Janet Gaynor is great in Daddy Long Legs (1931), even if the plot is a bit icky

If you have a soft spot for those old movies where everyone sounds like they are reciting poetry in a library, you should probably watch this. It is a sweet movie, mostly because of Janet Gaynor. But I’ll be honest, if you hate the 'older man adopts a girl then dates her' trope, you are going to have a bad time. It is a very 1930s kind of story.

The movie starts in an orphanage that looks like the most miserable place on earth. The kids all look like they haven't seen a piece of fruit in three years. There is this one little boy who just stands in the background of a few shots looking completely lost. I felt worse for him than for the main character, honestly.

Judy Abbott (Gaynor) is the oldest orphan and she basically runs the place. She is scrubbing floors and dealing with the cranky lady in charge. She has this *spark* though. Even when she is covered in dirt, she looks like she’s about to tell a joke. It’s why people liked her so much back then.

Then we meet Jervis Pendleton. He’s rich, he’s bored, and he sees Judy being charmingly rebellious. He decides to send her to college. The only rule? She can never know his name or see his face. She has to write him letters every month to tell him how her studies are going.

There is a scene where she sees his shadow on the wall. It’s stretched out and looks like a giant spider or something. She calls him Daddy Long Legs because of it. It’s supposed to be cute, but the lighting makes it look like a horror movie for a second.

Once Judy gets to college, the movie gets much lighter. It reminded me a bit of the vibe in Looking for Sally. Lots of girls in big dresses talking about boys and exams. Janet Gaynor wears these hats that are just... huge. I don't know how she kept her head up.

Una Merkel shows up as Judy's friend. She is the best part of the middle of the movie. She has this dry way of talking that makes everyone else seem a bit fake. Every time she’s on screen, the energy goes up. It’s a bit like the energy in Some Tomboy, just very bouncy.

The weird part starts when Jervis decides to visit the school. He doesn't tell Judy who he is. He just acts like a family friend of her roommate. Warner Baxter plays Jervis, and he’s fine, but he looks old. Like, significantly older than her.

They start hanging out and Judy starts falling for him. All the while, she is still writing these 'daughterly' letters to her secret benefactor. She doesn't realize she is writing to the guy she is flirting with. It’s a bit of a mess if you think about it.

There are some really long shots of Judy just sitting at a desk. She stares at the paper and thinks. You can tell the director really wanted us to see her emotions. But sometimes it goes on so long you start looking at the wallpaper in the background.

The movie has a few strange moments that don't really go anywhere. Like a subplot about a boy who likes Judy, but he just kind of disappears. It feels like they cut out a whole section of the script. It’s not as cohesive as something like The Love Piker.

Things I noticed while watching:

• The orphanage kids eat mush that looks like wet cardboard.
• Warner Baxter’s mustache is perfectly trimmed in every single scene, even when he's traveling.
• There is a dog in the background of one garden scene that looks very confused by the camera.
• The music gets really loud whenever Judy is sad.

The ending is very rushed. One minute she is heartbroken because she thinks she can't be with Jervis. The next minute, she finds out the truth and they are hugging. I wish there was more of a conversation about the whole 'secretly watching her grow up' thing. It’s a bit creepy!

But that was the style back then. They didn't worry about the power dynamics as much. They just wanted the big emotional finish. It’s definitely a better watch than White Pants Willie, which is just annoying. This one has a soul, even if it’s a dusty one.

If you like Janet Gaynor, you’ll love it. She is just so likable. You want her to win, even if the guy she wins is kind of a weirdo. It’s a solid Sunday afternoon movie. Just don't think too hard about the age difference and you’ll have a good time.

I think I liked the scenes of her being a 'poor orphan' more than the rich school scenes. There was more grit there. Once she gets rich, she just becomes another girl in a fancy hat. Still, it’s a classic for a reason, I guess. Or maybe people just liked the shadow.

Also, the way they filmed the letters appearing on screen was pretty clever for 1931. It’s much better than some of the stuff in Felix Puts It Over. It feels like they actually had a budget for this one. Anyway, it’s worth a look if you’re into the history of romance films.