Red-Haired Alibi

Assembly line drama that gets more ridiculous as it goes along. Very early Shirley Temple flick, she is NOT the Red-Haired Alibi of the title, she's precious but for one of the few times in her career not entirely relaxed on screen. It's not surprising considering she had just turned four but she was always so effortlessly natural on screen it's a bit odd to see her obviously waiting for her cue at times. She's only in the film for about 5 or 6 minutes tops.

As for the rest of the film it's the standard tale of a naive girl who gets in over her head with a gangster who she doesn't realize is leading her astray and then is trapped when she gets wise and tries to break free.

Merna Kennedy is offered a well-paying job by Theodore von Eltz. She's to appear with him in public and keep her mouth shut. Eventually it turns out he is a gangster and she is his red-headed alibi.

It's directed by Christy Cabanne, surely not a name to conjure with. However, he was a skilled craftsman and, given a decent budget and a good script, he could certainly turn out a good movie, and he has done so here, even for Poverty Row producer Sigmund Neufeld. In a period when the camera was static, he filled his movies with moving shots, and there are many of them here: pans, tracking shots and pull-outs are executed with beauty by cinematographer Harry Forbes. The script is also good, and although Miss Kennedy is a little weak in her longer speeches, the characters are nicely drawn. Purnell Pratt has aa nice role as a sympathetic policeman. There's also Shirley Temple in her first appearance in a feature.

Merna Kennedy had become a minor star after appearing with Chaplin in THE CIRCUS. It did not last long, and although she continued appearing in minor roles through 1934, she retired that year to marry Busby Berkley. She died of a heart ailment in 1944, only 36 years old.

This movie is often mentioned as the debut of Shirley Temple. Note that it's a very very minor part.

This film about a young woman from a small town (yet that curiously is getting a 20 story commercial building) that meets a man that brings her to a big city with the promise of a job. This takes place during the depression so jobs are not easy to get.

The main character, Lynn Monith (played by Merna Kennedy, soon to be wife of Director & choreographer Busby Berkeley) is very interesting as we follow her as she becomes more aware & suspicious.

This is considered a pre-code film although it actually would have been approved by the code. Made in 1932 it plays well in 2025.

Just an enjoyable little drama.

This movie was okay, but nothing special, except that it was the film debut for that soon-to-be child star, the adorable Shirley Temple! Not every actress gets to make her screen debut at age 4, and for those reviewers who seem to think her acting wasn't up to par, I'll repeat: AGE 4!!! Enough said!

As for the movie, I like the way the heroine's hair color plays such a role in the story, as she's used as an alibi for her gangster boss to busy himself with his "career", while his "wife" provides his excuse for his dastardly deeds. Until she doesn't.

I guess you can't blame her too much; it was the depression, this charismatic strange offers her money and an apartment and all she has to do is pretend to be his wife (no mistress duties necessary).

When she realizes the truth about him, she leaves for a better life (nanny for a divorced man with an adorable little daughter, both abandoned by the immoral wife/mother), and soon becomes a happy wife/stepmother. Then Mr. Gangster returns!

If this movie had been made to years later, it would have had a different, not-so-happy ending (despite the mysterious man outside the window to absolve the guilt), as crime (whether attempted or actual) has to have punishment. Lucky this was Pre Code days.

This forgettable film appears on the Shirley Temple film collection even though she is only in about 5 minutes in the film. Of course, she is quite a scene stealer as always. The story is about a fallen woman played well by Merna Kennedy. The script is quite flawed. Since this film was done in the early 1930s, you have to account for the time period of film making and the time period of the Great Depression where money was tight even for studios. Still this film should be considered an early film noir collection but not the Shirley Temple film collection. I doubt that I would have seen this film otherwise though. The cast doesn't have memorable names from Hollywood's early film era.