Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

JohnHowardReid Copyright 20 June 1934 by Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy, 29 June 1934. U.K. release: December 1934. Australian release: 1 August 1934. New Zealand release: 26 January 1935. New Zealand length: 6,955 feet. 77 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Ex-criminal Eddie Ellison (James Dunn) has a hard time going straight.NOTES: Shirley Temple, acknowledged as the best juvenile performer of 1934, received a miniature statuette from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the Awards Ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel, 27 February, 1935.The stage play opened on Broadway at Daly's on 1 March 1926, and ran a surprisingly successful 144 performances. Russell Mack starred as the jittery ex-thief who tries to go straight, although everything conspires to send him back to jail. The play was directed by Albert Bannister, and produced by Bannister in association with Elmer Powell.COMMENT: Although this was Shirley's 23rd film, it was her first starring vehicle at Fox, following her huge success on loan-out to Paramount for "Little Miss Marker". For many years, all prints of this film were thought to be lost as the original negative and master prints were destroyed in a laboratory fire in 1935. However, a projection print in good condition, with only about 3 minutes of footage missing, credit and end titles complete and only a few minor scratches throughout, has come to light and from this a dupe negative has been made. From this unpromising material, the present colorized but otherwise very satisfactory, digitally restored release prints derive.Unfortunately, the film itself does not repay all this trouble, but at least it will not gain a totally undeserved reputation as a lost masterpiece by default. And besides its curiosity value, "Baby Take a Bow" boasts a cast of seasoned players — all of whom over-act atrociously. There is some excuse for this theatricality, however, in view of the melodramatic nature of the script. The whole film resembles an enthusiastic but distinctly amateur stage production. In fact, the script makes few attempts, other than the intriguing opening sequence and the roof-top climax, to open up the action of the original stage play.Harry Lachman's direction, for the most part, is disappointingly routine. Lachman was (and is still regarded as) a most distinguished painter in the post-impressionist tradition, but there is nothing in this movie that betrays an artistic eye. True, L. William O'Connell's photography does bring off a few attractively sinister effects with cross shadows on the faces of Ralf Harolde and Alan Dinehart, but otherwise the film has little visual appeal. In fact, production values generally are rather mediocre. In short, the Shirley Temple presented here isn't half as attractive as she was to become in her succeeding Fox pictures. It's interesting to note that in overseas markets, such as England and Australia, neither this film nor Shirley achieved either a good press or box-office success. However, her next film, "Now and Forever", in which she was billed third to Cooper and Lombard, proved to be a great money-spinner everywhere.

bkoganbing Baby Take A Bow is based on a Broadway play called Square Crooks and ran a respectable 150 performances in 1926 and also was a silent film in 1928. But noting in the credits of both the Broadway cast and the silent film I noted all the names save for an equivalent of Shirley Temple.Fox films showed some good judgment in grafting Shirley Temple's child character into this version. A couple of guys played by James Dunn and Ray Walker are trying to go straight and are succeeding. Both are employed by a wealthy family as chauffeurs. Dunn and Walker are married to Claire Trevor and Dorothy Libaire respectively. But Dunn and Trevor have that little bundle from heaven named Shirley Temple.Both these guys face a pair of menaces. A recently released con played by Ralf Harolde who tries to get them back in the life. And Alan Dinehart who is a private detective who would like to become a real cop, but they won't have him. His role model in law enforcement is Inspector Javert and he hounds Dunn and Walker especially after a jewel heist is pulled on their employer.Of course it's Shirley who in her innocent way gets Dunn and Walker out of a potential jackpot. Dunn and Trevor both have trouble keeping up with her.Fans of the eternal moppet will be pleased.

mark.waltz That's what practically everybody is wondering here. Ex-con James Dunn has been sacked from his job as a chauffeur because of a jewel heist at his employer's. But the real thief makes sure that his daughter (Shirley Temple) ends up with them so the police won't catch him with the stolen goods. With obnoxious detective Alan Dinehart on Dunn's trail, this threatens Dunn's freedom. But with "Little Miss Fix It" (Temple) on hand, its only a matter of time before everything is resolved. Having sung the song "Baby, Take a Bow!" in the same year's "Stand Up and Cheer!" (a homage to surviving the depression), Temple rose to top billing with this film. Dunn and his frequent co-star Claire Trevor play her loving parents and are just as good. This film gets a little agitating when Dinehart is on screen; He invades Dunn's house without a search warrant, and they simply let him go about his business. But these types of movies aren't always about reality; After all, this wasn't made at Warner Brothers where gangster films were a lot grittier and New York kids spoke with a tougher edge than Shirley can muster. Dunn and Temple perform a cute little number (a must in one of Shirley's films) that is the highlight of the film.

kidboots The first few films that Shirley made showed her as a cute, talented youngster in situations were the adults were adults and made most of the decisions. This was one of the few films where she had both a father and mother (who were fit and well). With "The Little Colonel" (1935) she became a star and appropriate vehicles were written so all the other actors supported her. I prefer the earlier films (when I watch Shirley Temple at all) when she was just a cute kid who was treated like a child by the adults around her.Kay (gorgeous Claire Trevor) is going to Ossining to meet Eddie Ellison who has just got out of Sing Sing. They are then off to Niagara Falls to be married. On the train she bumps into Welch (Alan Dinehart), a sleazy private investigator. He has always had a soft spot for her but she has never forgiven him for sending Eddie to jail. There is a nice scene at Niagara Falls where Eddie and Kay plan their future. (Dunn and Trevor made a couple of films together and have an easy camaraderie). Six years later Eddie is a chauffeur at the wealthy Carson residence and he has also secured his friend Larry Scott a job. Adorable Shirley Temple plays their little daughter Shirley, who we first meet at a dancing school where she is showing her mother a new step she has learned. There are several scenes involving Shirley doing cute things (playing hide and seek with her daddy, doing morning exercises with her mother).The main story is more dramatic than the usual Temple fare with Ellison and Scott trying to go straight. They are being stymied at every turn by Welch, who has a vendetta against them. Another inmate, Trigger,(Ralf Harolde) is released and steals some pearls from the Carson residence. Ellison and Scott, who have kept quiet about their stay in the big house are found out and reluctantly asked to leave their jobs. That night there is a big rooftop party for Shirley and she (looking completely gorgeous in a frilly pink party dress) and Eddie steal the show with a catchy and comic rendition of "On Accounta I Love You". They also do a cute dance. It is clear that she and Dunn had great chemistry together.Trigger sees Shirley playing in the street and gives her the pearls to hide - she instantly starts a hide and seek game with her unsuspecting dad, his friend Larry and Welch. The pearls eventually end up in a carpet sweeper, the carpet sweeper is emptied in the trash and the pearls are gone. There is an exciting chase across the rooftops with Trigger kidnapping little Shirley. (Is this the first and only time Shirley was manhandled by a baddie???) There is a shoot out with Eddie hurt but in the end triumphant.You somehow know Claire Trevor is destined for better things. She doesn't have a lot to do but makes the most of the key scenes she has.Greatly Recommended.