weezeralfalfa During this film, a love quadrangle develops, then dissipates at the last moment. The wife and Doctor husband love each other, and have a 6 year old girl(Shirley), but the wife feels unfulfilled, now that her daughter is less dependent on her, and she doesn't have a job to keep her busy. She is distraught by her cramped social life, with her husband working long hours on his patients and his research. The husband's current nurse is in love with him, but the husband seems not interested in her romantically, although he much appreciates her. The husband's playboy friend strikes up a friendly relationship with the wife, and they spend more time together, mostly at sports, than does the husband and wife. Eventually, they imagine they are in love, and make plans for a quickie divorce and marriage, with Shirley living with the wife and new husband. But Shirley doesn't like her stepfather-to-be, partly, because he "doesn't know how to be a daddy". So, Shirley packs up a few things and hits the road with her little dog. She comes upon a talkative tramp who inquires about her destination. She's going to her favorite picnic spot, by a stream. The husband comes upon the tramp and is told where she says she's going. The wife isn't far behind. They find her unharmed, enjoying her lunch, and decide it's best for Shirley if they don't separate. The 3 end happily reunited.The problem with the screenplay is that nothing has been solved. The husband, wife and Shirley are in the same situation they began with. So, how long is their new found bliss going to last? One obvious solution is for the wife to get a job to keep her busy. But, perhaps she would only be happy working as a nurse, as she did before Shirley was born. But, this is a small town, so there may not be any openings for a nurse. Hubbie likes his current nurse and doesn't want to give her up. So, perhaps they would have to move to a city to find a nursing job. Another possibility would be to have another child, if this was agreeable to both. Still another possibility is to get active in several organizations.This is a very unusual S.T. film, in that she has both parents all the way through. I'm surprised the Hays commission allowed this theme. I've read they frowned on divorce subjects, although there was no actual divorce here. In most of Shirley's films, she's an orphan or missing one of her parents. In no case I'm aware of was the parent missing because of divorce.If you want to see and hear Shirley sing and dance, this isn't the right film. If you just enjoy the cute, vivacious, little girl, this film may satisfy you.

Amy Adler Dr. Donald Middleton (Joel McCrea) wanted to be a research physician, discovering important cures. However, when his wife, Elsa (Rosemary Ames) became pregnant, he settled for being a smalltown, New England family physician. Still, he is conducting his own experiments on the side but the result is that he works extremely long hours. Elsa has been patient, for she loves her husband and knows he cares for her and their daughter, Molly (Shirley Temple). Dr. Don still manages to take a break for Molly's "May and September Saturdays", that is, two picnics at a local park called Heaven's gate, where Don and Elsa met. One day, a handsome, rich male neighbor returns to his mansion next door. He invites Elsa and Don to ride with him on various mornings, but only Elsa has time for it. Trouble starts to brew when the neighbor makes a big play for the beautiful Elsa and Dr. Don continues to spend more time away from the house. Just what will be the result? This is a tearjerker of a film which, nevertheless, produces giggles, also, when Shirley is on the screen with her beloved doggie, Sniff. Just like any little girl, Shirley's Molly is pretty oblivious to problems at home so she continues to sing, dance, and crack jokes, even when her parents are having severe problems. McCrea is very good as the fine but workaholic father while Ames is pretty and touching as the neglected wife. All other lesser actors do a nice job, too. The picnic scenes are beautiful, the costumes quite acceptable, and the storyline is a true heartgrabber. Therefore, if you want to see Shirley in a smile-through-my-tears little flick, get this one soon. It might even bring estranged couples together again, for its support of marital reconciliation is very uplifting, even as the kiddies are entertained, too.

Michael Even today, it's doubtful that anyone settling down to a Temple movie will have 'accidentally' stumbled upon it whilst browsing, and knows what they're letting themselves in for. Temple's vehicles are a sub-genre of their own and, in terms of cinematic artistry, are amongst the kind of films who's best critics by far are their own core audience.The plot of OLG seems the kind of mawkish fare that Miss Curly Top was a dab-hand at resolving with a starry smile and a twinkly eye - mum and dad's marriage hits the rocks, divorce beckons following infidelity, and Shirley is of course caught up in the middle of it all.This particular entry somewhat subverts the given formula however, and throughout the film's brief hour-long running time the perspective is in the main unusually dour. Whilst we're not exactly talking 'Requiem For A Dream', there is no sanguine song-and-dance routine to make everything alright here. It takes a runaway Shirley, one of those stock-character post-depression aphoristic hobos, and much wincing solemnity on the part of respected Thesps McCrea and Ames to win the day.Director Robertson apparently chose not to heed WC Fields' advice regarding children and animals, having already directed a version of 'Annie' in 1932, and having to contend with a lot of one and a little of the other here too. One has to wonder whether there was any sadistic pleasure taken in the fabled 'dead animals' factor necessary for Temple's required tears quota, which on this occasion would certainly have been higher than usual.

Michael-110 Unusual for its time, "Our Little Girl" is about the disintegration of a marriage as seen through the eyes of a little girl. Dad's a busy and preoccupied doctor and medical researcher who is oblivious to his family and his adoring nurse. Mom's bored and lonely at home and Dad won't hear of her coming back to work in the office. Rolfe, a rich horsey neighbor, takes her riding and you know the rest. What's interesting, however, is how the breakup of the marriage impacts the life of the little girl. She is baffled and disoriented and she blames herself for destroying her parents' happiness. She can't warm up to Rolfe who tries unsuccessfully to buy her friendship. Ultimately, she runs away from home. Things are whitewashed by an implausible feel-good happy ending but up to that point the treatment of the catastrophic effects of divorce on a small child is done very well. Shirley, of course, is adorable as always.