Shirley Temple Collection, Vol. 6 [3 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

She was one of Hollywood's hardest working stars before she was even 10 years old, but she helped a nation forget its Depression-Era woes with her sunny movies. Here's yet another collection of Shirley at her cherubic, optimistic best. Includes Young People (1940/78 min.), Stowaway (1936/87 min.) and Wee Willie Winkie (1937/100 min.). 3 DVDs. B&w/G/fullscreen.

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 3
• Subtitle: Fre/Spa/Eng
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Features:
  • cc

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1937 (David Hall, William S. Darling)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Shirley Temple - Priscilla Williams
       Jack Oakie - Joe Ballantine
       C. Aubrey Smith - Col. Williams
       Arleen Whelan - Marilyn
       George Montgomery - Mike Shea
       Cesar Romero - Khoda Khan
       Constance Collier - Mrs. Allardyce
       Douglas Scott - Mott
       Frank Sully - Jeb
       Mae Marsh - Marie Liggett
       Brandon Hurst - Bagby
       Irving Bacon - Otis
       Charles Halton - Moderator
       Arthur Ayleswofth - Doorman
       Lionel Braham - Major Gen. Hammond
       Billy Wayne - Stage Manager
       Cyril McLaglen - Corporal Tummel
       Darryl Hickman - Tommy
       Hector V. Sarno - Driver
       Diane Fisher - Susie
       Bob Anderson - Jerry Dakin

• Director:

  Allan Dwan, John Ford

• Producer:

  Harry Joe Brown, Gene Markey

• Screenwriter:

  Edwin Blum, Don Ettlinger, Julien Josephson, Ernest Pascal

• Cinematographer:

  Edward J. Cronjager, Arthur C. Miller

• Songwriter:

  Mack Gordon

• Composer (Music Score):

  Alfred Newman

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Alfred Newman

• Songwriter:

  Harry Warren

• Composer (Music Score):

  Louis Silvers

• Editor:

  James B. Clark, Walter Thompson

• Production Designer:

  David Hall

• Art Director:

  Richard Day, Rudolph Sternad, William S. Darling

• Set Designer:

  Thomas K. Little

• Costume Designer:

  Gwen Wakeling

• Choreography:

  Nick Castle, Geneva Sawyer

• Short Story Author:

  Rudyard Kipling

REVIEWS:

• By the time of Young People, Shirley Temple's era as a phenomenon was over, and Young serves as a way of saying "good-bye" to the now-not-so-little tyke who charmed America out of its doldrums during the Great Depression. Aged twelve and still engaging, Temple is perfectly fine in Young. It's not her fault that her unique appeal was inextricably linked to her youth: a six- or seven-year-old who sings and dances winningly is a different animal from a twelve-year-old who sings and dances equally well. In Young, the star is doing well everything she has always done well; perhaps if the story that surrounded her were fresh, it might have enabled people to see her in a new light and continue to appreciate her talents. Alas, Young is -- like so many Temple vehicles -- hackneyed and trite. It's also one of the few films in which her co-stars are as interesting as she is, for Jack Oakie and especially Charlotte Greenwood steal many moments throughout the picture. Allan Dwan's direction is adequate but no more, although the "growing up" montage is well done. The score is good, if not outstanding. Young marked the end of the Temple years; although she continued to appear in films, her very special day in the sun was over. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
• One of Shirley Temple's best vehicles, Wee Willie Winkie benefits from a sturdy screenplay (quite freely drawn from a Rudyard Kipling story) and John Ford's assured and sensitive direction. Ford, well known for his incredible Westerns, is working in rather unusual territory here, but he shows a surprising ability to showcase the famous moppet star in a manner that satisfies her fans yet still maintains the integrity of the story. Granted, there are some aspects of the screenplay that will be problematic to modern viewers, the two most notable being the depiction of the South Asian characters and the incredibly naive and simplistic resolution of the conflict between the warring factions. But Ford's energetic work helps to overcome these flaws, and he shoots some very exciting action sequences of a sort not typically found in a Temple flick; as a matter of fact, some of the moments are, in the context of a children's film, fairly violent. The little star is quite good, her precious sparkle allowed to shine without becoming cloying, and she gets good support from burly Victor McLaglen and semi-villainous Cesar Romero. The production values are also quite good. Winkie has a bit more sugar than one expects from Ford, but much less than one expects from Temple -- a good middle ground. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi