''The Little Colonel'' is a 1935 American

comedy drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by David Butler. The screenplay by William M. Conselman was adapted from the children's novel of the same name by

Annie Fellows Johnston Annie Fellows Johnston (1863–1931) was an American author of children's fiction who wrote the popular ''The Little Colonel'' series, which was the basis for the 1935 Shirley Temple film '' The Little Colonel''; many of the books were illustra ...

, originally published in 1895. It focuses on the reconciliation of an estranged father and daughter in the years following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. The film stars Shirley Temple, Lionel Barrymore,

Evelyn Venable Evelyn Venable (October 18, 1913 – November 15, 1993) was an American actress perhaps best known for her role as Grazia in the 1934 film '' Death Takes a Holiday''. In addition to acting in around two dozen films during the 1930s and 1940s ...

, John Lodge,

Bill Robinson Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...

, and

Hattie McDaniel Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, ...

. ''The Little Colonel'' was the first of four cinematic pairings between Temple and Robinson, and features the duo's famous staircase

tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perf ...

. The film was well received, and, in 1994, was available on videocassette in both black-and-white and computer-colorized versions.

Plot

Shortly after the American Civil War, southern belle Elizabeth Lloyd (

) marries a northerner, Jack Sherman ( John Lodge). Her father Colonel Lloyd ( Lionel Barrymore) disowns her in anger and retaliation. Elizabeth and Jack move west where they become parents of a girl they name Lloyd Sherman ( Shirley Temple). Six years later, Lloyd Sherman is made an honorary colonel in the Army. Elizabeth returns to the south with little Lloyd and settles in a cottage near Colonel Lloyd’s mansion while her husband Jack remains in the west prospecting for gold. When Colonel Lloyd discovers his daughter living in the neighborhood, he treats her with disdain. Little Lloyd learns of her parents’ past from housekeeper Mom Beck (

), and, when she meets her grandfather for the first time, throws mud at him. The two eventually become contentious friends. Elizabeth’s husband returns from the west with a fever. He has lost everything in his prospecting venture, but the family is saved from complete ruin when the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

requests right of way across Jack’s western property. Jack's former prospecting partners have heard of the Railroad’s offer and try to swindle Jack. They resort to holding the Sherman couple hostage until the deed to their valuable property is located. Little Lloyd runs through the dark woods for her grandfather, but he refuses to help. He changes his mind when little Lloyd says she never wants to see him again. They arrive at the cottage just in time to save Elizabeth and Jack. The film ends with a brief

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

sequence featuring a 'pink party' for little Lloyd, her friends, and her reconciled family.

Cast

* Shirley Temple as Lloyd Sherman * Lionel Barrymore as Colonel Lloyd *

as Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman * John Lodge as Jack Sherman * Sidney Blackmer as Swazey * Stephen Chase as Hull * William Burress as Dr. Scott *

Frank Darien Frank Darien (March 18, 1876 – October 20, 1955) was an American actor. He appeared in 225 films and between 1915 and 1951. Filmography References External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Darien, Frank 1876 births 1955 deaths American ...

as Nebler *

as Walker * Robert Warwick as Colonel Gray *

as Becky 'Mom Beck' Porter * Geneva Williams as Maria * Avonnie Jackson as May Lily * Nyanza Potts as Henry Clay

Production

Bill Robinson and Shirley Temple stair dance (cropped)

''The Little Colonel'' is best known for the famous staircase tap dance between Robinson and Temple. It was the first interracial dance pairing in Hollywood history and was so controversial that it was cut out in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

. The idea was actually first proposed by Fox head Winfield Sheehan after a discussion with D. W. Griffith. Sheehan set his sights on Robinson, but unsure of his ability as an actor, arranged for a contract that would be voided if Robinson failed the dramatic test. Robinson passed the test and was brought in to both star with Temple and to teach her tap dancing. They quickly hit it off, as Temple recounted years later:

Robinson walked a step ahead of us, but when he noticed me hurrying to catch up, he shortened his stride to accommodate mine. I kept reaching up for his hand, but he hadn't looked down and seemed unaware. Fannie called his attention to what I was doing, so he stopped short, bent low over me, his eyes wide and rows of brilliant teeth showing in a wide smile. When he took my hand in his, it felt large and cool. For a few moments, we continued walking in silence. "Can I call you Uncle Billy?" I asked. "Why sure you can," he replied... "But then I get to call you darlin′." It was a deal. From then on, whenever we walked together it was hand in hand, and I was always his "darlin′."

During the filming, Temple drew the ire of veteran actor Lionel Barrymore when she prompted him for one of his lines after he forgot it, causing him to storm off in a fit of anger. Temple was sent off to apologize to Barrymore, but, instead of directly apologizing, told him she thought he was the best actor in the world and asked for his autograph, defusing the situation and bringing Barrymore onto the set. This film made brief usage of early

film, which required heavy usage of red-hued makeup for the actors. It would be the only time that Temple would wear makeup on the set of her Fox films.

Release

Distribution

When screened for audiences in Southern states, to ensure the film's widest distribution, Fox removed the staircase scene where Temple and Robinson touch hands.

Critical responses

Andre Sennwald Andre David Sennwald (August 4, 1907 — Jan 12, 1936) was a motion picture critic for ''The New York Times''. Life After graduating from Columbia University School of Journalism, Sennwald was hired as a reporter for ''The New York Times'' in 193 ...

in his ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' review of March 22, 1935, thought the film " l adrip with magnolia whimsy and vast, unashamed portions of synthetic Dixie atmosphere". He further wrote that the film was "so ruthless in its exploitation of Miss Temple's great talent for infant charm that it seldom succeeds in being properly lively and gay". He finished his review noting the audience applauded for a full eleven seconds after the final fade-out, and that the film "ought to bring out the best in every one who sees it."

Home media

In 2009, the film was available on videocassette and DVD in both the original black-and-white version and a computer-colorized version of the original. Some versions included theatrical trailers and other special features.

References

;Footnotes ;Works cited * ;Bibliography * In her essay "Cuteness and Commodity Aesthetics: Tom Thumb and Shirley Temple", Lori Merish examines 'the cult of cuteness' in America.

External links

*
Annie Fellows Johnston and the Little Colonel

Kate Matthews Collection
(includes illustrations for The Little Colonel books by Johnston's friend and neighbor, photographer Kate Matthews) * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Colonel, The 1935 films 1930s color films 1930s historical comedy-drama films American historical comedy-drama films American black-and-white films Censored films 1930s English-language films Films directed by David Butler Films scored by Cyril J. Mockridge Films set in Kentucky Films set in the 1870s Fox Film films Films based on American novels 1930s American films Silent comedy-drama films