By now Daryl Zanuck knew for sure he had lightning in a bottle with Shirley Temple, hence this ruthless sentimental star vehicle which seems to owe more than a little to Little Orphan Annie. Little Shirley is an orphan living at an institution run by some mean old people and constantly getting in trouble, despite the fact her sister (Rochelle Hudson, quite good and very pretty) is working in the kitchen.
Eventually a kindly millionaire John Boles comes in and takes one look at Shirley and Hudson and whisks them off to his mansion. So where's the conflict? Well, Boles doesn't tell everyone he's that rich to start off with, or something, or doesn't tell Hudson that he loves her so she goes for another guy, but it's all resolved really easily and painlessly. Which means we have far too much time to notice how dodgy Boles is and how he seemingly can't wait to get his hands on our Shirley. I know that's a product of my warped 2013 mind but you watch it and tell me what you think.
Shirley is cute, smuggling a horse into the orphanage is fun, Hudson is pretty, Shirley sings "Animal Crackers in My Soup", there's good support from people like Jane Darwell and Arthur Treacher, nd Boles is creepy. He sings too - there's a lot of singing and this is the first real musical Shirley made (others had the occasional number).
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