Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen
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Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen
Plot
German actress Dorothea Wieck, who achieved international fame in Maedchen in Uniform, was given a brief shot at Hollywood stardom in 1933 and 1934. Miss Fane's Baby is Stolen stars Ms. Wieck as an actress whose child (Baby LeRoy) is kidnapped. As Wieck takes to the radio to beg for her boy's safe return, the abductors cover their trail by disguising the kid with black hair dye. Farm wife Alice Brady, who gives the impression of being a little light in the belfry, saves the day when she tumbles to the kidnappers' deception. Based on the recent Lindbergh kidnapping, Miss Fane's Baby is Stolen did absolutely nothing to advance the reputation of Dorothea Wieck. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviCast
- Dorothea Wieck - Madeline Fane
- Alice Brady - Mrs. Molly Prentiss
- Baby Le Roy - Michael Fane
- William Frawley - Capt. Murphy
- George Barbier - MacCready
Credit
Alexander Hall - Director, James Smith - Editor, Alfred Gilks - Cinematographer, Rupert Hughes - Screen Story, Jane Storm - Screenwriter, Adela Rogers St. John - Screenwriter| Miss F (2007 Film), Miss Evers' Boys (1997 Film) | |
| Miss Firecracker (1989 Film), Miss Frontier Mail (1936 Film) |
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Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen
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Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen
| Miss Fane's Baby is Stolen | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alexander Hall |
| Produced by | Bayard Veiller |
| Written by | Adela Rogers St. Johns Jane Storm |
| Based on | the play by Rupert Hughes |
| Starring | Dorothea Wieck Alice Brady Baby LeRoy William Frawley George Barbier Alan Hale Jack La Rue Dorothy Burgess Florence Roberts Irving Bacon George 'Spanky' McFarland |
| Cinematography | Alfred Gilks |
| Editing by | James Smith |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | January 12, 1934 |
| Language | English |
Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen (1934) is an American comedy-drama film starring Dorothea Wieck, Alice Brady, and Baby LeRoy, written by Adela Rogers St. Johns and Jane Storm from a novel and story by Rupert Hughes, and directed by Alexander Hall. The events depicted in the film were allegedly based on the Lindbergh kidnapping.
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Contents
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Plot summary
Despite the dramatic story elements of child kidnapping, the overall tone of the film mixes comedy and drama. Madeline Fane (Wieck) is a busy and successful actress who is fiercely devoted to her two-year-old son. One day, little Michael disappears from his crib. Miss Fane avoids speaking to the police at first, then calls upon both law enforcement and her legions of fans for help. One of them, impoverished Molly Prentiss (Brady) who is also a single mother, comes to the rescue.
Production
This is one of only a handful of English-language roles for Swiss-German actress Dorothea Wieck. Wieck was assigned to the project after the original choice for the lead, Carole Lombard, refused to take the role.[1] In the opening 'film-within-a-film' sequence, many of the film's crew members can be seen playing crew members of Miss Fane's film, including director Alexander Hall and cinematographer Alfred Gilks.
Screenwriter Adela Rogers St. Johns had covered the Lindbergh case, which was still a fresh news item when Miss Fane's Baby Is Missing went into production, and was not yet resolved when the film was released. Unlike the real case, Michael Fane is recovered safely and unharmed, in compliance with the Motion Picture Production Code.[2]
Reception
Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen opened to positive reviews. Mordaunt Hall of the New York Times enthusiastically called the film "extraordinarily effective," and singled out for praise its leading lady: "Miss Wieck's interpretation of mental agony is subdued but very true. Her expression of joy at the return of Michael is apt to bring tears to the eyes of the most hardened cinema-goer..."[3] Time Magazine called it "a topical film which draws tears with out half trying" in a dual review with I Am Suzanne! (1933), and noted the "expert work" of cast members Brady and Jack La Rue.[4]
The film is known to modern viewers for cast member George 'Spanky' McFarland of Our Gang/Little Rascals fame.
References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024340/trivia
- ^ Clarens, Carlos; Crime Films; Da Capo, 1997, pp.125-127
- ^ http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9502E3DF113DE33ABC4851DFB766838F629EDE
- ^ "Cinema: The New Pictures." Time Magazine. January 29. 1934. Web. August 1. 2010
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