Time to get into the 1942 movie Miss Annie Rooney, starring Shirley Temple, William Gargan, Guy Kibbee and Dickie Moore. In the spirit of the movie, I will be borrowing some “Jitterbug-ese” to discuss my thoughts on the movie after I describe the plot (and don’t worry, I’ll translate them in parentheses afterwards, borrowing from the insert included the Classicflix release of the movie on disc).
Obviously, we find Shirley Temple playing the main character, Annie Rooney, who is living with her father (William Gargan) and her grandfather (Guy Kibbee). Apparently, her father has a thing for various get-rich-quick schemes, which he tries to get his father to buy into (even though they’re not exactly flush with cash at the moment). When Annie goes to a party with one of her friends, they have a slight fender-bender with Marty White (Dickie Moore), who Annie falls for after he gives her a ride to the party. Over the next few weeks, they spend a lot of time together and he invites her to his birthday party (to his parents’ initial dismay). This is probably close to the plot, so I’ll move on without spoiling it any further.
I think this movie is zingo (terrific), man! Apparently, this was Shirley’s first foray into slightly older roles, as she switched from little kid roles to that of a teenager. At the time, the movie was considered to be on the drippy side (corny, conventional, unimaginative), but I think it is fun. We do get a chance to see Shirley wear out some leather (dance) a few times. The movie itself may not be the most memorable, but I think it is snaky (looked on favorably)! I’ll admit, the slang itself probably dates the movie about as much as anything, but I think there is some fun to be had! So don’t be a sad apple (a square or drip), give this movie a try!
The movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Classicflix. At this point, most of you are probably ready for me to axe the gab (stop talking), so I guess I’ll say “30 for now” (see you later)!
Film Length: 1 hour, 26 minutes
My Rating: 7/10
List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections
Shirley Temple – Since You Went Away (1944)
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