''The Little Minister'' is a 1934 American drama film starring

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

and directed by Richard Wallace. The screenplay by Jane Murfin, Sarah Y. Mason, and Victor Heerman is based on the 1891 novel and subsequent 1897 play of the same title by

J.M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

. The picture was the fifth film adaptation of the works, following four

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

versions. The original novel was the third of the three "Thrums" novels (a town based on his home of Kirriemuir), which first brought Barrie to fame.

Plot

Set in rural 1840s

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, the film explores labor and class issues while telling the story of Gavin Dishart, a staid cleric who is newly assigned to Thrums' Auld Licht church, and Babbie, a member of the nobility who disguises herself as a gypsy girl in order to interact freely with the local villagers and protect them from her betrothed, Lord Rintoul, who wants to keep them under his control. The townsfolk christen Dishart “The Little Minister” on his arrival because of his youth (this is his first parish) and his short stature. Initially the conservative Dishart is appalled by the feisty girl, but he soon comes to appreciate her inner goodness. Their romantic liaison scandalizes the townspeople, and the minister's position is jeopardized until Dishart's heroism stuns and transforms the hearts of the local villagers.

Cast

as Babbie * John Beal as Reverend Gavin Dishart * Alan Hale as Rob Dow * Donald Crisp as Doctor McQueen * Lumsden Hare as Tammas Whammond * Andy Clyde as Policeman Wearyworld * Beryl Mercer as Mrs. Margaret Dishart, Gavin's mother * Billy Watson as Micah Dow * Dorothy Stickney as Jean Proctor * Mary Gordon as Nanny Webster * Frank Conroy as Lord Milford Rintoul * Eily Malyon as Lady Evalina Rintoul * Reginald Denny as Captain Halliwell

Production

initially rejected the role of Babbie, then reconsidered, against the advice of her agent Leland Hayward, when

Margaret Sullavan Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1909 – January 1, 1960) was an American stage and film actress. Sullavan began her career onstage in 1929 with the University Players. In 1933, she caught the attention of film director John M. Stahl and had ...

was offered the role. The film was budgeted at $650,000, which at the time was considered a high amount, and much of it was spent on exterior shooting in California's Sherwood Forest and Laurel Canyon and on the elaborate village set constructed on RKO Forty Acres back lot. (It later was used in a number of films, including

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in t ...

's '' Bonnie Scotland''). It was RKO's most expensive film of the year and the most expensive film in which Hepburn had appeared.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p79 The soundtrack includes the traditional Scottish tunes "The Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond," "Comin' Thro' the Rye," and "House of Argyle." The 3-CD set ''Max Steiner: The RKO Years 1929-1936'' includes 10 tracks of incidental music that Steiner composed for the film. The film held its world premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Reception

In his review in ''The New York Times'', Andre Sennwald described the film as "a tender and lovingly arranged screen edition of Sir James's rueful little Scottish romance...in its mild-mannered and sober way, ''The Little Minister'' proves to be a photoplay of genuine charm." The film was popular but its high cost resulted in a loss of $9,000 and contributed to Hepburn's reputation as "box-office poison." Leonard Maltin gives ''The Little Minister'' three and a half out of four stars, calling the film “charming“ and Hepburn “radiant“.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Minister, The 1934 films 1934 drama films American drama films American black-and-white films Films scored by Max Steiner American films based on plays Films based on works by J. M. Barrie Films directed by Richard Wallace Films set in Scotland Films set in the 1840s RKO Pictures films Films with screenplays by Jane Murfin 1930s English-language films 1930s American films