Tag Archives: Shirley Temple musical

Musical Monday: Stowaway (1936)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

stowaway2This week’s musical:
Stowaway – Musical #544

Studio:
20th Century Fox

Director:
William A. Seiter

Starring:
Shirley Temple, Robert Young, Alice Faye, Eugene Pallette, Arthur Treacher, Willie Fung, Philip Ahn, Allan Lane

Plot:
Barbara (Temple), nicknamed Ching-Ching, is an orphan in China after her missionary parents were killed and now lives with other missionaries. When there’s danger in town, Ching-Ching’s friend, Sun Lo (Philip Ahn) puts her on a boat for Shanghai so she will be safe. Ching-Ching gets lost in Shanghai and is befriended by American Tommy Randall (Young). Ching-Ching accidentally ends up on a boat for the United States. On the ship, Tommy and Susan Parker (Faye) care for Barbara/Ching-Ching, but neither can adopt her because they aren’t married. The two get married to give Barbara a home.

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Musical Monday: Little Miss Broadway (1938)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Little Miss Broadway –Musical #287

broadway

Studio:
20th Century Fox

Director:
Irving Cummings

Starring:
Shirley Temple, George Murphy, Jimmy Durante, Phyllis Brooks, Edna May Oliver, Donald Meek, Edward Ellis, El Brendel
Themselves: The Brian Sisters- Betty Brian, Doris Brian, Gwen Brian; The Brewster Twins (Barbara and Gloria Brewster)

Plot:
Orphan Betsy Brown (Temple)is adopted by friends of her parents- Pop Shea (Edward Ellis) and his daughter Barbara (Phyllis Brooks) who run a hotel for performers. However, the hotel lead is held by Sarah Wendling (Oliver) and her brother Willoughby (Meek), and Sarah hates the show business tenants and looks for every way to shut down the hotel. However, when Sarah’s nephew Roger (Murphy) meets Betsy, he’s instantly taken with the child and finds himself attracted to Barbara. Roger sets out to help the show business hotel stay open.

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