Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8438 in VHS
• Released on: 2002-08-13
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Formats: Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Original language: English, Italian
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 79 minutes

Customer Reviews

"You've gotta eat your spinach, baby!"
Shirley Temple is charming in this darling story of a young girl named Barbra going on her idea of a vacation. She meets new and exciting people like Tony, an Italian papa, and The Dolan family, radio stars that invite Barbra into their radio act. The story is heart-warming and filled of surprises, but ends happily. Shirley sings and dances consistantly throughout the film, but my favorite song at the radio program is "You've gotta eat your spinach baby!" My mom always use to say that to me as a little girl! If you are a big Shirley Temple fan, you will of course enjoy Shirley in this enchanting film. The movie also contains other excellent actors and actresses like Alice Faye, Jack Haley (the Tinman from "The Wizard of Oz"), and Gloria Stuart in her early years before "Titanic." Add this film to your Shilrey Temple Collection!

A TEMPLE OF DELIGHTS.
When eight year old Barbara Barry, the daughter of a wealthy, widowed soap manufacturer, sneezes three times at the dinner table, the strict servant Collins (Sara Haden) sends her off to bed. Woodward, (Jane Darwell) another servant - who has a kinder approach - suggests that little Barbara be sent to a school in the Adirondacks where she can be happy with many other children her own age...A thoroughly delightful Temple vehicle, this colorized video will please children from 5-95. The picture bears little resemblance to the 1912 Eleanor Gates novel because many of the incidents in the movie come from a Ralph Spence story entitled BETSY TAKES THE AIR. A highly successful version - which was much truer to the original book - was filmed as a 1917 silent starring Mary Pickford. Amusingly, Shirley sings the song BUT DEFINITELY in a manner a'la Crosby singing WHERE THE BLUE OF NIGHT MEETS THE GOLD OF THE DAY. By 1939, this movie reaped a $2.5 million profit. One of Shirley's better films, to be sure.

One of Shirley Temple's best musicals
Shirley Temple is one of the greatest child stars in the world, her popularity soaring during the Depression era, and beloved still today. She was a real prodigy and phenomena, the likes of which we'll never see again -- bona fide adorable with thousand watt personality and a confidence and self-reliance that was never obnoxious. In her films, adults are usually conveniently dispatched to allow her an autonomy and series of adventures that makes her a great child heroine for children; invariably she also sets the adult world straight.

"Poor Little Rich Girl" is one of her best films, because it is not only a wonderful Temple vehicle, but a great musical in its own right and a pleasure to watch. Temple plays Barbara Barry, the over-protected and bored daughter of a wealthy widowed soap manufacturer. She is to be sent to school, where she will have the needed companionship of other children, when her nurse (Sara Haden) is injured. Barbara meets a vaudeville pair (Alice Faye and Jack Haley) and ends up in a radio song and dance act, Dolan and Dolan, sponsored by a rival soap company of her father's.

Along with the abundant charm and talent of Shirley Temple, there is the glorious Alice Faye and ebullient Jack Haley. The criminally underrated Alice Faye was a wonderful, sensual singer and here gets to croon several songs (and display the many facets of her personality, which was as multi-faceted as Ginger Rogers). It is especially wonderful to hear Faye's rendition of "But Definitely" in contrast to Shirley's version. Unlike some musicals, the song-and-dance numbers are woven beautifully into the plot, since it is set in the world of radio, and they are superb. The film is topped by a fabulous and intricate tap routine set to "I Love a Military Man" danced by Temple, Faye and Hailey.

The only sour spot is the heartless way the nurse is dispatched but otherwise, the film is absolutely delightful. There are terrific radio jingles along with the songs and the world of 1930's radio is a wonderful showcase for this talented, vivid cast.