Young People

Joe and Kitty, a couple who perform on the vaudeville circuit, take in an orphaned baby named Wendy (Shirley Temple), who they raise as their own and eventually incorporate into their act. Eventually, she becomes the star of their trio, The Ballantines, until Joe and Kitty decide to quit the business and put down roots in New England. Their timing is prompted somewhat by the fading of Vaudeville, caused by the popularity of films.

Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood capture the spirit of vaudeville extremely well. He is a perfect "second banana" and she is the prototypical specialty act. When Joe and Kitty arrive in the New England town of Stonefield, their show biz bluster makes them fish out of water. Daughter Wendy, always the upbeat optimist, helps them negotiate with some social situations. But Stonefield is a town of staid citizenry who like tradition; those in power resist any concessions to modernity. In the end, circumstances arise that demonstrate that the Ballantines are valuable citizens of the community.

Miss Temple carries this film and provides the center of the story. And due to some remarkably edited sequences, we see her performing from ages six to twelve, roughly.

As a musical, this film is not a tremendous success, but it is worth seeing due to Shirley.

It looks as if Fox wasn't prepared to spend anything but a B-picture budget on Shirley's last film for the studio. Even the colorized version that popped up several years ago fails to give the picture an A-picture look that it deserved. All the trappings are on a downscale that makes the film little more than a programmer.

Shirley herself is still a talented girl--still the cheerful disposition, dimples and dancing feet--but while her talent is obviously a modest one, it's Charlotte Greenwood and Jack Oakie that are the real pros. Occasionally Shirley meets their standards and this gives the film the lift it needs. But all too often, it's apparent that the charm she had as a tot isn't enough to maintain her pre-teen appeal.

The story is a simple one about a vaudeville couple who adopt a baby girl and then want to retire to the country so she can have a normal life when she's growing up. The conflict comes when the townspeople refuse to accept the showbiz family in their community. Finally, with the help of George Montgomery and Arleen Whelan, the family overcomes all obstacles. A fierce storm sequence toward the end is extremely well done but fails to save the picture from being anything more than an ordinary yarn.

Clever use of Shirley's earlier film footage as a tot is inserted for the "babe on the road" inserts. It's a pleasant enough show but more funding by Fox would have elevated it to A-status.

Shirley Temple's last film on her 20th Century Fox contract was a good one. Young People is the story of Shirley and her adoptive parents Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood, a pair of vaudevillians who have decided to settle down on a Vermont farm that Shirley's real father left her to give her a home and some stability. They figure she ought to have some at the ripe old age of twelve after a life of born in a trunk.

Oakie and Greenwood are the Ballantines and they have some nice chemistry between them. They should have been teamed more often.

Sad to say what they get is a bunch of hidebound New Englanders who don't take lightly to strangers telling them what's wrong with their way of living. Especially from a brash show business type and they don't come more brash than Jack Oakie. But in her usual fashion Shirley brings them together. As the Good Book says, 'and a little child will lead them'. Even though the little child is starting to show signs of puberty. No doubt why Darryl Zanuck did not renew her contract.

Shirley Temple left 20th Century Fox on a good note.

The first time I saw this movie when I was a pre-teen, I loved it. It is innocent, real, true to life and I love Charlotte Greenwood and Shirley Temple. I can still see it in my memory.

This is Shirley Temple's last film under her very successful Twentieth Century-Fox contract. And, sadly, it's NOT among her better films. Part of it is that Shirley now was 12--and no longer the adorable 7 year-old. Most of it, however, was the script--which was rather weak.

The film begins with two show people (Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood) being given a baby. It seems their friend has died and he wanted them to raise the kid. Years pass and the child grows into an adorable show-stopping kid herself (Shirley Temple). During this montage sequence, you see several cute clips of a younger Shirley in previous films. After years of working hard on the road, the family has decided to call it quits and settle down on a farm left to Shirley by her biological parents. However, Oakie and Greenwood REALLY come on very, very strong in this VERY conservative neighborhood. Now these townsfolk are obnoxious old drips---but I also thought that if this family came storming into town like this family did, I might hate them, too. This is a seriously weak part of the film as you were supposed to love Shirley's family and dislike the townsfolk--but I really didn't like any of them. Eventually, however, the family is able to convince everyone how wonderful they are and the film ends--a contrived and weak ending if I've ever seen one. Overall, this film is a time-passer at best. It's not bad but neither is it very good.