Watching Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) for the first time

Is it worth the time?

If you are in the mood for something that feels like a warm blanket on a rainy Sunday, yes.

You will probably hate it if you can't stand kids who are too perfect or if you find 1930s sentimentality annoying.

But if you like watching a mean old man get put in his place by a seven-year-old, it's actually pretty great.

I watched this last night while it was raining, and honestly, it hit the spot better than I expected.

The movie starts in Brooklyn, and it feels very different from the rest of the film.

Freddie Bartholomew plays Ceddie, and he is just... intensely polite.

He calls his mom "Dearest," which feels a bit weird by today's standards, but he says it with so much heart you kind of let it slide.

His friends in Brooklyn are the best part of the first act.

You have Guy Kibbee as the grocer and a very young Mickey Rooney as a bootblack.

Mickey Rooney is doing so much acting here, it’s like he’s trying to reach the back of a theater three blocks away.

It’s funny to see him so small and energetic compared to the more reserved Freddie.

Then the news comes that Ceddie is the heir to an Earldom because all his uncles died.

The transition to England is where the movie really finds its rhythm.

The castle is huge and cold, and so is the Earl of Dorincourt, played by C. Aubrey Smith.

I don't think anyone in the history of movies has had better eyebrows for playing a villain-turned-softie.

He spends the first twenty minutes scowling at his gouty foot and shouting at servants.

There is this one shot where he just stares at the back of the kid's head with total disgust.

It’s almost funny how much he wants to hate this boy.

But Ceddie is just so relentlessly nice that the old man doesn't stand a chance.

The kid thinks his grandpa is a great man because that’s what his mom told him.

It’s a bit like The Return of Peter Grimm in how it handles those family legacies and grumpy patriarchs.

The way the Earl tries to hide that he’s actually starting to like the boy is the best part of the acting.

One specific moment I loved was when they are eating dinner and the Earl is trying to be tough, but he keeps checking to see if Ceddie is impressed.

The velvet suits the kid has to wear are a lot to take in.

I wondered how they kept those curls so perfect in every single scene.

They look like they were carved out of wood.

The middle of the movie drags just a tiny bit when the "other" claimant shows up.

It feels like a plot point from a different, messier movie like A Lady of Quality.

It’s obvious it won't work out, so the tension feels a bit fake.

But it gives the Brooklyn friends a reason to come to England, which is fun.

Seeing Mickey Rooney in a fancy English estate is a total clash of worlds.

The ending is exactly what you think it will be, but that’s okay.

Sometimes you just want to see a happy ending where the mean guy buys everyone presents.

A few things I noticed:

• The dog in the castle is a top-tier movie dog. It has great timing.
• The mom, played by Dolores Costello, is so saintly it’s almost boring, but her hats are incredible.
• The lighting in the library scenes makes everything look very expensive.
• The kid's accent is very "fancy movie child," not really Brooklyn or British.

It isn't a masterpiece of deep thought, but it’s very sincere.

I think we’ve lost some of that sincerity in movies lately.

Anyway, if you like old black-and-white films that make you feel like a good person for watching them, give it a go.

It’s much better than some of the other stuff from that era, like Human Desires, which can be a bit of a slog.

Just be prepared for a lot of talk about honor and being a gentleman. 🎩

It’s a sweet little time capsule.