Stowaway (1936)

Redundant and unnecessary.

Best movie ever!

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Taken in by missionaries, an orphaned American girl's life is in danger when bandits invade Sanchow, China; she ends up stranded in Shanghai, where she befriends a bachelor American who travels the world. Vehicle for America's Sweetheart, Shirley Temple, is a little lax in all departments (not funny enough for a comedy, not poignant enough for a drama), although the pint-sized star is adorable speaking fluent Chinese! The musical moments are welcomed, but the plot is contrived, the production seems cheap, and Temple has a far stronger connection with Philip Ahn as loyal friend Sun Lo then she does with either Robert Young or Alice Faye. Director William A. Seiter does pedestrian work; nothing is spontaneous--it all seems overly-rehearsed, overly-polite--and the only charisma is generated by Temple when she's allowed to be natural and a little scruffy. ** from ****

Ching Ching, er, Barbara (Shirley Temple) is the young daughter of missionaries to China. Unfortunately, her parents were killed and her present guardian, a fellow minister, is determined to stay put, even though lethal bandits are coming to the village. Therefore, a Chinese citizen who knew the little gal's parents whisks her secretly away to Shanghai. However, things get confusing when Ching Ching's new caretaker suddenly vanishes (with the tot's own piggy bank). Now, on the streets of Shanghai, Barbara is fortunate to run into millionaire American Tommy Randall (Robert Young), who is attempting to buy a dragon head at a local market but can't speak the language. When Ching Ching helps him with his business, the two begin to talk and Randall discovers she is parentless and homeless. Tommy's plan is to watch over her but when he leaves her in the car to talk with friends, she hides in the trunk with her dog, Mr. Wu, as rain starts to fall. Coming back, Tommy thinks she has taken off and he drives his car back to the ship, where the auto is loaded onto the vessel. Thus, Ching Ching is a "stowaway". But soon, the two are reunited, even though Tommy has a strong reputation as a playboy whose own butler, Atkins (Arthur Treacher) often covers for him. Alas, the ship's captain is determined to find another home for Barbara in the meanwhile. But then, Barbara makes friends with a lovely young woman, Susan (Alice Faye), who is engaged to a stuffed shirt in Bangkok, and the little lady introduces her to Tommy. Could there be a little matchmaking and family planning in Ching Ching's mind? This is a lovely film that I have admired since childhood. When I was a girl, "Shirley Temple Theater" came on every Sunday, as one of the local channels was obviously keen to find suitable viewing material for the church going crowd. My opinion is that if you have never seen a Shirley film, this is a good one to begin upon. First, Shirley shows she can do it all, sing, dance, crack jokes, speak Chinese, and be utterly adorable. Complimenting her nicely is a young Robert Young, who has plenty of charm and humor in his own right. Ditto for Treacher, who is hysterical as the snooty butler. Beautiful Faye can also sing up a storm and the rest of the cast is quite nice, too. The setting in China is exotic, the costumes are very nice and the story and direction are snappy and "funtastic", with the expected happy ending a very welcome one indeed. In conclusion, a Shirley Temple film can be greatly enjoyed on a child's and on an adult's level and this is one of her best works. Therefore, do stow away enough family free time to catch this one, as everyone watching it will forget their woes. Indeed, few film stars can lift the spirits like our treasured Shirley.

"Stowaway" may not be the best of the Shirley Temple movies, mostly because the character of the man who adopts her is too devil-may-care for the viewer to think he has the necessary heart of gold to become a surrogate father, but it is still an endearing and delightful film. Contrary to what another reviewer wrote, Shirley does NOT play a "street child" in China, rather, she is the orphaned child of Christian missionaries who is being sent home to America by her careful guardians (both American and Chinese), when a horrible series of events leads to her becoming lost. This portion of the movie is quite realistic, as with many of the most affecting Shirley Temple films, and sets the necessary tragic background against which her bravery and good cheer will shine. "Stowaway" is also notable for a stage turn in which Shirley does a credible impersonation of Al Jolson, which is a great deal of fun for fans of the period's celebrities.

Well, Shirley Temple is in Shanghai for this feel-good musical-drama-romance. She is an inadvertent stowaway in this story and even speaks in Chinese quite a bit. In addition she relates a few profound and touching Chinese sayings and does a cute song on stage on the boat.Looking after her are the adults leads: Robert Young (who looks very young in here) and Alice Faye. Also fun to see, speaking of young, is Arthur Treacher, who has some funny lines. There is not a lot of funny material in here but it's a nice film and definite good addition to any Shirley Temple collection. I also saw a colorized edition of this, and they it was one of the better jobs in that regard. It hasn't been issued on DVD yet, but I assume it will since most of films are out on that format by now.