Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm-1938

Director Allan Dwan

Starring Shirley Temple

Scott’s Review #113

Reviewed July 16, 2014

Grade: B

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938) is one of several Shirley Temple films released in the 1930s and 1940s.

In this story, Rebecca (Temple) is a confident child singer auditioning for a New York City radio gig with her opportunistic Uncle. Through a series of mishaps, she winds up outside the city with her aunt and other people living on or near the farm.

The radio people race to find Rebecca in time and make her a star. Other romantic subplots involving the supporting characters occur.

The film is innocent and cutesy, but you must be a Shirley Temple fan to enjoy it truly. If not, you might find it contrived and sentimental.

It falls somewhere in the middle for me. While I enjoyed the Shirley Temple musical numbers and the star’s talent, the story was predictable, and no surprises were in store. It felt more like a pleasant trip down memory lane.

The film is harmless and contains the standard Temple curls, smiles, and joyfulness. The supporting cast includes Jack Haley (The Wizard of Oz) and Gloria Stuart (Titanic-1997).