Heidi *** (1937, Shirley Temple, Jean Hersholt, Arthur Treacher, Helen Westley) – Classic Movie Review 9099

‘Shirley’s a Little Swiss Miss in the Loveliest Story of Her Career!’

Director Allan Dwan’s 1937 children’s film Heidi is based on the much loved book by Johanna Spyri and stars an ideally cast Shirley Temple, who is perfectly at home as Heidi, the Swiss girl who warms the heart of grandpappy Adolph Kramer (Jean Hersholt), whose son did something unspeakable (he ran away with a girl).

Heidi is snatched by a wicked auntie, Aunt Dete (Mady Christians), who sells her as a serving wench to rich Herr Sessemann (Sidney Blackmer) and stern governess Fräulein Rottenmeier (Mary Nash). Heidi is just the right material for our Shirley, and ingeniously there is even room (in dreams) for a pair of musical numbers. Director Dwan handles it with loving care, giving space to the other venerable, adult performers. Heidi is a perfect old movie for little girls and their mas and grandmas. You might hope for colour, but it is shot in black and white.

Shirley sings the song ‘In Our Little Wooden Shoes’ by Lew Pollack (Music) and Sidney D Mitchell (Lyrics), as well as Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (1774) and Silent Night (1818).

Also in the cast are Arthur Treacher, Helen Westley, Pauline Moore, Mary Nash, Sidney Blackmer, Mady Christians, Sig Ruman, Marcia Mae Jones, Thomas Beck, Delmar Watson, Egon Brecher, Christian Rub, George Humbert, Greta Meyer and Frank Reicher.

It is shot a long way from a troubled Europe between 17 May 1937 and July 1937 in black and white at Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley and in Sky Forest, Lake Arrowhead, both in San Bernardino National Forest, California, and in the studio at 20th Century Fox Studios, 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles. It is also available in a computer colorised version.

Despite her mother’s fears, Shirley and Marcia Mae Jones worked well together and appeared again in The Little Princess (1939).

The credits are printed into a Heidi storybook, with its pages turned by a hand.

Heidi is directed by Allan Dwan, runs 88 minutes, is made and released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Walter Ferris and Julien Josephson, based on the book by Johanna Spyri, is shot in black and white by Arthur C Miller, is produced by Darryl F Zanuck and Raymond Griffith, and is scored by David Buttolph, Charles Maxwell, Ernst Toch and Louis Silvers.

It is remade as Heidi by Luigi Comencini in 1952, with a sequel Heidi and Peter in 1955, by Werner Jacobs as Heidi in 1965, and by Delbert Mann as Heidi in 1968.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9099

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