Young People

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 beginning of Young People is the cutest part. Shirley Temple is the daughter of two parents in showbiz, Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood. As we see their years onstage, clips of Shirley's earlier films are cut into a clever montage. But, in 1940, she's in her early teens, with dark hair, an adolescent face, and a mature figure. The studio may have been trying to ease the audience into Shirley's adulthood, but it still feels too soon. Can't she stay little for longer?

Unfortunately for everyone, Shirley most of all, no. Shirley was stuck playing brats during her teen years, undoubtedly making her want to look for a new vocation. It never made sense to me that such a darling girl, and subsequently beautiful woman, was turned into a brat.

The story of Young People isn't too interesting. She and her parents decide to give up showbiz and try living a normal life in a small town. But, as hard as it seems for modern audiences, the acting profession wasn't always idolized. There was a time when acting was one step up from prostitution! So, moving to a small New England town might not have been the best idea, in hindsight. Outlandish theater people are very different from home grown, small town folks, and they might be seen as trying to bring their wicked ways into the nice, little community. Of course, as you can imagine, the acting bug isn't completely out of their systems, and it's only a matter of time before Shirley, Jack, and Charlotte say, "Let's put on a show in the old barn!" just like all those old Judy Garland flicks. This isn't Shirley's best movie, but it does give a decent attempt to transition her to adolescence. The saddest part is that Shirley's sparkle is gone. She doesn't like her work anymore, and it shows.

This is certainly not a bad film if one accepts the fact that Shirley is growing up. There is a predictability to it, for sure but can anyone deny the all-the-more-so predictability of every Astair-Rogers film? We still love them, don't we? Young People suffers from a mediocrity that gives it a feel of a second rate Andy Hardy film, but it has a way of growing on you. My daughter and wife occasionally can be heard humming "5th Avenue" a very catchy number from the film.

I wonder if anyone out there noticed the scene when Shirley, reading the paper in the parlor, points out casually to her parents that an old show biz acquaintance is going to appear on "television"! This may be the first time the new (very very new) medium is mentioned in a "throw-out" line. Any comments?

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.

I like this movie "Young People" but I haven't been able to find it. I pretty much have all Shirley Temple's movies but I can't find this in Video Stores. Will they be getting in more stock on this movie? Every time I go to a video store they say its not on stock or they never heard of it. Can it only be ordered on line or will I be able to get it at a video store? I told my grandchildren about this movie and how they helped people even if they were made fun of. Its a very entertaining movie. I know I can get my grandchildren to sit down and watch this movie. I also enjoy watching Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood. These are good family movies that I've enjoyed and would like my grandchildren to see. Please let me know how I can get this movie. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Veronica