Daily Archives: December 15, 2013

The Terror of Tiny Town
Directed by Sam Newfield
Written by Fred Myton and Clarence Marks
1938/USA
Jed Buell Productions/Principal Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages, we’re going to present for your approval a novelty picture with an all midget cast, the first of it’s kind to ever be produced. I’m told that it has everything, that is everything that a western should have.[/box]

I found myself actually enjoying this exploitation picture.  I have definitely seen worse Westerns.

The Terror of Tiny Town features every component of the Westerns of the day including: feuding ranchers, a Romeo and Juliet romance between their kin, a cattle-rustling villain, his saloon-singer sweetie, a corrupt sheriff, and comic-relief townspeople.  But this Western adds a bunch of songs that are just the icing on the cake.

Is it wrong to enjoy an all-midget, all-singing Western?  Then I must plead guilty.  Once I got past the concept, I enjoyed it as much as the best “B” Western I have ever seen.

Clip – Saloon scene

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Directed by Allan Dwan
Written by Karl Tunberg and Don Ettlinger from a story by Kate Douglas Wiggin
1938/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Myrtle: Why, you poor child.

Rebecca Winstead: I’m not a poor child. I’m very self-reliant. My mother taught me to always be that way.[/box]

I thought this was one of the better Shirley Temple movies.

Radio producer Tony Kent (Randolph Scott)  is in search of Little Miss America for a show due to debut in a week.  He is having no luck finding her until Rebecca Winstead (Temple) and her greedy stepfather (William Demarest) turn up.  Needless to say, Rebecca fills the bill perfectly.  However, there is a miscommunication and Tony’s assistant Orville (Jack Haley) sends her away.  Her stepfather decides to turn Rebecca over to her (Great-) Aunt Miranda (Helen Westley) in the country.  Tony decides to spend the weekend at his farm which just so happens to adjoin Aunt Miranda’s.  There he falls in love with Rebecca and her Aunt Gwen (Gloria Stuart).  With Slim Summerville as Miranda’s erstwhile beau and Bill Robinson as Tony’s overseer.

The plot is as per unusual but the songs are unusually catchy, the story moves right along, and the cast of character actors shines.  Even Randolph Scott is more relaxed than normally.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3jMoUAuwWI

Trailer