Sunshine

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Movie
German title Sunshine
Original title Stowaway
Country of production United States
original language English , Mandarin
Publishing year 1936
length 86 minutes
Rod
Director William A. Seiter
script William M. Conselman
Nat Perrin
Arthur Sheekman
production Darryl F. Zanuck
music Harry Revel
Mack Gordon
camera Arthur C. Miller
cut Lloyd Nosler
occupation

Sonnenscheinchen , distributed in Austria under the title Die kleine Ching-Ching , is an American comedy film from 1936 by William A. Seiter and starring Shirley Temple in the title role. At her side, Robert Young and Alice Faye play the leading adult roles.

action

The little American Barbara Stewart has lived as an orphan in the Chinese city of Sanchow since her parents were murdered by bandits. They all just call them "Ching-Ching". Sun Lo, the magistrate of Sanchow, asks Alfred Kruikshank and his wife to move their Ching-Ching ward to safety in the face of renewed threats from Chinese villains. Kruikshank refuses and so Sun Lo decides to commission his brother Chang to safely escort the little American to Shanghai by ship. On the way he steals from her and leaves Barbara and her little companion, a Pekingese , alone and penniless. Barbara has no choice but to get on her own feet and look for food. In the process, she comes across her compatriot Tommy Randall, a tourist whom she assists as a translator for Mandarin, when he runs into communication problems while buying a souvenir in a Chinese shop. Randall, a rich, self-centered playboy who travels around the world on the ocean liner “Victoria”, is instantly delighted with the little sunshine.

In view of her fate, Tommy wants to take Barbara with him to meet friends with whom he intends to go on the next night. But when he temporarily leaves her in his car, she runs after her dog when the latter is chasing a cat. When Tommy returns and Ching-Ching has disappeared, he is disappointed and gets drunk. When Ching-Ching returns with her dog, Tommy is no longer there, and so she decides to hide in the emergency seat with her dog in view of the onset of rain. She falls asleep. When Ching-Ching wakes up again, the car is stowed on the ship and Barbara, as the American film title suggests, has become a “stowaway”. The next morning she hides in the cabin of the American passenger Susan Parker and Mrs. Hope, who are traveling to Bangkok to meet Richard Hope, Mrs. Hope's son and Susan's fiancé. Eventually little Ching-Ching is discovered, and Susan cannot help her magic either. Since someone has to look after the minor, Susan initially takes on this protective function and temporarily becomes Barbara's guardian. Tommy, who would also have liked to take care of Ching-Ching, does not seem particularly suitable because of his reputation as a carefree and not overly responsible playboy.

Tommy and Susan are soon drawn to each other, and Mrs. Hope catches them kissing. Since the old lady fears that her son might soon lose his future wife, she sends him a telegram to meet her early. Landed in Hong Kong, Tommy, Susan and Ching Ching go ashore and attend a variety show. Then Tommy is carrying Susan across a very dirty street when Richard and Mrs. Hope walk by at this very moment. Mother and son Hope and Susan return to the ship while Tommy and Ching-Ching visit a tapestry shop. Due to a misunderstanding, Tommy is believed to be a suspected child kidnapper and he and Ching-Ching are sent to prison. The ship's captain of the “Victoria” saves her, but soon there will be new bad news. The child has to disembark, and so Barbara Stewart alias Ching-Ching is to be transferred to a mission girl's house in Shanghai. Tommy, who has devoured the little curly hair and would love to adopt it, has to learn that he cannot do that as a bachelor.

Tommy Randall is devastated. Ching-Ching, who had already played Cupid with the two lovers Tommy and Susan, can't do much here. As a last resort, the sun boy only sees a fictitious marriage with Susan to give Barbara a new home. Susan agrees. This leads to a serious confrontation with her fiancé Richard Hope and his mother. Susan finally realizes that Richard is selfish, heartless and cold, and then breaks off their engagement. Tommy and Susan marry so that they can adopt the little orphan, but agree that the marriage should only last on paper. When Susan wants to dissolve the marriage some time later in the divorce paradise Reno, Tommy tries to prove to her that he has changed and is no longer the thoughtless and selfish drunkard and nihilist of yore. But Susan doesn't trust the peace and wants to be re-engaged to Richard. Ching-Ching and divorce judge Booth team up and consider how to prevent the upcoming divorce. Ching-Ching succeeds in getting Tommy and Susan to confess their love to each other. So it comes to a happy ending, and Barbara sings under the Christmas tree in front of her new parents.

Production notes

Sunshine was written between late September and early December 1936, interrupted by almost four weeks when Shirley Temple and Alice Faye dropped out due to flu, and was premiered at a record-breaking pace on December 18, 1936 in New York. The German premiere took place on April 29, 1937.

Buddy G. DeSylva , Earl Carroll and Harold Wilson were the production managers, William Darling designed the film structures, Thomas Little took care of the equipment. Louis Silvers was musical director. Tommy and Betty Wonder designed the dances.

Shirley Temple presents several appearances imitating film favorites of the time such as Ginger Rogers , Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson . For her Rogers number, a life-size Fred Astaire doll was attached to her feet, and in the incarnation of Jolson, she sang his biggest hit song "Mammy".

There is also a colored version of this film.

music

The following songs can be heard:

  • "Goodnight My Love," "You've Gotta SMILE to Be HA-double-PY," and "One Never Knows, Does One?", Music and lyrics by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel.
  • "That's What I Want for Christmas". Music and text by Irving Caesar.

synchronization

role actor Voice actor
Barbara "Ching Ching" Stewart Shirley Temple Carmen Lahrmann
Tommy Randall Robert Young Harry Giese
Mrs. Hope Helen Westley Margarete Kupfer
Richard Hope Allan Lane Fritz Ley
Atkins servant Arthur Treacher Karl Friedrich
Captain of the "Victoria" Robert Greig CW castle

Reviews

" A nifty Shirley Temple comedy with musical accessories ."

- Variety , 1936

Frank Nugent wrote in the New York Times : “In" Stowaway, "a surprise package ... Miss Temple is not forced to do it alone, just armed with a variety show and a Pollyanna story. For the first time after several attempts she has an amusing script behind her, a likeable adult troupe with her and a clever director in front of her. The combination has produced a thoroughly entertaining romantic comedy, undoubtedly the best the gifted little chick has done since "Little Miss Marker". "

The Movie & Video Guide found: “ Predictable yet captivating ship history ”.

Halliwell's Film Guide commented, “ Very good star vehicle in which Shirley performs some of her best musical numbers. "

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Synchronized with dievergessenenfilme.wordpress.com
  2. ↑ Stowaway in The New York Times, December 19, 1936
  3. ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 1253
  4. ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 966

Web links