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Little Men
USA 1934
produced by Nat Levine for Mascot
directed by Phil Rosen
starring Frankie Darro, David Durand, Ralph Morgan, Erin O'Brien-Moore, Tad Alexander, Junior Durkin, Cora Sue Collins, Phyllis Cerf, Dickie Moore, Buster Phelps, Ronnie Cosby, Tommy Bupp, Robby Cox, Dickie Jones, Richard Quine, Donald Buck, Eddie Dale heiden, George Ernest, Hattie McDaniel, Jacqueline Taylor, Gustav von Seyfferitz, Margaret Mann
screenplay by Ken Goldsmith, Gertrude Orr, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, music by Hugo Riesenfeld
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Nat (David Durand), a homeless boy, has just been accepted by Professor
Bhaer (Ralph Morgan) and his wife Jo (Erin O'Brien-Moore) into their home
for homeless children, where he is simply overwhelmed by Jo's love and the
Professor's firm but just hand and skills as a teacher ... when he meets
his friend Dan (Frankie Darro), who has been fending for himself on the
streets for years. Nat persuades the Bhaers to accept Dan too, but Dan
proves to be a bit of a troublemaker, since years on the streets have
toughened him up, but nevertheless he tries to adapt, however hard that
is. Then money is stolen from one of the other kids, and Nat becomes the
prime suspect. Even Dan thinks Nat did it, but he is not one to let a
friend down, so he goes back to his days on the streets as a shoeshine boy
and makes the amount of money that was stolen, then secretly returns it to
the kid ... but he is seen doing so by Jack (Tad Alexander), who
immediately tells it to the Professor. This of course makes Dan the
logical culprit, and he is sent to another home for boys, that of Page
(Gustav von Seyfferitz), who runs his institution more like a juvenile
prison, and ultimately, Dan makes a getaway. In the meantime, spirits are
low at the Bhaer's place, since Dan's expulsion was a blow to everyone,
and then one of the boys even dies - and overcome by sorrow, Jack writes a
note confessing that he, not Dan or Nat, has stolen the money, and runs
away ... and once found, Dan is accepted back into the Bhaers' place with
open arms. Overly clichéd tearjerker that seems to be cheesy
for kitsch's sake and not much else. At least, Frankie Darro as tough boy
with a heart of gold turns in a solid performance, but that's not enough
to save the film.
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