Cheery Shirley Temple vehicle which has the advantage in that her father figure here - Guy Kibee - doesn't seem like a pedophile, which is a big improvement on John Boles. It also has a charming wish fulfilment world - what little kid at some stage hasn't wanted to live in a lighthouse full of people who adore you? There's not just Kibee, there's also various sailors and other sea salt types, Slim Summerville and Bubby Ebsen... it's kind of like Full House by the sea.
Sara Haden is a great villain, a nasty person wanting to remove Shirley from her happy home, there's some good seaside atmosphere, Ebsen is a refreshingly original romantic lead (by looking so gangly - he's still preferable to some bland male model type), Shirley's dancing has really improved and she does some entertaining routines with Ebsen and others, she sobs convincingly. After The Littlest Rebel I was shaken over Shirley Temple films but I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
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