In contrast to some other reviewers, I thought this was a highlight of Shirley's movie career, along with the recently completed "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" and the prior "Heidi" As one reviewer noted, this plays like a miniature version of the "Broadway Melody of ...." series. In fact, leading man George Murphy was a leading character in the 1938 and 1940 versions, exhibiting his somewhat limited dancing skill. We have quite a few old and new songs scattered throughout. The new ones were composed by Harold Spina and Walter Bullock, and aren't bad, although none made the hit parade. Most are sung and sometimes danced by Shirley. However, Murphy gets a couple of song and dances, alone or with Shirley, including the title song. Sometimes, as with the beginning "Be Optimistic" , a girl chorus backed up Shirley. The male quartet had a couple of numbers. Unfortunately, Jimmy Durante's main song and dance with Shirley was cut, as was Shirley's imitation of Durante's style of speaking, when he's on the witness stand. These outtakes may be seen at YouTube. Just type in Little Miss Broadway and scroll down until you see it.
Edna May Oliver makes a very forceful controller of the purse strings for the show troupe: the thorn in everyone's side, until the end, when she demands that the pay for performances by the troupe be double the offer by an anonymous man in the courtroom... Donald Meek plays Edna's brother, who tries to counter her extreme haughtiness. Edna and Meek live beside the boarding house that she owns, where the show performers are currently renting. This includes Shirley, after she is taken from an orphanage by the manager of the boarding house: Pop Shea and his daughter, played by Phyllis Brooks. I don't understand why Shirley was later sent back to the orphanage, and had to climb down a "rope" of bed sheets to escape and participate in the courtroom scene.. Claude Gillingwater plays the comical old judge who ordered the anticipated show to be performed in the courtroom so that he could judge whether it was likely to be a financial success. Mr. Gillingwater died the following year.
George Murphy and Phyllis Brooks were the young romantic couple who planned on adopting Shirley after they married, which had been put off until the success of the show had been demonstrated... Shirley was cute, confident and competent throughout the film. She was 10 years old with only one more year of superstardom left. When Murthy invites her out to lunch, she pleads with Pop Shea "Please let me go. I'm old enough to go out with a nice young man". She finishes the film with her stock "Oh, my goodness", when she sees her future parents kissing, and she with their marriage license application in hand. It's obvious that Shirley looks somehow different. Yes, she's done up in curly pigtails rather than straight curls. Makes her look "sexier", I think. She sported similar pigtails in part of "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm".
Edna May Oliver makes a very forceful controller of the purse strings for the show troupe: the thorn in everyone's side, until the end, when she demands that the pay for performances by the troupe be double the offer by an anonymous man in the courtroom... Donald Meek plays Edna's brother, who tries to counter her extreme haughtiness. Edna and Meek live beside the boarding house that she owns, where the show performers are currently renting. This includes Shirley, after she is taken from an orphanage by the manager of the boarding house: Pop Shea and his daughter, played by Phyllis Brooks. I don't understand why Shirley was later sent back to the orphanage, and had to climb down a "rope" of bed sheets to escape and participate in the courtroom scene.. Claude Gillingwater plays the comical old judge who ordered the anticipated show to be performed in the courtroom so that he could judge whether it was likely to be a financial success. Mr. Gillingwater died the following year.
George Murphy and Phyllis Brooks were the young romantic couple who planned on adopting Shirley after they married, which had been put off until the success of the show had been demonstrated... Shirley was cute, confident and competent throughout the film. She was 10 years old with only one more year of superstardom left. When Murthy invites her out to lunch, she pleads with Pop Shea "Please let me go. I'm old enough to go out with a nice young man". She finishes the film with her stock "Oh, my goodness", when she sees her future parents kissing, and she with their marriage license application in hand. It's obvious that Shirley looks somehow different. Yes, she's done up in curly pigtails rather than straight curls. Makes her look "sexier", I think. She sported similar pigtails in part of "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm".