This unremarkable film got a lot of notoriety in the 1970s when it was included in the book "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time". The film isn't good but it's nowhere near one of the worst films ever made! Mary Hagen (Shirley Temple) is believed to be the illegitimate child of Tom Bates (Ronald Reagan!). He left town when she was a baby and Mary was adopted by the Hagens--a kindly elderly couple. He returns when she's 18 and in high school. The rumors start up again and the town starts to do everything to make Mary feel like it's her fault that she's illegitimate.
This easily has some bizarre casting. Temple maybe being the illegitimate kid of Reagan is pretty silly but then we have Lois Maxwell as a kind teacher and Rory Calhoun playing her boyfriend! Casting aside this film is obvious and pretty silly by today's standards. The script is dreadful--full of bad dialogue and incredibly clichéd situations. A deathbed confession actually had me laughing out loud! Still, it is a somewhat interesting view of how small towns (and minds) treated illegitimate kids back in the 1940s.
The acting is pretty bad by the leads--Reagan seems unsure of what he's doing and seeing Temple trying to act--well it's not pretty! Maxwell and Calhoun easily give the best performances. This was well made on a small budget and was (for its time) a pretty risky subject. Worth seeing for camp value alone. Wait'll you see Temple playing Juliet in the school play! Most puzzling line: "Why don't you go away and catch yourself you foul ball!" (???????????)
This easily has some bizarre casting. Temple maybe being the illegitimate kid of Reagan is pretty silly but then we have Lois Maxwell as a kind teacher and Rory Calhoun playing her boyfriend! Casting aside this film is obvious and pretty silly by today's standards. The script is dreadful--full of bad dialogue and incredibly clichéd situations. A deathbed confession actually had me laughing out loud! Still, it is a somewhat interesting view of how small towns (and minds) treated illegitimate kids back in the 1940s.
The acting is pretty bad by the leads--Reagan seems unsure of what he's doing and seeing Temple trying to act--well it's not pretty! Maxwell and Calhoun easily give the best performances. This was well made on a small budget and was (for its time) a pretty risky subject. Worth seeing for camp value alone. Wait'll you see Temple playing Juliet in the school play! Most puzzling line: "Why don't you go away and catch yourself you foul ball!" (???????????)