Charles Dickens was famous for tales of orphans, colourful characters and poverty, so it's surprising in a way that he was never adapted into a Shirley Temple film (maybe they were afraid of making Oliver Twist a girl)... but his influence is all over this vehicle, set in 1850s New York.
Shirley is living with Dickensian pickpocket grandfather, Frank Morgan, and a loyal dopey black servant (Stepin Fetchit). She charms a rich old lady (Jane Darwell) and winds up in an early production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" then in a minstrel show. There's a subplot about a young theatre producer dumping his honest fiancee.
Like all too many Shirley films of the 30s it is full of racist moments - Stepin Fetchit's performance, various actors in blackface. (Associate producer was Southerner Nunnally Johnson whose other 30s movies have similar racist bits eg Prisoner of Shark Island.) But when it steers clear of that this is quite enjoyable, with the Dickens flavour suiting Shirley, the star in good form (her dancing kept getting better and better) and Frank Morgan offering excellent support.
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