During this film, a love quadrangle develops, then dissipates at the last moment. The wife and Doctor husband love each other, and have a 6 year old girl(Shirley), but the wife feels unfulfilled, now that her daughter is less dependent on her, and she doesn't have a job to keep her busy. She is distraught by her cramped social life, with her husband working long hours on his patients and his research. The husband's current nurse is in love with him, but the husband seems not interested in her romantically, although he much appreciates her. The husband's playboy friend strikes up a friendly relationship with the wife, and they spend more time together, mostly at sports, than does the husband and wife. Eventually, they imagine they are in love, and make plans for a quickie divorce and marriage, with Shirley living with the wife and new husband. But Shirley doesn't like her stepfather-to-be, partly, because he "doesn't know how to be a daddy". So, Shirley packs up a few things and hits the road with her little dog. She comes upon a talkative tramp who inquires about her destination. She's going to her favorite picnic spot, by a stream. The husband comes upon the tramp and is told where she says she's going. The wife isn't far behind. They find her unharmed, enjoying her lunch, and decide it's best for Shirley if they don't separate. The 3 end happily reunited.
The problem with the screenplay is that nothing has been solved. The husband, wife and Shirley are in the same situation they began with. So, how long is their new found bliss going to last? One obvious solution is for the wife to get a job to keep her busy. But, perhaps she would only be happy working as a nurse, as she did before Shirley was born. But, this is a small town, so there may not be any openings for a nurse. Hubbie likes his current nurse and doesn't want to give her up. So, perhaps they would have to move to a city to find a nursing job. Another possibility would be to have another child, if this was agreeable to both. Still another possibility is to get active in several organizations.
This is a very unusual S.T. film, in that she has both parents all the way through. I'm surprised the Hays commission allowed this theme. I've read they frowned on divorce subjects, although there was no actual divorce here. In most of Shirley's films, she's an orphan or missing one of her parents. In no case I'm aware of was the parent missing because of divorce.
If you want to see and hear Shirley sing and dance, this isn't the right film. If you just enjoy the cute, vivacious, little girl, this film may satisfy you.
The problem with the screenplay is that nothing has been solved. The husband, wife and Shirley are in the same situation they began with. So, how long is their new found bliss going to last? One obvious solution is for the wife to get a job to keep her busy. But, perhaps she would only be happy working as a nurse, as she did before Shirley was born. But, this is a small town, so there may not be any openings for a nurse. Hubbie likes his current nurse and doesn't want to give her up. So, perhaps they would have to move to a city to find a nursing job. Another possibility would be to have another child, if this was agreeable to both. Still another possibility is to get active in several organizations.
This is a very unusual S.T. film, in that she has both parents all the way through. I'm surprised the Hays commission allowed this theme. I've read they frowned on divorce subjects, although there was no actual divorce here. In most of Shirley's films, she's an orphan or missing one of her parents. In no case I'm aware of was the parent missing because of divorce.
If you want to see and hear Shirley sing and dance, this isn't the right film. If you just enjoy the cute, vivacious, little girl, this film may satisfy you.