Shirley Temple – Smiles & Curls Collection (Mill Creek Entertainment)
Picture: C Sound: C Extras: D Films/Shorts: C+
For being
such a big star, it is amazing how much of Shirley Temple’s work is not
available in optimal copies or even under copyright. That also means every company that can issue
product on DVD does and after Fox (who owns the original materials and most of
the copyrighted features) you’ll see other companies getting g out at least one
release. Mill Creek Entertainment has issued
Shirley Temple – Smiles & Curls
Collection including three feature films and a bunch of short subjects.
Like so
many of these sets, it includes The Little
Princess, but Fox has the best print.
You can read more about the film and that restored release at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5183/The+Shirley+Temple+Collection+-+Vol
The first
DVD of this double disc set also includes the mixed B-movie Western Law of Vengeance (1933) with Randolph
Scott and a nicely made Mystery film called The Red-Haired Alibi (1932) marking Temple’s debut at Indie and
would-be contender Tower Films. I liked
the acting, thought the Mystery was at least interesting, then add the costumes
and attempts to make it look costly and it is an interesting early sound film,
to boot.
Though
the box claims 14 features, 11 of them are shorts on DVD 2 and one is even a
Fox Newsreel! That leaves ten usually
from the Fox Films Baby Burlesk/The Baby Stars series that would never
get made today, is politically incorrect to say the least and was an attempt to
have another Our Gang/Little Rascals-like hit. We have seen them issued before, where I got
into detail about my feelings about them, as you can see at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1527/Shirley+Temple+Collection+(Koch)
1)
Dora’s Dunking Donuts
2)
Glad Rags To Riches
3)
Kid In Africa
4)
Kid In Hollywood
5)
Managed Money
6)
Merrily Yours
7)
Pardon My Pups
8)
Pie Covered Wagon
9)
Polly Tix In Washington (the ‘hooker’ short)
10) War Wagon
Like so
many shorts from the 1932-4 period, the quality is especially problematic. However, the 1.33 X 1 black and white image
on the features are better, if not perfect.
Little Princess has pale
color, Law is fuzzier than one would like and Alibi may be soft, but it is the
best looking of the bunch across the two discs.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is often weak and noisy, usually match the
pluses and minuses of the image. Some
may include the shorts as extras, but we will not. If we did, it would be the same rating
anyhow.
- Nicholas Sheffo
