Shirley Temple and the Staircase Shuffle: Watching The Little Colonel

Should you watch this?

If you have a high tolerance for 1930s sentimentality and want to see the exact moment Shirley Temple became the biggest star on the planet, then sure. You’ll probably hate it if you can't stand sugary sweet dialogue or the deeply uncomfortable racial dynamics of old Hollywood.

Let's be honest. Nobody is watching The Little Colonel for the complex plot about land disputes or family pride. It is a vehicle. Pure and simple. Shirley Temple is everywhere, and she’s essentially doing the heavy lifting for every single scene she is in.

The Dancing

Then there is the stair dance. You know the one. Bill Robinson and Shirley Temple, clicking their heels on those steps. It’s impossible to look away. There’s this strange, rhythmic joy in it that feels so much more alive than the rest of the stiff, stagey scenes. It’s magic, honestly. Even when the movie feels like a dusty book you found in an attic, those few minutes hold up perfectly.

Lionel Barrymore is here, too. He spends most of the runtime scowling and playing the 'grumpy old man' trope to the absolute max. It feels a bit like he’s in a different movie entirely, one that’s a bit darker and less interested in being cute.

Odd Observations

• Shirley’s hair is styled so perfectly it must have taken a team of engineers to keep those curls in place.
• The dialogue sounds like it was written by someone who had never actually spoken to a real child in their entire life.
• There is a scene where someone is just standing in a hallway for a beat too long, looking like they forgot their next line.
• Hattie McDaniel manages to add a bit of real grit even when the script doesn't really want her to.

It’s a strange experience to sit through this today. You catch yourself thinking about how different the pacing is compared to something more frantic like Tin Pan Alley. The world of this movie feels small, artificial, and carefully curated. It’s like a dollhouse that someone is constantly rearranging while you are trying to watch.

The movie gets noticeably better once it stops trying to build up the drama and just lets the performers do their thing. It’s not a masterpiece, and it’s certainly not for everyone. But for those five minutes on the staircase? It’s a classic. 🩰