Movies:
Our Little Girl
- Rating:
- Genre: Children's/Family
- Movie Type: Family Drama
- Themes: Runaways, Extramarital Affairs, Crumbling Marriages
- Director: John S. Robertson
- Main Cast: Shirley Temple, Rosemary Ames, Joel McCrea, Lyle Talbot, Erin O'Brien-Moore
- Release Year: 1935
- Country: US
- Run Time: 63 minutes
- MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
With Shirley Temple heading the cast of Our Little Girl, it's a moot point as to who plays the title role. Temple is cast as Molly Middleton, daughter of Dr. Donald Middleton (Joel McCrea) and his wife Elsa (Rosemary Ames). Long unhappy in their marriage, Donald and Elsa have stayed together this long only for the sake of cute little Molly. The "big break" finally comes when Elsa falls in love (or thinks she does) with handsome neighbor Rolfe Brent (Lyle Talbot) and Donald has a brief fling with his office assistant Sarah Boyton (Erin O'Brien-Moore). Distressed at the thought of her parent's separation, Molly runs away from home, whereupon her mother and father heap recriminations upon one another, blaming everyone but themselves for the girl's unhappiness. John Farrell MacDonald almost steals the film in the closing scenes as a philosophical hobo who convinces Donald and Elsa to stop thinking about themselves and devote their attention -- and affection -- to Molly. Our Little Girl is based on the Florence Leighton Ptazgraf story Heaven's Gate (the significance of this title is explained at several important plot junctures). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie GuideReview
Our Little Girl is a middling Shirley Temple vehicle. Those who are immune to the star's charms will find nothing here to entice them, and those who adore her will find plenty to keep them hooked to the screen. The story is supremely sentimental, meant to tug at the heartstrings and rarely missing the opportunity to do so. But Temple really knows how to play such material, and although her reputation is over-the-top, too cuddly goody-goody, the truth is that she really is a much better performer than that. True, she's mannered at times, but any child of her age would have to be to pull off the demands the screenplay places upon her. And when she's left to her own devices, there's an appealing naturalness to her that does a lot to redeem Girl's writing. As her parents, Joel McCrea and Rosemary Ames are a good pair, even if they have less luck at rising above the material than Temple. As a matter of fact, John Farrell MacDonald as a philosophical tramp is the only adult who manages to master the material, and his short turn is a delight. The direction is average for this kind of film, but there are some shots of the aerial act in the circus, shot from a "net's eye view," that are actually quite impressive. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie GuideCast
- Shirley Temple - Molly Middleton
- Rosemary Ames - Elsa Middleton
- Joel McCrea - Dr. Donald Middleton
- Lyle Talbot - Ralfe Brent
- Erin O'Brien-Moore - Sarah Boynton
Poodles Hanneford - Circus Performer; Margaret Armstrong - Amy; Rita Owin - Alice; Leonard Carey - Jackson; John Farrell MacDonald - Mr. Tramp; Jack Baxley - Leyton, the druggist; Warren Hymer
