All I really know about Gloria Jean is that she was Universal's back up Deanna Durbin but this debut starring vehicle is a charming tale, perhaps to be expected from producer Joe Pasternak (Richard Wallace directed).
It's a decent story - Gloria is a plucky 11 year old from a poor background with colourful uncles (including C Aubrey Smith) who wins a chance to go to summer camp. There's plenty of bitches but some nice sones too as well as pleasant counsellors Robert Cummings (his follow up to Three Smart Girls Grow Up) and Nan Grey.
The cast is full of familiar faces like Dickie Moore, Beulah Bondi, Billy Gilbert and Australia's own Cecil Kellaway. Cummings' part is quite small - he does get a funny scene where football fan Jean gives him some sass (heis character is a footballer). The subplot about a lonely girl and her divorcing parents getting back together is sweet.
Aubrey Smith does well enough listening to Jean warble. Cecil Kellaway does too at the start - he'd just done that in Mr Chedworth Steps Out.
No comments:
Post a Comment