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Captain January (1936)

Director(s) David Butler
Producer(s)

No producer listed for this movie
Top Genres Comedy, Drama, Family, Musical
More Films Directed by David Butler More Films from 1936 More Films from the 1930s Top Classic Movies of the 1930s

Captain January Overview:

Captain January (1936) was a Comedy - Musical Film directed by David Butler .

SYNOPSIS

Poor, perennially orphaned Shirley washes up from a shipwreck into the arms of a photogenically crusty lighthouse keeper who raises the little castaway with pluck and determination, qualities she'll need when the nasty truant officer tries to separate the two. Standard Temple plot, but better than average.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Captain January BlogHub Articles:

Captain January (1936)

on Jul 7, 2014 From Journeys in Classic Film

We pay tribute this week to a bright-eyed moppet with sausage curls and a dimpled smile. When Shirley Temple Black passed away earlier this year, I knew I had to honor her in some way despite never watching her films previously. I have fond memories of watching commercials for the Shirley Temple Co... Read full article

Fun Size Review: Captain January (1924)

By Movies, Silently on May 27, 2013 From Movies Silently

Hobart Bosworth plays an old lighthouse keeper who has adopted the castaway, Baby Peggy. Local do-gooders are annoyed at his unorthodox parenting but he and little Peggy love one another. However, what will happen when Peggy’s real family comes to claim her? Sweet but never simpering. Heart-wa... Read full article

Captain January (1924) A Silent Film Review

By Movies, Silently on Feb 4, 2013 From Movies Silently

Silent child star Baby Peggy plays the captain of the title, a castaway orphan who is raised by a scruffy lighthouse keeper (Hobart Bosworth). The story is slight but that actually works in the film’s favor as it allows the viewer to focus on what’s really important: the talented Baby Pe... Read full article

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Captain January Quotes:

Mrs. Agatha Mogan: Who is that child?
Mary: She's the adopted daughter of Captain January, the lighthouse keeper. Isn't she a pretty little thing?
Mrs. Agatha Mogan: Does she go to school?
Mary: Well, no. You see, the former truant officer wasn't very strict.
Mrs. Agatha Mogan: That's why she's the former truant officer. You schoolteachers will find me strict enough.
Mrs. Agatha Mogan: There is a compulsory education law in this state, and this child is old enough.
Helen: How can she know how old I am? We don't even know ourselves.
Mrs. Agatha Mogan: From what I've observed, this child is being brought up completely without control. She's rude and undisciplined, like a little heathen. Look at the clothes she wears. Not even a dress!
Capt. January: What business is that of yours? Star is mine!
Mrs. Agatha Mogan: You forget that Star is adopted, Captain January. It's well within the power of the school authorities to have her taken away from you and placed in an institution.
Capt. Nazro: In two days, January will be out of a job, and that's just what old Hatchet-Face has been waiting for.
Mary: Of course it is.
Capt. Nazro: Do you think I'm doing the right thing in sending for these folks?
Paul Roberts: You never did anything righter in your life.
Capt. Nazro: I hate to think of what January will do when he finds out.
Mary: Well, if someone doesn't come to take Star, Miss Morgan is going to have her way.
Capt. Nazro: But I don't even know anything about these Masons except what I read in Star's mother's album. They may not even be relatives.
Mary: Whoever they are, they're better for Star than an institution.
Paul Roberts: Certainly any instituion Miss Morgan would pick out.
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Captain January Facts
The earliest script of the movie called for Captain January to die at the end, just before Star is taken away from him by her relatives: "On their final evening together, he allows her to light the lamp in the lighthouse something she has always wanted to do. She is unaware that the Captain has suffered a massive heart attack and is unable to carry out his duties. January sees the lamp lit and dies." Shirley Temple's producer, Darryl F. Zanuck, made extensive changes to this script.
When Star's lack of schooling is being questioned, Captain January says that he has taught her using "the Bible and Bowditch". "Bowditch" refers to "The American Practical Navigator" by Nathaniel Bowditch, first published in 1802. Over the years, the text has evolved with advances in navigation practices, and continues to be a valuable reference for marine navigation in modern times.
Time Magazine noted that this film broke box office records in some major cities, including Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Boston and Baltimore.
In his review of this film, author Graham Greene called it "sentimental, a little depraved, with an appeal interestingly decadent. Shirley Temple acts and dances with immense vigor and assurance, but some of her popularity seems to rest on a coquetry."
A scene in which Shirley Temple dances the hula was deleted after shocked test audiences said that the hula was immoral.
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