Such a frustrating disappointment

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Spoilers. Observations. Opinions. More dancing needed by Shirley. There was not enough. She was subject of her birthday party, just like in Little Princess. There was a similar scene like look at me, I'm a spoiled brat here, too. The black and white ruined it for me. The long criminal scenes made it even worse. The mother was nice. James Dunn as the father, I always enjoy seeing with Shirley. Too many thigh and crotch shots of Shirley, including skin tight undies. It reminded me of a toddler Shirley in her child prostitute scene in one of her earlier films -- satiric parody maybe like Polly Tix in Washington. Ugh. You talk about juvenile exploitation. This moppet made big bucks for 20th in the Great Depression? At the end of the 1930s, her short and full career was about finished. I am a degreed historian, film critic, movie reviewer, theatrical researcher, actress, singer, dancer and stage makeup artist.

This was my first attempt at watching a Shirley Temple movie, though this film was made before she really hit it big and therefore her screen time isn't as much as it would quickly become. The story instead centers on a likable ex-convict Eddie Ellison (James Dunn) who has harmless fun playing practical jokes on his friends and comes out of jail to marry a loyal woman (Claire Trevor). Six years later, the couple have young Shirley as their daughter and Eddie tries to hold a job. But a bitter and nasty private investigator (Alan Dinehart) is determined to do whatever it takes to ruin Ellison and send him back to the slammer again and tries to nail him for a theft he wasn't involved in. Here is where daddy's little girl helps her father out by trying to foil the real crook.It's easy to sense the potential which shines off Shirley Temple during her scenes with Dunn and Trevor, and the precocious little charmer does delight with some mild dancing and her cutesy antics, but this film is reportedly not one of her best. It's lightweight stuff, though probably a feature that wouldn't be remembered at all today if not for the participation of Miss Temple. ** out of ****

If this is not considered one of Shirley Temple's more popular movies, it's easy to understand why.First, she isn't the main attraction. James Dunn and Claire Trevor are the stars. This was Temple's first feature film but she was the third, fourth or even fifth person in here, screen time-wise. The powers-that-be must have seen the bright future she had, though, and made two more films with her in the same year (1934), beginning with "Bright Eyes," and she never looked back, becoming a huge box-office attraction on her own. This particular film featured a lot more drama and crime element and that was no longer to be, too, as light-hearted singing and dancing was the ticket...not this sort of fare. "This sort of fare" meant a climactic scene in which Shirley is kidnapped, carried to a rooftop kicking and screaming for help while her father is pursuing and her mother is frantically looking on, screaming herself. Hey, that's not a "Shirley Temple film" as we know it.That doesn't mean this movie is all dark or doesn't offer some typically-cute Temple moments: it does. There is a great song-and-dance number with Dunn, who was good singer in his own right, and a solo earlier in the film. However, the rest is drama about Dunn and his pal trying to go straight after a prison sentence and a few guys who don't want to see that or believe it. Overall, it's a fairly interesting movie, although very dated in spots, but it's not the kind of thing Temple fans are accustomed to seeing....so be forewarned, if you haven't seen this.

**Some Possible Spoliers**It was 12pm in the afternoon, and the announcer happened to indicate that a film with Shirley Temple was to come up next. My mother told me to tape the film since she thought that any film with Shirley Temple is a sure winner.I was reluctant, but once the film started going i was rather intrigued. The story is rather good, and the actors are not so bad. Yet the adult actors tend to be a little too rigid in some moments of the film.Shirley has to be without a doubt, the person who steals the show in this movie. Being cute and full of charm, she has the potential to just blow other actors right off the screen.Although sometimes you wish she hadn't done things, like cut Mr Stone loose, she still remains as the best actress on screen. The last scene of the film on the rooftop was a reassuring one. There was some pretty good acting by Claire Trevor (Kay) which made the scene believeable. And the ending was rather sweet and happy (predictable).I really enjoyed watching this film, and the scene with the coffee pot and the beads always gets me nervous. Anyone who likes old fashioned comedy, you'll be in for a treat. Shirley's charm surely makes this film worth watching.Rating: 8/10