weezeralfalfa You can argue whether this is a Shirley Temple or Gary Cooper film, if you wish. I say it's both. Carole Lombard is less essential to the plot. The film is unusual in several respects. It was not produced by Shirley's home studio of Fox. It has a pessimistic, rather than a hopeful, ending, as relates to Cooper, at least. And, Cooper is portrayed as a compulsive con man, with no redeeming qualities save for making Shirley happy at a personal level. Well, we all know that not all stories can have a happy ending. This one seemingly has a mixed ending. Cooper's character evidently is too deep in debt to get out of it quickly by pursuing an ordinary job. Thus, he sells some phony gold mine to a jewel thief: Mr. Felix. But Felix knows it's phony. He requires Cooper to agree to steal an expensive diamond necklace from an elderly widow to avoid prosecution as a swindler. To gain easy access to Mrs. Crane's home, Cooper introduces her to Shirley, whom she takes an immediate liking to. They are invited over for a luncheon. Shirley sings "The World Owes me a Living". appropriate for Cooper, but rather unmemorable. The necklace gets passed around from Cooper to Shirley's teddy bear, Grumpy, to Shirley, back to Cooper, and somehow(very unclear how) to Mr. Felix. Cooper goes to Mr. Felix's office and pulls a gun on him when he claims he doesn't have the necklace. A shooting duel ensues, with Cooper the winner. Later , we learn that Cooper was hit in the side of the belly, and eventually passes out, presumably from loss of blood, although we see no blood oozing through his shirt. He didn't want to go to the hospital for fear the doctor would question how he got the bullet wound. However, Carol makes him go. The police came, but we don't see them, and don't know what evidence they may have linking Cooper to the killing. Incidentally, I checked to make sure, and heard only one gunshot between the two men, so how did Copper get wounded?Earlier, we spend time listening to Cooper negotiate with his brother-in -law, who has been hosting Shirley since Cooper's wife passed away, shortly after Shirley's birth. Cooper wants $75,000. for the right to officially adopt Shirley, whom he has yet to meet. The brother-in-law balks at this outrageous sum. So, they start considerably lower, and gradually work up to the $75,000. Then, Cooper meets Shirley and he's charmed and decides to forget about the adoption bargain, taking her to Europe, where Carol has buzzed off to.The ending is sad as relates to the loss of the warm interactions that have developed between Shirley and Cooper or Carol. However, Cooper has arranged for old Mrs. Crane(of diamond necklace fame) to adopt Shirley. Thus, hopefully, she will have a stable, well financed home. However, we don't know how she will get along with Mrs. Crane. Also, she will sorely miss her daddy or some other adequate father figure who can play with her. The future of Cooper and Carol looks probably bleak. If the police can connect Cooper to the death of Mr. Felix, he will be sent to prison for murder, or perhaps for manslaughter, if he can convince that he shot sort of in self-defense. Carol claims she will stand by her man. But, especially if the trial goes against Cooper, she would be advised to seek another man, as he probably wont be able to get a normal job when he gets out.The best part of this downer film is Shirley. She provides an adorable respite from all the criminal activities.Available on YouTube

ccthemovieman-1 The year 1934 was when Shirley Temple played three major movies and really began to make a name for herself. Unfortunately, the studios had to experiment to see what the public best liked about here. Two of those things were singing and dancing. Another was a short, interesting film that kept people's attention and got their minds off The Depression. You know the other keys to Shirley's successful films.This film achieved none of the above, despite the star presences of Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard and despite a very good director in Henry Hathaway. In addition, there are too many talky parts in here which become simply boring, and too many arguments between a sullen Lombard and Cooper. To top it off, you didn't get the normal feel-good ending which is what the public wants. I guess they learned after this movie.

Caz1964 This is a very rare film and probably the least known from Shirley Temple as it isn't on any of her collections.The reason why is probably because it doesn't have a happy ending,unlike all her other films.Its also not a musical,although she does belt out one song called' The world owes me a living'.The film was made in 1934 and originally in black and white,the version i have is in colour and on VHS,i would say they have done a fine job as the colour does look realistic,unlike i would say the colourised films of Laurel And Hardy which are dreadful.The film is good for its age and the story hasn't dated at all,I'm surprised no one has tried to do a remake.At times the film is a little bit to talky as some of the scenes with Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard seem really dragged out, in some scenes they seem to take fifteen minutes to say what they could have said in five.Although don't be put off by this because this film does have some genuinely good moments in it,especially when {Jerry}Gary Cooper steals a necklace,and hides it in Shirley's teddy bear.The tension and slow build up to his actions,{while at the same time his daughter is singing to an audience in another room}is very well directed.Gary and Caroles edgy facial expressions when they are put under scrutiny are also very good.In all this is a good film from the early 30's,accept it for its age.

Snow4849 Even longtime Shirley fans may be surprised by "Now and Forever." The movie was filmed with Paramount studios – not with Shirley's parent company Twentieth Century Fox – in 1934, before Fox producer Darryl Zanuck had perfected the successful Shirley formula (cute songs, cold hearts for her to melt, young couples for her to play cupid to, happy endings). Thus "Now and Forever" falls into the category of a Shirley vehicle without the standard Shirley story. It is an awkward position for any movie, but this impressive, talented cast makes it work.Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard star as fun-loving, irresponsible con artists Jerry and Toni Day. The only thing that this devoted yet dysfunctional duo seems to hate more than being together is being apart. When they are suddenly landed with custody of Jerry's young daughter Penny (Shirley Temple), it is Toni – and not Penny, as many believe – who persuades Jerry to give up his criminal career. But Jerry flounders at his desk job, and desperate to prove that he can provide for his new family, he soon returns to thieving and dishonesty. In a standard Shirley device, Penny tries to melt the heart of crusty curmudgeon Felix Evans, the victim of one of Jerry's cons, but her attempt fails, for Evans is revealed to be a con artist himself, and he blackmails Jerry into helping him steal jewels. The drama, gunfight, death, and sorrow that follow all make this film a very unusual one for Little Miss Sunshine. There is no happy ending, no dancing, and only one song sequence (the cute number "The World Owes Me a Living").But this does not mean that Shirley fans should avoid "Now and Forever." Rather, it's divergence from the usual Shirley story make it more interesting and memorable than many of her other films. But beware: You should avoid colorized version of this film, and see it in black-and-white if you can. The color is bright, garish, and unrealistic, and in many scenes, Shirley's famous curls are actually red instead of blonde. Yikes!