Tomboy

The title refers to Marcia Mae Jones' character, but the movie is about second-billed Jackie Moran. He's an orphan, living and working on the farm of his aunt, Clara Blandick, and his mean uncle, George Cleveland. Jackie wants to get an education and make something of himself, maybe a lawyer. Cleveland, however, is mean, calls him lazy -- he isn't -- whips him and tells him he can't go to school. Miss Jones comes to this rural community with her father, ex-Cubs pitch Grant Withers, and the two youngster bond quickly, as Withers and the teacher, Charlotte Wynters quickly become sweet on each other.

It's directed by Robert F. MacGowan, who was for fourteen years the principal director of OUR GANG. The movie is sweet, but rather simplistic in terms of character. Nice people are very nice. Mean people are purely mean, and the dialogue is overlarded with baseball slang for Withers, who gives a good, laid-back performance nonetheless.