Search - Baby Take a Bow on DVD

The First Fox Film That Made Her A Star Shines In Living Col

Jake Marsico | Pickerington,OH | 07/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At the age of only seven,young Shirley Temple made her first leading starring role for Fox Studios with 1934's "Baby Take A Bow" and thus a legendary child star was born to become the newest studio box-office attraction.Young Shirley lives with her mom (Claire Trevor) and ex-con dad (James Dunn).But when a pair of her dad's friends pearl necklace is stolen,it's up to him to catch the real crook and also convince himself that he isn't the thief he use to be years ago.Featuring wonderful strong performances and a great direction by Harry Lachman (Laurel & Hardy's "Our Relations" and "Dante's Inferno"),the film never loses its comedy stylings nor dramatic tone and highly fast-paced all the way.Highly recommended !

ABOUT THE DVD:
This fun film makes its wonderful DVD debut as part of the Voulme Two Shirley Temple DVD Collection of her beloved films.This DVD features both a restored black & white version as well as a brand-new digitally colorized version that completely blows away the horrid 1994 colorized VHS release.Legend Films has always done outstanding work on the colorization processing for the films they release as well as including the original B&W version too,but extras are nothing more than a lackluster effort (hence the four-star rating).As with the previous Temple releases from Fox and Legend,it contains both unrestored trailers for "Heidi" and "Little Miss Broadway".Despite the absence of many extras,owning both great transfers of the film on one disc makes this a must-have to any fan of classic film or to family film buffs,you won't be dissappointed with this release ! Well-recommended !"

"Where's my present, Mr?"

Samantha Kelley | USA | 12/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Shirley Temple is the daughter of a former criminal (James Dunn) and a beautiful blonde (Claire Trevor). The three seem to be the perfect family, but father's past keeps catching up to him. There's a cop out to get him and a gangster on the loose hoping to enlist the help of anyone he can get, the shadier the better. Despite his resistance, the gangster finds a way to access the family through sweet little Shirley who thinks it is all a game.

Things certainly have changed since this film was made. No parent in their right mind would leave a four year old to play outside unattended with a known criminal on the loose.

This film certainly isn't what I expected it to be. It is more of an adult film than something geared toward children because of the mature subject.

Temple is very cute with her sweet smile and golden curls. Unfortunately, she seems a bit sad and her syrupy personality seems a bit forced. There are several scenes where we can see her smile quickly fade when her lines are delivered or when she is concentrating on her dancing. Perhaps she was being worked too hard or truly wasn't having fun. Nevertheless, she's very lovable.

It is unfortunate that the DVD is promoted as being in color and the black and white original is heralded as an extra feature. The color doesn't look awful, but it wasn't meant to be so. People should be able to appreciate the film as it was made, not a jazzed up version for the close-minded who refuse to see anything in black and white."

Shirley Takes a Bow!

Lonnie E. Holder | Columbus, Indiana, United States | 01/01/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Two years into Shirley's career she achieved top billing in a movie, and deservedly so. James Dunn as Shirley's father Eddie Ellison is funny, as is Ray Walker as Larry Scott, a close friend of Eddie, but Shirley's cute antics are a memorable feature of this movie, the first of about thirty movies in which Shirley either received top billing or was a co-star.

Eddie Ellison is an ex-convict who has done his time. He has a good job as a driver for a wealthy man. After Larry Scott gets out of prison, Eddie helps him get a job with the same man. Things are going fine except for the presence of Private Investigator Welch (Alan Dinehart). Welch believes that Eddie and Larry are laying low until the right opportunity comes along. When a pearl necklace comes up missing from Eddie and Larry's employer, Welch does everything possible to make Eddie and Larry appear guilty. In the meantime, the real thief is getting away.

While the subject of this movie is relatively serious, the movie is played for laughs throughout. Shirley is cute and her antics on screen are funny and enjoyable every moment she is in front of the camera. However, I am reluctant to recommend this movie for children because of scenes in this movie involving guns and a large knife. Most adults, particularly fans of Shirley Temple, will find these scenes clever and both a little scary and a little funny.

Shirley's film career was expanding rapidly in 1934, the year of this movie. Shirley manages to charm her mother, her father, nearly everyone in the movie except Welch - another reason to dislike him, and the audience. If you want to see Shirley as she begins a phenomenal career, watch "Little Miss Marker" and then this movie and you will understand how she became the darling of Depression era America.

Enjoy!
"