bkoganbing Captain January is Shirley Temple at her best. The film is a remake of a silent film that starred Hobart Bosworth and Baby Peggy. I can't imagine that it is any better than this one.The title role is played by Guy Kibbee who is a lighthouse keeper on the New England coast. Kibbee rescued Shirley from a ship wreck, but other than a photo album has no clue to her identity. Shirley is now a mascot of sorts in the town where the lighthouse is located. The only disturbance to Kibbee's tranquility is the marriage minded Jane Darwell.That all ends when a new truant officer comes to town played by Sara Haden best known for being the maiden aunt who lived with the Hardy family. She's a severe maiden in this film in fact she looks like she could be auditioning for Ms. Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West in this film. Of course it all works out in the end for our little moppet and for her guardian Captain January.Highlight of the film is Shirley dancing with Buddy Ebsen in the Codfish Ball number. Slim Summerville has an important role her also as Kibbee's best friend and occasional voice of reality.Captain January holds up well today for the kid in all of us.

weezeralfalfa A fairly simple plot, with a good dose of singing and dancing. Captain January(Guy Kibbee) has been living at his Cape Tempest, Maine,lighthouse with Shirley for 4 years, since her parents died in a boat accident nearby. Now, their happy life is threatened by two recent developments: 1)the replacement of a lenient district truant officer with a very strict one, full of herself, who wants to require Shirley to go to school and January to formally adopt Shirley or give her up.2)The upcoming obsolescence of January's job due to replacement by an automatic lighthouse light.Sara Hayden did a superb job of playing the one villain: the nasty, if thorough, truant officer, Miss Morgan. In comparison, June Lang, as the kind schoolteacher and Jane Darwell, as the widow with ambition to become Mrs. January, had easy conventional roles. June would return the next year, as Shirley's widowed mother, in "Wee Willie Winkie". Jane played a subsidiary role in 5 of Shirley's films.. Guy Kibbee(January) was borrowed from Warner, while Buddy Ebsen was borrowed from MGM.The central problem of a prospective jobless and Shirleyless January appears to have a solution in the end. Shirley's discovered relatives hire January to captain their large yacht, with Shirley aboard. In addition, Captain Nazro is hired as first mate, Ebsen as the seaman and Jane Darwell as cook.(What happened to the crew they had when they arrived?). We still seemingly have the problem of Shirley's truancy.Turning to the music: Shirley starts things off with "The Early Birds", as she is awakening. Next, Ebsen dances to "The Sailor's Hornpipe". Then, Shirley starts off with "The Codfish Bowl", with Ebsen later joining in, dancing around the wharf area with Shirley. Many people consider this the highlight of the film. Then, after Shirley dawns a fancy dress, she and Captains January and Nazro informally sing an opera from "Lucia di Lammermore". Then, Shirley has a strange daydream in which she sings the ballad "The Right Somebody for Me". A chorus takes over while she is feeding January, who is in the form of a huge baby in baby clothes. Later, she again sings this song to her favorite doll, which she claims looks rather like her deceased mother. Finally, a reprise of "The Codfish Bowl" by Shirley and the two captains, while aboard the yacht.

vincentlynch-moonoi Let's see...Shirley Temple's best film? Probably not. I would give that kudo to "Heidi". But this is darned good, and one of the few that I actually remember watching as a child...over 50 years ago. In fact, whenever I see Guy Kibbee in an old movie, I think also of this film. And, this is the only film I think of when Buddy Ebsen comes to mind. And then there's that spritely tune "At The Codfish Ball", and the memorable dancing with Ebsen.Temple really was quite remarkable for her age, and while it is easy to criticize the sentimentality of the 1930s, why not just sit back and enjoy the flick. No, it isn't in the same league as films today...but thank goodness.Sometimes supporting casts simply do their jobs. Here they shine. Guy Kibbee is delightfully gruff as Captain January, the lighthouse keeper who adopted Starr (Temple). Slim Summerville is just right as the slightly goofy but lovable Captain Nazro, January's friend (and their mock arguments are a hoot). Sara Haden is the stern truant officer (whom you may recognize as Andy Hardy's aunt). And the wonderful Jane Darwell is on hand as a widow smitten with Captain January.It's been about 50 years since I saw this flick, and I still remembered the ending. That's good film-making!

Neil Doyle This is the kind of film to make anyone a SHIRLEY TEMPLE fan. Here the little miss is once again an orphan but this time a kind-hearted lighthouse keeper (Guy Kibbe) is raising her as his own. Troubles come when the local schoolmarm decides Shirley needs a better education and upbringing.Shirley not only sings a couple of bright tunes, but has a big dance scene on the wharf with Buddy Ebsen--complete with intricate taps and all kinds of whirls as they dance to "At the Codfish Ball". This and her opening number "Early Bird" are among the film's most charming routines.Shirley gets emotional during the final tug of war where she is being torn away from the Cap, a crying scene that reveals just how deeply felt some of her performances were.Highly recommended.