Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)
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72% of users liked it
(2,315 ratings)
Previously filmed in 1917 and 1932, Kate Douglas Wiggins' bucolic novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is herein refashioned--and completely, totally, utterly rewritten--as a vehicle for 10-year-old Shirley Temple. Unable to land a radio contract for himself and his niece Rebecca Winstead (Temple),… More Previously filmed in 1917 and 1932, Kate Douglas Wiggins' bucolic novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is herein refashioned--and completely, totally, utterly rewritten--as a vehicle for 10-year-old Shirley Temple. Unable to land a radio contract for himself and his niece Rebecca Winstead (Temple), fly-by-night vaudevillian Henry Kipper (William Demarest) leaves the girl in the care of her aunt, Miranda Wilkins (Helen Westley), who runs a little farm with the help of hired hands Homer (Slim Summerville) and Aloysius (Bill Robinson). Miranda has an intense dislike for "show folks", but her next-door neighbor Anthony Kent (Randolph Scott), a talent scout for a major radio network, sees great possibilities in the talented Rebecca and secretly arranges an audition. In short order, Rebecca becomes the biggest sensation on the airwaves, whereupon the mercenary Kipper returns out of nowhere and demands that Miranda return the girl to his care. By now, Rebecca and Miranda have grown to love one another dearly, and the girl doesn't want to leave the farm, but she does what she is told--only to foil the conniving Kipper with a convenient last-minute "illness" (a scene that provides a showcase role for Franklin Pangborn) as a nervous standby organist). Future Titanic costar Gloria Stuart appears as Gwen Warren, obligatory love interest for Anthony Kent. Musical highlights include a medley of hit tunes from Shirley Temple's previous films (including, inevitably, "On the Good Ship Lollipop"), and a climactic tap duet spotlighting Temple and the inimitable Bill Robinson, danced to the tune of Raymond Scott's "Toy Trumpet". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Allan Dwan
- Written By
- Karl Tunberg, Don Ettlinger, Ben Markson, William Conselman
- Genres
- Kids & Family, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Mar 18, 1938 Wide
- Studio
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Mild vehicle shows interesting sets and the nostalgia of radio.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Shirley Temple
as Rebecca Winstead
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Randolph Scott
as Anthony Kent
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Jack Haley
as Orville Smithers
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Gloria Stuart
as Gwen Warren
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Phyllis Brooks
as Lola Lee
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Helen Westley
as Aunt Miranda Wilkins
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Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
as Aloysius
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George "Slim" Summerville
as Homer Busby
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J. Edward Bromberg
as Dr. Hill
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Alan Dinehart
as Purvis
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Dixie Dunbar
as Receptionist
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Paul Hurst
as Mug
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William Demarest
as Henry Kepper
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Ruth Gillette
as Melba
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Paul Harvey
as Cyrus Bartlett
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Clarence H. Wilson
as Jake Singer
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Sam Hayes
as Radio Announcer
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Gary Breckner
as Radio Announcer
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Carroll Nye
as Radio Announcer
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Franklin Pangborn
as Hamilton Montmarcy
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William Wagner
as Rev. Turner
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Eily Malyon
as Mrs. Turner
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Mary McCarty
as Florabelle
- Lynn Bari
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Raymond Scott and His Quintet
as Themselves
