Wee Willie Winkie (1937)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Rudyard Kipling (story) and
Julien Josephson (writer)

Release Date:

30 July 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family

Plot:

Cherubic, adorable, and precocious Priscilla Williams lives in Colonial India with her dad, a Colonel...

Plot Keywords:

Colonel | Sergeant | Lieutenant | Captain | Corporal

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Shirley Temple	...	Priscilla 'Winkie' Williams
Victor McLaglen	...	Sgt. Donald MacDuff
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Col. Williams
June Lang	...	Joyce Williams
Michael Whalen	...	Lt. 'Coppy' Brandes
Cesar Romero	...	Khoda Khan
Constance Collier	...	Mrs. Allardyce
Douglas Scott	...	Pvt. Mott - Drummer Boy
Gavin Muir	...	Capt. Bibberbeigh
Willie Fung	...	Mohammaudin
Brandon Hurst	...	Bagby - Col. Williams's Valet
Lionel Pape	...	Maj. Allardyce
Clyde Cook	...	Pipe Major Sneath
Bunny Beatty	...	Miss Elsie Allardyce (as Lauri Beatty)
Lionel Braham	...	Maj. Gen. Hammond

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The original story by Rudyard Kipling was about a boy, Percival Williams, but this was changed to a girl, Priscilla Williams, in order for Shirley Temple to play the role.

Quotes:

Priscilla Williams: [on her new nickname] Wee Willie Winkie. It does sound like a soldier, doesn't it?
Sgt. Donald MacDuff: Aye.
Priscilla Williams: Then I'd be Private Winkie!
Sgt. Donald MacDuff: Private Winkie it is. A full-fledged soldier of the Queen!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Being Julia (2004)

Soundtrack:

Auld Lang Syne

Shirley Temple in Rudyard Kipling Tale of British India

India - the 1890's - the North-West Frontier. Precocious young Priscilla arrives with her widowed mother to live with the grandfather they've never met, a stern old Army Colonel. Gaining the nickname of Private WEE WILLIE WINKIE, the little girl quickly charms nearly everyone around her, including a tough Scots Sergeant. But it is her influence with the local bandit chief that portends the greatest impact on all their lives.

This was arguably Shirley Temple's finest film. It is certainly her most lavish. Fox & director John Ford fashioned a mini-epic with great atmosphere and much to please family viewers. The detailed sets & huge cast of extras do the picture proud.

Shirley is wonderful, as usual, in her own unique way, but this time she has a couple of co-stars that can hold their own with her. Victor McLaglen is every inch the embodiment of a bluff British sergeant - and well he should, given his real-life background as a boxing champion and Provost Marshal of Baghdad. Gruff & tender by turns, he gives an unforgettable performance. As Shirley's grandfather, marvelous old Sir C. Aubrey Smith gives another sterling portrayal as the archetype of the colonial officer class - crusty & domineering.

The rest of the cast is equally enjoyable: Cesar Romero as the chieftain; June Lang & Michael Whalen as Shirley's mother and her new lieutenant friend (fortunately their romance is unobtrusive); Willie Fung as the giggling, treacherous house boy; and Constance Collier as the waspish wife of a brigade officer.