Copyright 3 April 1936 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy: 10 April 1936. Australian release: 13 May 1936. 7 reels. 63 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: A small-town romance in which a girl's younger sister makes sure she doesn't make the wrong decision.
NOTES: A re-make of Fox's 1923 movie directed by Rowland V. Lee with Besslie Love as Julia, Harold Goodwin as Noble Dill, and Mary Arthur in the considerably smaller role of Florence Atwater. The fortieth movie to be adapted from a Booth Tarkington novel, story or play. (52 movies in all, plus TV and radio shows).
COMMENT: Fox had two popular child stars on the lot at the same time. Though Jane Withers never came near to eclipsing Shirley Temple, she did have quite a following.
Although its story and background are now extremely familiar, Gentle Julia is still a rather charming film. True, the humor in the slapstick scenes does not come across very well and Blystone is more at home in the gentler sections of the film with his sweeping tracking shots as the characters walk through the meticulously recreated small-town in the early 1900s sets.
The film is full of lovely characterizations - Marsha Hunt is charming in the title role and is almost unrecognizable as she lacks the mannerisms and make-up of her later portrayals. The other roles seem to be tailor-made for their players, particularly Withers, Brown, Meeker whom one is glad to see has a major role here, and there are some nice cameos by Ford ("I'm a fishman not a fisherman!"), Holman, McDaniel, Sully and Jones while Jackie Searl is almost as delightfully obnoxious as he was in the Tom Sawyer films.
Photography, sets, atmosphere are A-1. Love Meeker's songs especially the first one. The voice is dubbed but his miming is delightfully hammy.
Thanks to producer, Sol Wurtzel, for a "B" film, production values are exceptionally lavish.
SYNOPSIS: A small-town romance in which a girl's younger sister makes sure she doesn't make the wrong decision.
NOTES: A re-make of Fox's 1923 movie directed by Rowland V. Lee with Besslie Love as Julia, Harold Goodwin as Noble Dill, and Mary Arthur in the considerably smaller role of Florence Atwater. The fortieth movie to be adapted from a Booth Tarkington novel, story or play. (52 movies in all, plus TV and radio shows).
COMMENT: Fox had two popular child stars on the lot at the same time. Though Jane Withers never came near to eclipsing Shirley Temple, she did have quite a following.
Although its story and background are now extremely familiar, Gentle Julia is still a rather charming film. True, the humor in the slapstick scenes does not come across very well and Blystone is more at home in the gentler sections of the film with his sweeping tracking shots as the characters walk through the meticulously recreated small-town in the early 1900s sets.
The film is full of lovely characterizations - Marsha Hunt is charming in the title role and is almost unrecognizable as she lacks the mannerisms and make-up of her later portrayals. The other roles seem to be tailor-made for their players, particularly Withers, Brown, Meeker whom one is glad to see has a major role here, and there are some nice cameos by Ford ("I'm a fishman not a fisherman!"), Holman, McDaniel, Sully and Jones while Jackie Searl is almost as delightfully obnoxious as he was in the Tom Sawyer films.
Photography, sets, atmosphere are A-1. Love Meeker's songs especially the first one. The voice is dubbed but his miming is delightfully hammy.
Thanks to producer, Sol Wurtzel, for a "B" film, production values are exceptionally lavish.
