Every day is a party in Shirley’s world. Image: The Gazette
In 1939, Shirley Temple was 11 years old and Past Her Prime as a box office sensation.
She had been in the movies since the age of three and, from 1935 until 1938, there was almost no greater bit of movie business than Shirley Temple. In 1938 she was voted #1 box office actress; in 1939 she would slide to #5 – due, in part, to her making fewer movies that year.
But in 1939, before it was evident her best movie-making days were Over, Shirley starred in The Little Princess, based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This film had a lavish $1.5M budget – her most expensive film to date – and it was her first feature in Technicolor.
The Little Princess is the story of a rich girl sent to a London boarding school while her father goes to battle in the Second Boer War. Life in the school is, at first, pleasant, with parties, swirly dresses, and a pony (!). However, it’s obvious the shifty headmistress prefers Shirley’s money to her company.
Shirley’s character is generous and unspoiled, as per usual, and she makes friends with people who are Kind and Decent, e.g. the school’s scullery maid and the butler who lives next door.
Alas! On Shirley’s birthday, on that very day, comes news of her father’s demise in the war. Not only is Shirley an orphan, it also appears she’s Flat Broke. Turns out her father was bankrupt, and her extravagant lifestyle has left her indebted to the school.
The headmistress seizes Shirley’s possessions in order to recoup some of this debt, and Shirley herself is forced to work as a servant to her former classmates, wearing the one dress that has been donated to her.
Shirley Temple movies have common themes, including a sharply-divided world where those who admire her are Good, and those who don’t are Bad.
There’s usually an absent mother and/or parents, a young couple-in-love who become surrogate guardians, and an older man with whom she can dance. In her films, Shirley is the star and adults are the accessories.
Her movies are sometimes criticized for being unrealistic and gooey, but we don’t think The Little Princess is sickly sweet. In fact, there are some dark undercurrents here.
First, the loss of a beloved father so early in life would be almost unimaginable. Shirley’s character refuses to believe he’s dead, however, and she recites a little poem as a prayer:
My daddy has to go away
But he’ll return most any day.
Any moment I may see
My daddy coming back to me.
It’s heartbreaking to see Shirley in real tears, standing at the window, reciting her pitiful poem, watching the street for a man who isn’t coming.
Second, the war casts a long shadow over the film. One scene shows a publicly-posted casualty list, and a woman collapses and screams “My boy!” after reading the names.
Third, Shirley visits a nearby hospital to search for her father. She meets war veterans who are severely injured, and one who is mentally unstable.
Lastly, Shirley is in conflict with authority (read: headmistress) to whom nothing is more frustrating than a recalcitrant child. When the headmistress raises her hand to slap Shirley, the girl glares at her, daring her to do it.
Shirley’s resolve condemns her, but it also saves her. If she’s going to Live Through This, she must rely on her defiant nature.
Receiving the worst possible news. Image: Pinterest
The Little Princess is set in 1899, and the studio’s props and wardrobe departments were careful to achieve historical accuracy. For example, says Wikipedia, “Production was held up after it was discovered that one of the costumes Temple wore used snap fasteners that were not invented until 1908.”
This film was a box office success – the second-to-last success Shirley would have as a major star – although some critics at the time labelled it “saccharine” and “hokum”.
Shirley Temple is still winsome here, but no longer the cute lil’ tyke she once was. However, The Little Princess is in good hands. Shirley easily carries the film, and she’s always worth watching.
♦
The Little Princess is streaming at The Film Detective in December.
The Little Princess: starring Shirley Temple, Richard Greene, Anita Louise. Directed by Walter Lang. Written by Ethel Hill and Walter Ferris. Twentieth Century Fox, 1939, Technicolor, 99 mins.
Silver Screenings 
Winsome, perfect description.
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Thanks so much! 🙂
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🙂 She made so many wonderful movies. You’re absolutely right – she’s always worth watching 🙂
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She’s quite fab. She makes being a child star look easy.
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I am surprised Temple’s version of Heidi isn’t played during Christmas. It does qualify.
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That’s a good point, one I hadn’t thought of before. I think I’ll dig it out for the holidays – thanks!
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A lovely post. She will forever remain part of cinema history. I love reading trivia on her as well, such as that she had allegedly a chance to star as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. This is rather interesting.
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I often wonder what “The Wizard of Oz” would have been like with Shirley as Dorothy. But it’s hard to imagine because Judy G is so terrific in the role, hey?
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She reminds me of my mom who in real life as a child had money and lost it all and kept her good nature.
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That is remarkable, to not become bitter under those circumstances. Your mother must be a truly special person. (Is that where you get it from?) 😉
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I chuckled at “Shirley is the star and the adults are the accessories.” So true! I haven’t seen this one but I grew up watching Stowaway, a really cute movie. Reading about that headmistress makes me mad at her already haha!
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Haha! The headmistress is a fantastic villain.
It’s been too long since I saw Stowaway. Thanks for reminding me of it. I’ll have to watch it again soon.
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Sure 🙂 Now that I think of it, Shirley sings “That’s What I Want for Christmas” at the end of Stowaway.
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Her adorableness will be immortalized in film forever:-)
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That’s a beautiful way of putting it.
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Ha! Past Her Prime. As for Shirley, I’ll be honest (and try to stay nice because it’s an unpopular opinion) and say I couldn’t stand her acting or make it through any of her films. *vomits rainbows* That said, The Little Princess is one of my favorite books and I never knew she played in that role. I will definitely check this out. So interesting they actually held production up for historical accuracy for not even the style of a dress but the fasteners which would be overlooked by many. Kudos for that.
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Haha – “vomits rainbows”. That made me laugh out out!
It’s been many, many years since I read The Little Princess, so I can’t say whether it’s a faithful adaptation or not, but the sets and costumes are marvelous. 🙂
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🤮🌈
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I think that THE LITTLE PRINCESS is Shirley Temple’s best film from start to finish. It’s a charming film and made with care. I’m also fond of the 1995 film adaptation.
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It is made with care, isn’t it? I like that it combines innocence and sweetness with the grimness of war. And Shirley transistions effortlessly between the two.
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I think Temple had a lot more to her than “The Good Ship Lollipop”. She made the best of the films she was given. It’s a shame her adult career wasn’t more successful; she deserved greater opportunities.
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Agreed. It really is a shame her film career didn’t continue in her adult years. The few films she made as a young adult showed she still had talent.
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I always thought she was adorable. I love The Little Princess!
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Shirley Temple is fabulous, isn’t she? She can easily carry a movie, which is remarkable for someone so young.
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No harm in being unrealistic, so long as the movie is so well made that the false reality is actually believable!! Haven’t seen ‘The Little Princess’ (39′), but heard a lot about it. But I’ve seen a latter Television series based on the book, though maybe just partly!! Don’t recall that well!
Read a trio of beautiful articles of yours, but the interesting write-up of Fred Astaire’s joining movies after his sister’s retirement (thoroughly enjoyed it) unfortunately the comment section is disabled! ’twas a really good insight into dancer, Adele Austerlitz (Astaire), of whom I wasn’t really aware of.
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Thanks for letting me know about the comment section for the Fred Astaire post. I was wondering why no one left any comments.
I liked what you said about making a believable false reality. I hadn’t thought about it in that way before – that shows real skill on the part of the filmmakers, no? Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
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Thanks so much, and thank you for dropping by! I’ll be by to visit your site in the next few days. 🙂
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Wow I never heard of this movie. I see you love old movies. I love your writing. Be blessed.
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Thanks for that, and thank you for stopping by. I hope your day is a good one. 🙂
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Thank you
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