''Little Mister Jim'' is a 1946 American
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
directed by
Fred Zinnemann
Alfred ''Fred'' Zinnemann (April 29, 1907 – March 14, 1997) was an Austrian Empire-born American film director. He won four Academy Awards for directing and producing films in various genres, including thrillers, westerns, film noir and pla ...
and starring
Butch Jenkins,
James Craig and
Frances Gifford.
Plot
Army captain "Big Jim" Tukker has a young son, Little Jim, who runs away from home. Once found, the unhappy boy is cheered by the news that he will soon be getting a new baby brother or sister. But when his mother dies in childbirth, his father takes to drinking, neglecting him.
Others intervene on the boy's behalf, including Sui Jen, the family servant. Efforts to shake Big Jim out of his depression fail until Sui Jen begins teaching the child Chinese philosophy and faith, going so far as to dress him in Chinese apparel. The boy's father realizes he must take a more personal interest in parenting, then discovers, to his astonishment, that Sui Jen is actually an officer in the Chinese army.
Cast
*
James Craig as Capt. Tukker
*
Butch Jenkins as Little Jim
*
Frances Gifford as Jean
*
Laura La Plante
Laura La Plante (born Laura Laplante; November 1, 1904 – October 14, 1996) was an American film actress, whose more notable performances were in the silent era.
Early life
La Plante was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 1, 1904, the da ...
as Mrs. Glenson
*
Spring Byington
Spring Dell Byington (October 17, 1886 – September 7, 1971) was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of '' December Bride''. She was a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player who appeared in ...
as Mrs. Starwell
*
Morris Ankrum
Morris Ankrum (born Morris Nussbaum; August 28, 1897 – September 2, 1964) was an American radio, television, and film character actor.
Early life
Born in Danville in Vermilion County in eastern Illinois, Ankrum originally began a career in ...
as Mr. Starwell
* Chingwah Lee as Sui Jen
* Celia Travers as Miss Martin
*
Luana Patten
Luana Patten (July 6, 1938 – May 1, 1996) was an American actress who appeared in films produced by Walt Disney Pictures, such as ''Song of the South'' (1946), ''Fun and Fancy Free'' (1947), and ''Melody Time'' (1948). Later in life, she pla ...
as Missey
Production
Parts of the film were shot in
Fort Douglas
Camp Douglas was established in October 1862, during the American Civil War, as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah, to protect the overland mail route and telegraph lines along the Central Overland Route. I ...
, Utah.
Reception
According to MGM records the film was not a hit, earning $533,000 in the US and Canada and $254,000 elsewhere, making a loss to the studio of $640,000.
References
External links
*
''Little Mister Jim''at
TCMDB
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of A ...
1946 films
1946 drama films
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
American drama films
Films shot in Utah
American black-and-white films
1940s English-language films
1940s American films
Films directed by Fred Zinnemann
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