''Our Little Girl'' is a 1935 American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

, in which Shirley Temple and

Joel McCrea Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he bec ...

play the leading roles. The film was the final work of the veteran director, John S. Robertson. The protagonist, Molly Middleton (Temple), is the daughter of a physician, Donald Middleton (McCrea), and his neglected wife, Elsa ( Rosemary Ames), who becomes attracted to her husband's best friend, Rolfe Brent (

Lyle Talbot Lyle Florenz Talbot (born Lisle Henderson, also credited Lysle Talbot; February 8, 1902 – March 2, 1996) was an American stage, screen and television actor. His career in films spanned three decades, from 1931 to 1960, and he performed on ...

). ''Our Little Girl'' is largely overshadowed not only by its predecessors, '' Bright Eyes'' and '' The Little Colonel'', but also its immediate successors, ''Curly Top'' and '' The Littlest Rebel'' — all major hits for Temple that launched her international stardom. Unlike her other films of this period, it included no dancing and only one song. She played a character neither partially nor completely orphaned, as she had, or would, in nearly all of her other films. ''Our Little Girl'' was the penultimate film by Temple during her time at Fox in which she did not play an orphan. The last such film would be '' The Blue Bird'': in her next thirteen movies, she would play the part of an orphan.

Plot

The doctor Don Middleton (

) is so immersed in his work that he neglects his wife, Elsa ( Rosemary Ames), who begins spending more time with her husband's best friend. The two develop an intimate attraction. Don and Elsa decide to divorce, ignorant of the effect on their daughter Molly ( Shirley Temple). When Elsa decides to remarry, Molly runs away from home.

Cast

* Shirley Temple as Molly Middleton * Rosemary Ames as Elsa Middleton *

as Dr. Donald Middleton *

as Rolfe Brent *

Erin O'Brien-Moore Erin O'Brien-Moore (born Annette O'Brien-Moore, May 2, 1902 – May 3, 1979) was an American actress. She created the role of Rose in the original Broadway production of Elmer Rice's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, '' Street Scene'' (1929), and wa ...

as Sarah Boynton *

J. Farrell MacDonald John Farrell MacDonald (June 6, 1875 – August 2, 1952) was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a four-decade career from 1911 to 1951, and directed fort ...

as Hobo aka Mr. Tramp * Poodles Hanneford as Circus Performer * Margaret Armstrong as Amy * Rita Owin as Alice *

Leonard Carey Leonard Carey (25 February 1887 – 11 September 1977) was an English character actor who very often played butlers in Hollywood films of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. He was also active in television during the 1950s. He is perhaps best known f ...

as Jackson *

Jack Baxley Andrew Jackson Baxley (July 4, 1884 – December 10, 1950) was an American character actor of the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in over 100 films over his career, many in unnamed, un-credited roles. Occasionally he would receive small, named roles ...

as Leyton - Druggist (uncredited) * Jack Donohue as Actor (uncredited) * Gus Van as Magician (uncredited)

Production

The original name of ''Our Little Girl'' was supposed to be ''Heaven's Gate'', but was changed prior to its release out of fear people would confuse the title with the name of a cemetery. Temple, in her memoirs, wrote that she had a huge crush on McCrea but quickly avoided further flirtation after two notable delays caused by her. While playing a grassy field, two of her false teeth fell out and were not located, resulting in production being called off for the day. In another incident, there was a long delay from the setting up of the cameras. Unable to hold it in any further, she wet herself. Thoroughly embarrassed, it took much coaxing from her mother in the dressing room to convince her to go back out, resulting in further delays.Shirley Temple Black, Child Star: An Autobiography (New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1988), 103-105.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Our Little Girl 1935 films American drama films Films directed by John S. Robertson American black-and-white films Fox Film films 1935 drama films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films