We all know the early Shirley Temple movies are the best, but if you're a die-hard fan of the little curly top, you've probably seen Little Miss Broadway a couple of times. It's one of those "let's put on a show!" musicals that doesn't really have much of a story. Lots of unrelated songs, lots of performers, but all in all, not that great. Shirley Temple was credited to saving America from the Great Depression, and this movie served as a miniature tribute to her.
George Murphy is the manager of a small hotel, and he adopts little orphan Shirley. The hotel is populated with a bunch of out-of-work entertainers, and Shirley gets the idea of putting on a big show. They need backers (and Shirley sings a song about it), but the hotel owners, Donald Meek and Edna May Oliver, don't like showbiz and refuse to help. Will Jimmy Durante, Jane Darwell, Phyllis Brooks, and the others be able to make their mark on the stage?
Shirley is very sweet, but she's transitioning into her adolescence and you can see it in her eyes that she's tired of being a little girl. This probably won't end up as a favorite in your collection, but you can check it out on a rainy afternoon.