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The Little Colonel Overview:

The Little Colonel (1935) was a Comedy - Family Film directed by David Butler and produced by Buddy G. DeSylva.

SYNOPSIS

Little Shirley generally manages to bring sunshine to every situation, and here she even brings harmony to the hard feelings left over from the Civil War. Barrymore can't stand the thought of his daughter (Venable) being married to a damn Yankee (Lodge), and it rankles to have to take them in when times get hard. Temple wins him over in her own benign version of Reconstruction.

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

The Little Colonel BlogHub Articles:

The Little Colonel Meets Poe: Henry B. Walthall at Essanay: The Chicago Silent Era (Part 5)

The Little Colonel Meets Poe: Henry B. Walthall at Essanay Henry B. Walthall is widely remembered today for his performance as The Little Colonel in D.W. Griffith’s controversial “The Birth of a Nation,” and for his work under Griffith at the Biograph company. What often gets overlooked and fo... Read full article


The Little Colonel (1935)

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The Little Colonel Quotes:

Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: Tell me, dear, what happened?
Jack Sherman: Swazey and Hull were thieves. The land they sold me was worthless. We're ruined. We haven't a penny.
Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: Jack, is all our money gone?
Jack Sherman: All of it. When I found out I got swindled, I almost went crazy. And on top of it, I got this fever.
Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: Hush, dear. Don't think of that now. You must be quiet.
Jack Sherman: Poor Elizabeth. You made a sorry bargain when you gave up your beautiful home to marry me.
Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: I'd do it again.

Aunt Sally Tyler: There are some things to be considered besides your pride, Elizabeth. There's the child herself, you know. You ought to think of her interests.
Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: I don't care. I don't want anything from him!
Aunt Sally Tyler: I know, dear, but just the same I say you ought to think of Lloyd. If I were you, I'd let her go over there as often as she pleases. And who knows? It might end in your all making up some day.
Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: Never! Not after the terrible things he said about Jack!

Swazey: Why, Jack, old partner! What's happened to you?
Jack Sherman: I've been very ill.
Swazey: Gee, that's too bad. Anything we can do? Maybe when you find out what we've come for, you'll feel better. When we sold you that land, we did it in good faith. We thought there was gold and plenty on it, and then we went off to California. On our way back, we stopped to see how you were faring, and we found out what had happened. Partner, we felt bad. Didn't we?
Hull: That's right.
Swazey: Now we'll prove we're honest. We made a long trip to find you to give you back your money.
Jack Sherman: You did, did you?
Swazey: Why, I couldn't sleep again if I thought you'd lost money. All we ask is that you hand over the deed to the property, and we'll pay you what you paid us, fair and square.
Jack Sherman: That's very kind and generous of you. Now be kind enough to get out of my house! You found out my land was valuable and the railroad wanted it, and I found out what kind of men you are. Now get out!
Swazey: Now partner, we came here to make an honest business deal for that deed. But if you're going to get rough about it, we'll have to get it another way.

[first lines]
Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: [singing] Oh the days are gone when beauty bright my heart's chain wove, / When my dream of life from morn 'till night was love still love. / New hope may bloom and days may come of milder, calmer beam, / But there's nothing half so sweet in life as love's young dream. / Oh there's nothing half so sweet in life as love's young dream.

Aunt Sally Tyler: Can that be Lloyd that Becky is carrying?
Miss Lloyd Sherman: Hello, Mother! How do you do, Aunt Sally Tyler?
Aunt Sally Tyler: How do you do, dear?
Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: Where have you been?
Miss Lloyd Sherman: I've been to see my grandfather, and I threw mud on him.
Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: You threw mud on him?
Miss Lloyd Sherman: Yes, because he poked me with a stick. Then I got mad and he got mad, and we hollered at each other.
Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: Oh baby, how could you disgrace Mother by going over there looking like a dirty little beggar?
Miss Lloyd Sherman: I didn't beg him for anything.
Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: You've been a very naughty girl, and you're going to be punished. Becky, take her inside. Give her a bath and put her to bed.
Becky Porter: Yes'm.
Elizabeth Lloyd Sherman: Oh, I'm terribly upset. I wouldn't for worlds have him think I encouraged her in going there.
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The Little Colonel Facts
This movie features Shirley Temple's famous "staircase dance" with Bill Robinson.

Nyanza Potts was so nervous about acting with Shirley Temple that he often missed his cues and forgot his lines. Temple took him aside and helped him rehearse, and afterward, no longer nervous around her, Potts performed perfectly.

To market the movie, the original book by Anne Fellows Johnston was re-printed by the A.L. Burt Co. Called "the Shirley Temple Edition", the book contained nearly a dozen photos from the movie, including a production still of Shirley siting on Lionel Barrymore's lap while wearing a costume not featured in the film.

Shirley Temple memorized every line of dialogue in this movie, and while filming a scene with Lionel Barrymore, the veteran actor forgot a line. When Temple prompted him, Barrymore flew into a such a rage that one crew member took Temple away for fear that Barrymore might harm her. He later apologized to her, and they remained friends for many years.

Performing their "staircase dance" together in this film made Bill Robinson and Shirley Temple the first interracial dancing couple in American movie history. This scene was cut when the film played in the southern United States.

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