Pardon My Pups

I could truly identify with Pardon My Pups since when I was a kid I had a fear of dogs that Junior Coghlan had. Of course I'm not the type that would have wanted a motorcycle.

But that poor frightened animal who was about to have pups gets to you every time. There is no way you can make a bad movie about kids and dogs.

Shirley Temple is in this one as well and it's not her short subject per se. But with her cuteness there was no doubt the young lady was definitely going places. Shortly she would be the biggest shining box office star and in Fox's firmament.

That last sight gag here is a pip. Shirley's still loyal legion of fans will love Pardon My Pups.

Pardon My Pups was produced at Educational Films and runs 19 minutes. It's raining and the roof leaks waking up little Mary Lou (Temple). It's big brother Sonny's (Junior Coughlin) birthday and he wants a motorcycle – their Pa wants to give him a dog. But Sonny hates dogs – until he runs away from home. Sonny and Mary Lou are the same characters from Managed Money and Merrily Yours. This film was based on the story "Mild Oats" by Florence Ryerson and Colin Clements. Charles Lamont also directed : Comin' Round the Mountain, Francis in the Haunted House, Hit the Ice, Salome and Where She Danced. Has mild humor and Lamont used a very light touch. No one could be offended by this offering, young Temple doesn't have a big part, but as always, steals the scene. Worth a look anyway.

Sonny wants a motorcycle for his birthday, and is disappointed when he learns that he is getting a dog instead.

Maybe hard-core fans of Shirley Temple enjoy this film. I mean, she does what she does with the cute faces and all that... even some strange butt-scratching. But for a film, it has little merit. No comedy, no plot... it just sort of exists for some reason. The best attempt at a joke is something about a "champion clarinet".

I really have nothing more to say on this and just have to fill another line. Even as something to show before a feature film ,this would be a great disappointment to anyone other than a child with no taste.

This is kind of sweet and cute. Die hard Temple fans need to see it certainly. Got a few minutes and want a chuckle? This'll do. The qualities that latter made Shirley Temple the little cinematic doll that she was are all evident here. There is a certain amount of fun and games slap stick, and there is that one sight gag that you see coming but don't mind that the punch was telegraphed. The various players all do well for the type of film it is. The sets are natural, and the continuity is what it was for that era of movie making. All in all this is both watchable and enjoyable family style fun. This is what you watch with the three year old between rounds of Old Maid.

This is one of the better features in the series of short family comedies that starred Junior Coghlan and Shirley Temple as brother and sister. It is 'cute' in a generally positive sense, while usually managing to avoid becoming cloying. The story, while contrived at some points, has something of a purpose to it, and the movie also adds in a couple of the less innocent gags that turn up surprisingly often in Temple's short features.

The setup has Coghlan's character Sonny celebrating a birthday, and hoping for a motorcycle, but knowing that his father prefers to give him a dog. With the help of his girlfriend and loyal little sister Mary Lou (Temple), Sonny has to contend with his father's stubbornness and with a pretentious rival. The story that follows is fairly predictable, but it has some good moments.

Most of it is enjoyable, and the plainer stretches do not last very long. Coghlan, who is nominally the star, has a rather bland acting style, but he does have a decent screen presence. Temple's energy and charisma, so unusual for her age, are readily apparent, and she stands out in constant contrast to the less interesting older characters.