Shirley Temple Films

Production Background

The Little Princess is a 1939 Twentieth Century-Fox feature directed by Walter Lang and produced by Gene Markey as associate producer, with Darryl F. Zanuck overseeing production. The film runs 93 minutes and was released March 10, 1939. Initial budget was over $1 million; the final cost reached $1.3 million.

The screenplay by Ethel Hill and Walter Ferris is described in the Wikipedia article as 'loosely based on the 1905 novel' by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The script retains the Victorian London setting but introduces new characters and uses the Second Boer War and the Siege of Mafeking as historical backdrop, departing substantially from the novel's ending.

Cinematography is credited to Arthur C. Miller and William Skall; editing to Louis Loeffler. The music team includes Charles Maxwell, Cyril J. Mockridge, Herbert W. Spencer and Samuel Pokrass. The Wikipedia article identifies The Little Princess as Temple's 'first Shirley Temple movie to be filmed completely in Technicolor,' a significant technical milestone in her career.

Synopsis

Set in 1899 England, Sara Crewe's father departs to fight in the Boer War, leaving his daughter at Miss Minchin's School. Initially privileged, Sara's circumstances change drastically when her father is reported dead and his assets are confiscated. She becomes a servant at the school, enduring mistreatment while clinging to her belief that her father is alive. With support from Ram Dass and her teacher's brother Bertie, Sara performs musical numbers and a ballet sequence. The climax takes place at a hospital, where Queen Victoria grants Sara permission to search for her father; she discovers him alive but unconscious. Their reunion, with Victoria's blessing, ends the film.

Cast & Crew

• Director: Walter Lang
• Associate Producer: Gene Markey
• Production oversight: Darryl F. Zanuck
• Screenplay: Ethel Hill and Walter Ferris
• Based on the 1905 novel by: Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Cinematography: Arthur C. Miller and William Skall
• Editor: Louis Loeffler
• Music: Charles Maxwell, Cyril J. Mockridge, Herbert W. Spencer, Samuel Pokrass
• Choreography / ballet instruction: Ernest Belcher
• Sara Crewe: Shirley Temple
• Geoffrey Hamilton: Richard Greene
• Rose: Anita Louise
• Captain Reginald Crewe: Ian Hunter
• Ram Dass: Cesar Romero
• Hubert 'Bertie' Minchin: Arthur Treacher
• Mistress Amanda Minchin: Mary Nash
• Additional cast: Sybil Jason, Miles Mander, Marcia Mae Jones
• Queen Victoria: Beryl Mercer

Behind the Scenes

The Little Princess was the first Shirley Temple feature filmed entirely in Technicolor — a major investment for Fox that pushed the budget past $1 million and ultimately to about $1.3 million. The production paid close attention to period authenticity: designers held costume and prop work to 1899 specifications, and production was halted when snap fasteners (an anachronism — not invented until 1908) were discovered on one costume, requiring a redesign.

Technicolor's color-rendering needs reshaped small production choices. Artificial green straw, used to look correct on color film, caused Temple's rented pony Spunky to become restless. The pony was eventually removed from the picture, and his appearance fee was lost.

Ballet instructor Ernest Belcher trained Temple for an extended dance sequence within the film's dream-ballet structure. During an ash-dumping scene with co-star Marcia Mae Jones, Temple requested a second take — possibly, the Wikipedia article suggests, to 'let off steam' after another actor had received attention — but director Walter Lang declined the retake.

A distinctive on-set incident concerned Temple's request for her own IBM punch-card time clock so she could clock in and out. Studio staff initially rebuffed the idea, but Lang eventually approved it. IBM provided a custom embossed recorder with personalized punch cards bearing Temple's photograph; the studio's actual payroll continued to use regular timecards.

Temple's pairing with Cesar Romero (as Ram Dass) was her third with Romero, following Wee Willie Winkie and Ali Baba Goes to Town, both released in 1937. The film, with Queen Victoria appearing in the climax, leans into late-Victorian patriotism — fitting for a 1939 release whose audience was on the brink of a new world war.

Reception & Legacy

Variety praised the adaptation as 'accomplished most successfully,' noting the story remained 'saccharine to the nth degree' but progressed acceptably with screen-appropriate modifications. Benjamin R. Crisler's New York Times review concluded that the film would be 'pure hokum' with any other child performer but, with Temple, 'may very well be...the greatest picture' associated with producer Zanuck. Decades later, Janet Maslin described the film as 'antiquated enough to seem charming,' praising its music, 'corny but likable' performances and 1939 patriotic context, and noting that the happy ending would move viewers to tears. Wikipedia identifies The Little Princess as Temple's 'last major success as a child star.' The film entered the public domain in 1968 when copyright claimants failed to renew registration in its 28th year.

Fun Facts

• Released March 10, 1939 by Twentieth Century-Fox.
• Directed by Walter Lang; Darryl F. Zanuck oversaw production with Gene Markey as associate producer.
• Shirley Temple's first feature shot entirely in Technicolor.
• Final budget approximately $1.3 million.
• Loosely based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1905 novel, with the Boer War and Siege of Mafeking added.
• Third film pairing Shirley Temple with Cesar Romero, after Wee Willie Winkie and Ali Baba Goes to Town (both 1937).
• Production halted when anachronistic snap fasteners were spotted on an 1899-set costume.
• Temple's rented pony Spunky was dropped from the film after artificial green straw made him restless.
• IBM provided Temple with a custom embossed punch-card time clock featuring her photograph.
• Choreographer Ernest Belcher trained Temple for the film's ballet sequence.
• Beryl Mercer appears as Queen Victoria.
• Entered the public domain in 1968 after non-renewal of copyright.
• Identified by Wikipedia as Temple's last major success as a child star.