(1936)
2.5
Craig Butler
Dimples could be considered a somewhat atypical Shirley Temple vehicle, although not because of anything involving the story, screenplay or direction. It's atypical because another performer actually gives Temple a run for her money, which rarely happened in her young career. The performer in question is veteran Frank Morgan, taking the clichéd reprobate grandpa character he's been given and taking the tired dialogue that goes along with it and fashioning a portrait that is enormously engaging and that quite captures the audience's sympathy. Morgan doesn't steal the picture from Temple, mind you; Dimples is still the little tyke's show all the way, and she doesn't give any less than her customary 110% from first frame to last. But Morgan does manage to make a very striking presence, and to give Temple someone strong to play off of, which in turn makes her own performance come across more vividly. The script is the usual melodramatic nonsense that exists to allow Temple to sing, dance and jerk a few tears, and she does it all quite well, even if the sentimentality is laid on especially thick in this story. Modern viewers should beware that Dimples features not only poor Stepin Fetchit's torturous turn but also a blackface segment. The choreography, by Bill "Bojangles" Robinson is quite good, and executed quite well by Temple.
cast-crew for Dimples on AllMovie
Dimples (1936)
crew
-
Louis Silvers
- Musical Direction/Supervision, Composer (Music Score)
 - Cast and Crew - AllMovie &p[summary]= &p[url]=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allmovie.com%2Fmovie%2Fdimples-v13808%2Fcast-crew &p[images][0]=http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/2/Open/20th%20Century%20Fox/Dimples/_derived_jpg_q90_116x177_m0/Dimples-BoxArt.jpg?partner=allrovi.com){kind=link}