Boles; I've always wondered what happened to him after FRANKENSTEIN), who instantly takes a special interest in little Elizabeth and then can't stop thinking about her; alone in his living room he plays the piano and sings (yucch) as he sees the little girl's cherubic face in the wall paintings he gazes at. He ultimately convinces his old aunt to let him adopt the child as well as her grown-up sister Mary. In their new ritzy environment, both sisters are very adoring of the handsome Edward, and Mary begins to fall in love with him. But there is another man who is also longing for Mary's hand, so it's up to Curly Top to try and bring Edward and Mary together.I can't let this review go by without mentioning at this point that it occasionally struck me as a little peculiar that Mr. Morgan seemed more interested in little Elizabeth than he was in her older sister. I'm sure it was innocent enough in its day, but it just came off as odd sometimes. Well -- enough of that. This is, after all, a Shirley Temple showcase and she gets to sing another song, "When I Grow Up," during a sequence where she stages a benefit show for all her less fortunate friends back at the orphanage, and changes costumes and dances. Watching her sing and dance her way into our hearts, it's clear that she was a highly talented performer who could completely carry a film. *** out of ****

CURLY TOP is indebted to SHIRLEY TEMPLE for whatever charm it has as a vehicle for the talented tot--and she gets to strut her stuff often enough to keep an audience happy. It's the kind of Temple film where you start getting restless when the spotlight goes to the romantic leads (John Boles and Rochelle Hudson), bland and poorly scripted as the leads usually are in a Temple film. But with the spotlight on Temple--as when Shirley does her tap dancing atop a white piano or sings "Animal Crackers in my Soup" with cheerful confidence and a bit of mugging at an orphanage, you can see why she was America's box-office sweetheart during a four-year period.Clearly ranks among the best early Temple vehicles with all of her charisma and dimpled charm on full display. Nice to see her sharing some good scenes with Arthur Treacher.