Curly Top

Shirley Temple is at the top of her adorable moppet game in Curly Top as she becomes the catalyst that gets her and her older sister Rochelle Hudson out of an orphanage and married to a rich man. Cinderella never had it better.

Shirley and Rochelle's parents were killed in an accident and Rochelle promised them as they were dying that she and Shirley would not be separated. She even stayed on at the orphanage to cook and clean after she became an adult.

Prince Charming who looks a lot like John Boles is captivated by Shirley when she sings one of the songs most identified with her Animal Crackers In My Soup. He's inherited a ton of money and is the newest member of the orphanage's board of directors. Boles brings them to his dream house with aunt Esther Dale, butler Arthur Treacher, and cook Billy Gilbert. Sounds like a dream house to me.

All that's missing in this Cinderella story is a coach that turns back into a pumpkin.

Even at my age I have to admit to being charmed by Shirley and her singing and dancing and all around sunny disposition. Curly Top ranks as one of her best films and holds up well for today's audience.

John Bowles plays the too good to be true Edward Morgan who sees our curly top Shirley Temple at an orphanage and falls instantly in love, taking both her and her older sister Mary home for the summer to spoil them rotten under the disguise of a mystery benefactor.

This is a wonderful vehicle for Shirley Temple and allowed for some wonderful musical numbers including the adorable "Animal Crackers in my Soup".

Aunt Genevieve, played exceptionally by Esther Dale, plays a pivotal role when the lovely Mary has a competitor for her affections in the shape of a young wealthy pilot named Jimmy (played by the handsome Maurice Murphy).

Super sweet and a must see if you are a Shirley Temple fan.

Being an extremely rebellious teenage girl and a huge Shirley Temple fanatic seemed really odd to everyone who knew me. Not only did I love the strange alternate universe she existed in where little orphan girls can triumph over any tragedy, and sing and dance all the while, but I easily recognized the young actress's remarkable talent and charisma. I can't think of any child star, now or then, who could carry an entire film the way she did every year in the 1930's. She is completely unrivaled. In "Curly Top" she plays Elizabeth Blair, a sweetly precocious orphan who, along with her older sister Mary, is adopted by a kind-hearted wealthy businessman. The musical numbers are absolutely classic, and include the famous "Animal Crackers In My Soup" in which she leads her fellow orphans in a dining room singalong. Then there's the ultra-adorable song n' dance (and jump-rope) number "When I Grow Up", where we get to see little Shirley dress up in various costumes that include a wedding gown and an old lady getup, gray hair and all. Last but not least, Shirley does one of her most famous tapdance numbers on top of a white grand piano in the aptly-titled song "Curly Top". The seasoned supporting cast definitely shines as well. John Boles is extremely charming as the handsome bachelor Edward Morgan, although his piano-accompanied operatic singing can seem a little tedious, especially to younger viewers. One of my favorite actors, Arthur Treacher, expertly plays the quietly sarcastic butler whose stiff exterior quickly melts after befriending young Elizabeth. Treacher is better known for his role in the later Shirley Temple film, The Little Princess, in which he plays the cruel schoolmaster's flamboyant brother, Mr Birdy. Filled with interesting characters and situations, "Curly Top" is such a delightful movie. It's got musical numbers, romance, drama, and comedy, all wrapped up in a cute little package. It's a must-have for Shirley Temple fans, and classic movie fans in general.

~Darlene

This is another solid Shirley Temple film with some wonderful, sweet scenes and lines you certainly wouldn't hear in movies today. For instance: "It's Sunday. Would you like to go to Sunday School? Ohh, I love Sunday School!"

In addition to the innocence, truly nice characters, decent humor and music, what I appreciated was the lack of screen time of the villain. Many movies have some nasty person giving Shirley a hard time. To me, that's uncomfortable, but in this film the villain gets little screen time. Thus, much of the film features nothing but good, likable people.

That list is headed by pretty Rochelle Hudson as "Mary Blair" and charming singer/good guy John Boles as "Edward Morgan" and, finally, good old Arthur Treacher as the butler (what else?!), "Reynolds.".

To be fair, I didn't think the songs were that super, except for Shirley's "Animal Crackers In My Soup," which is a great song. If I recall, at least half the songs in this film were by the adults (two by Boles and one by Rochelle) and, frankly, I'd rather hear little Miss Temple. Boles' numbers and voice are too outdated for today. He has that Rudy Vallee-type 'early 30s voice.

Do not watch this on a colorized VHS version as I did. Shirley's teeth are green and it's distracting. Stick to the black-and-white, especially now that it is available with a good DVD transfer.

Overall, a nice story with lots of nice people give you a warm feeling when viewing this.

CURLY TOP is indebted to SHIRLEY TEMPLE for whatever charm it has as a vehicle for the talented tot--and she gets to strut her stuff often enough to keep an audience happy. It's the kind of Temple film where you start getting restless when the spotlight goes to the romantic leads (John Boles and Rochelle Hudson), bland and poorly scripted as the leads usually are in a Temple film.

But with the spotlight on Temple--as when Shirley does her tap dancing atop a white piano or sings "Animal Crackers in my Soup" with cheerful confidence and a bit of mugging at an orphanage, you can see why she was America's box-office sweetheart during a four-year period.

Clearly ranks among the best early Temple vehicles with all of her charisma and dimpled charm on full display. Nice to see her sharing some good scenes with Arthur Treacher.