The Littlest Rebel
| The Littlest Rebel | |
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | David Butler |
| Produced by |
Darryl Zanuck (producer) Buddy G. DeSylva (associate producer) |
| Screenplay by |
Edwin J. Burke Harry Tugend |
| Based on |
The Littlest Rebel 1911 play by Edward Peple |
| Starring |
John Boles Jack Holt Karen Morley Bill Robinson Shirley Temple |
| Music by | Cyril Mockridge |
| Cinematography | John F. Seitz |
| Edited by | Irene Morra |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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70 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.3 million |
The Littlest Rebel is a 1935 American dramatic film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Edwin J. Burke was adapted from a play of the same name by Edward Peple and focuses on the tribulations of a plantation-owning family during the American Civil War. The film stars Shirley Temple, John Boles, and Karen Morley, as the plantation family and Bill Robinson as their slave with Jack Holt as a Union officer.
The film was well received, and, in tandem with the Temple vehicle Curly Top, was listed as one of the top box office draws of 1935 by Variety. The film was the second of four cinematic pairings of Temple and Robinson. In 2009, the film was available on videocassette and DVD in both black-and-white and computer-colorized versions.
The film opens in the ballroom of the Cary plantation on Virgie’s (Shirley Temple) sixth birthday. Her slave Uncle Billy (Bill Robinson) dances for her party guests, but the celebration is brought abruptly to an end when a messenger arrives with news of the assault on Fort Sumter and a declaration of war. Virgie’s father (John Boles) is ordered to the Armory with horse and side-arms. He becomes a scout for the Confederate Army, crossing enemy lines to gather information. On these expeditions, he sometimes briefly visits his family at their plantation behind Union lines.
One day, Colonel Morrison (Jack Holt), a Union officer, arrives at the Cary plantation looking for Virgie‘s father. Virgie defies him, hitting him with a pebble from her slingshot and singing “Dixie”. After Morrison leaves, Cary arrives to visit his family but quickly departs when slaves warn of approaching Union troops. Led by the brutal Sgt. Dudley (Guinn Williams), the Union troops begin to loot the house. Colonel Morrison returns, puts an end to the plundering, and orders Dudley lashed. With this act, Morrison rises in Virgie’s esteem.
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Wikipedia