Review by HotToastyRag

Shirley Temple as part of the Confederacy? How can we bear it? Because she's adorable, and because we know she'll never do anything wrong. She may sing "Dixie" and put on blackface, but that's just "liberal" Hollywood for you. If you really need your movies to be politically correct, you'll want to skip this one. But if you just love Shirley Temple, and you understand that she (and most likely the screenwriters) didn't mean to offend anyone, you can add it to your list. It's still included in most Shirley Temple DVD collections, so there are a lot of people who love it.

In this one, John Boles plays her father, a Confederate soldier. He's called to serve when the war breaks out, and Shirley and her mother, Karen Morley, have to hold down the fort while he's away. This is a far cry from Gone With the Wind; instead, Shirley doesn't understand why there is a war, what the end game is, and why there are different attitudes toward her family's slaves. So, imagine her confusion when her father just tries to visit his family, and he nearly gets arrested for it! The plantation has been commandeered by the Yankees, so Shirley and Karen aren't really safe there anymore. Together, with their favorite slave (played by Bill Robinson - remember this is 1935 and it was the only way Hollywood could justify him having a sizable role), they escape to safer territory. Even though this is a sweet Shirley Temple movie, there are definitely some darker moments. Surprisingly, she doesn't sing too much in this one, and John Boles doesn't sing at all! Stick with Curly Top if you want something that's entirely light and fluffy.