Main Cast: C. Aubrey Smith, Freddie Bartholomew, Dolores Costello, Guy Kibbee, Henry Stephenson
Release Year: 1936
Country: US
Run Time: 102 minutes
Plot
David O. Selznick's first independent production upheld the producer's tradition, established at Paramount, RKO and MGM, of bringing the "classics" to the screen. Adapted by Hugh Walpole from the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Little Lord Fauntleroy is set in the late 19th century. After establishing Freddie Bartholomew as a likeable Brooklyn boy who can handle himself in a scrap--with the assistance of his roughneck pal Mickey Rooney, of course--the film introduces us to Bartholomew's mother, played by Dolores Costello-Barrymore (though divorced from John Barrymore, Mrs. Costello-Barrymore was still billng herself by her married name). Costello-Barrymore is the widow of a titled Englishman, whose father, the aristocratic Sir C. Aubrey Smith, detests all Americans with equal fervor. Upon discovering that Bartholomew is the rightful heir to his fortune, Smith demands that Costello-Barrymore deliver the boy to his sprawling English country estate. Now addressed by one and all as Lord Fauntleroy, Bartholomew chafes at the restrictions imposed upon him by his station in life. The boy's good nature and forthrightedness wins his grandfather's respect-and, eventually, the old man's love. When pasty-faced Jackie Searl, a false claimant to Bartholomew's title, shows up, Bartholomew's American pals, led by Rooney, set things right. His hard heart softened at last, Smith stage-manages a happy reunion between Bartholomew and Costello-Barrymore. Expertly sidestepping the "sissy" onus that has been unfairly placed upon the original Burnett novel, Little Lord Fauntleroy scored well at the box office. Other versions of this venerable tale have starred Mary Pickford (as both Fauntleroy and his mother) and Ricky Schroder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
'Ceddie' Erroll (Freddie Bartholomew) and his widowed mother 'Dearest' (Dolores Costello) struggle to make ends meet in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Ceddie's prejudiced English grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt (C. Aubrey Smith), had disowned his son for marrying an American. However, the wealthy earl has Ceddie brought to England as his heir. Dearest accompanies her son, but is not allowed to live at Dorincourt castle. For Ceddie's happiness, she does not tell him it is because of his grandfather's bigotry.
Ceddie is uncomfortable as an English aristocrat, but soon wins the hearts of his stern grandfather and everyone else. Then, a woman named Minna Tipton (Helen Flint) shows up, claiming to be the widow of the earl's eldest son, and that therefore her son Tom (Jackie Searl) is the real heir. Heartbroken, the earl agrees. Fortunately for Ceddie, his American friend Dick Tipton (Mickey Rooney) reads about the affair in the newspaper and recognizes his sister-in-law. He takes his brother, Minna's husband, to England to disprove Minna's story. Vastly relieved, the Earl agrees to Ceddie's plea to reconcile with his mother.
Una O'Connor as Mary, a servant in the Errol's Brooklyn home
Critical reception
Frank S. Nugent reviewed the film for the New York Times on April 3, 1936: "There is a benign aura about the photoplay, a mellow haze of things long past which should lull even the most adamant anti-Fauntlerite into a state of restful receptivity. This may be due to the period settings which have been contrived so handsomely, or to the performance of a perfectly attuned cast, or to Hugh Walpole's adaptation, or to John Cromwell's sentient direction. Whatever the cause, and it probably was the combination of all four, the picture has a way with it and, unless we are very much in error, you will be pleased."[1]
