mark.waltz Southern civil war officer John Boles goes on the run behind enemy lines, leaving his household at the mercy of invading northern troops. Sweet Shirley Temple does all she can to aid mother Karen Morley and slaves Willie Best and Bill Robinson, befriending the pickaninny children and cheering them up when they're blue. Black shoe polish turns her instantly into a black child, fooling all but one northern soldier and none of the audience. She works her way into the heart of Northern officer Jack Holt and when the agonies of the war leads to tragedy, Temple must continue to help out daddy while remaining continuously cheerful.While this remains entertaining simply as a Shirley Temple vehicle, as history, it is hogwash. Temple further goes down cloying territory with a re- written version of "Polly Wolly Doodle", later parodied for its sickening sweetness by Julie Andrews in "S.O.B.". The other major flaw is that Temple is totally miscast as a supposed Southern child, a part that should have gone to the Atlanta born Jane Withers. I can understand the black adults being loyal to protecting Shirley but Boles and Morley are far too nicely presented as slave owners, a stereotyped presented in Hollywood seemingly for decades. All is forgiven though when Shirley and Bojangles do their sidewalk dance in exchange for train fare to see President Lincoln, an embarrassingly absurd finale.

Leahcurry The portrayal of the Civil War is quite good, but the issue of the treatment of slaves isn't bad here. John Boles and Karen Morley (as Mr. and Mrs. Cary) apparently have about as good a rapport with their slaves as one would expect. Both do an excellent job, but Shirley Temple always steals the show. Willie Best is silly as usual (I've seen him be that in several films, so the "dumb slave" stereotype he seems to get is merely comic relief--and I'm not being racist, I think he's wonderful!). Billy "Bojangles" Robinson gets the most spotlight besides Shirley, with John Boles close behind. Boles plays a well-known Confederate spy, but is fascinating when he's quick-thinking and authoritative, and so tender with Shirley--a bit similar to those that "Uncle Billy" has with her. Jack Holt is also noteworthy as a principled Yankee out to capture Cary (as are many more Yanks), but is tender-hearted when he meets Shirley that when her Dad is discovered in his own Yankee uniform, takes a big risk and gives Cary a pass for Shirley to get to Richmond. Cary says he'll never let her out of her arms again, and Colonel Morrison (Jack Holt) said, "I don't think my country expects me to make war on babies." The value placed on human life here is plain in those two lines.

Limeginger Where to start...?Made in 1935, this bizarre story of the Civil War is told upside down. It's difficult to imagine what the studio was thinking when it made this film. I wonder what the movie-going public thought at the time. I can't imagine people north of the Mason-Dixon line would have appreciated it very much. Perhaps the studio was pandering to a Southern audience who was still smarting from the reality that their way of life was forever altered by the Civil War--and this film recreates (or perpetuates) a fantasy of the South's lovely, gentile way of life, in which everyone knew his place, and it all worked just fine. In any case, in this movie, confederates and white Southerners are depicted as noble, intelligent, kind, good, and very much entitled to owning slaves. They are presented as quick-witted, distinguished, and morally superior to the Northerners. Not one of them has a Southern accent. Northerners/Yankees, on the other hand, are made out to be dumb, vulgar, cruel, and inhumane--inexplicably oppressing the kindly Confederates. As viewers we're astonished when one of the bedeviled Northern Aggressors (some Southerners *still* in 2005 refer to the Civil War as the War of Northern Aggression) cuts Shirley's father a break and helps him out.The slave characters are drawn 2 ways. The first is being so numb-skulled, mush-mouthed, and knuckle-dragging as to appear mentally retarded--and it's clear that this grotesque caricature is supposed to be screamingly funny. It's not. It's stomach-churn-caliber material.The second way slaves are depicted is just brimming with love for their massahs, beside themselves with delight in their obedience to them--and even worse, trying to subvert the bad Yankees, since the slaves don't want to be freed.Shirely Temple's black face disguise, her masquerading as a "pickinniny" (a small black slave child) is one of the more repugnant things I've ever seen in a movie.Almost as bad is her character's regard for the slaves as idiot children--scolding them when she sees them stepping out of line (shaking her adorable little finger at them) and alternately treating them like her cute little pets.A very uncomfortable film to watch. And aside from the dreadful racist historical context--oddly enough--Shirley Temple is quite glorious and the musical numbers are lively and fun.

dimples0 The troubles of the Civil War come home to a little plantation girl when her father is arrested and charged with espionage against the Yankees. Only a plea to Mr. Lincoln can save the day.The Littlest Rebel is also a spirited musical comedy. Co- starring Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, it's packed with throughly delightful musical numbers including Shirley's unforgettable version of "Polly Wolly Doodle". Shirley really is a beautiful little girl.