Freddie Bartholomew is such a doll! It sure is a head-scratcher why he never received a Juvenile Oscar, but here at the Rag, we were proud to give him two Juvenile Rags in 1935 and 1936. With his adorable mannerisms and sweet innocent style of speech, he was perfectly cast in Little Lord Fauntleroy, a delightful classic.
Freddie lives with his mother Dolores Costello in a poor area of New York City. He has poor friends, Mickey Rooney, Jessie Ralph, and Guy Kibbee, but when he learns he's the heir to Earl C. Aubrey Smith, he's swept away to England and to a new world. There are so many sweet scenes in this movie, it's hard to pick one to describe, but one of my favorites is immediately following the news of his good fortune. He asks his benefactor, Henry Stephenson, for a small sum of money before he leaves America, and rather than spend it on himself, he buys each of his friends a present to remember him by. Each present is thoughtful, and his goodbye scenes with Mickey, Jessie, and Guy are very touching.
In England, he's acquainted with his grandfather, the gruff C. Aubrey, while his mother is banished to a separate cottage. Freddie tries to adjust to his new family member, as well as his new responsibilities as an heir, but he misses his mother terribly. Yes, you'll be able to see several tearful, sweet scenes between the little lord and "Dearest". Do you think he'll be able to soften C. Aubrey and mend the old family feud? You'll have to watch one of his cutest movies to find out. He's such a doll; if you've never seen him in a movie, you'll fall in love with him after this one. For your next movie night, rent David Copperfield!
Freddie lives with his mother Dolores Costello in a poor area of New York City. He has poor friends, Mickey Rooney, Jessie Ralph, and Guy Kibbee, but when he learns he's the heir to Earl C. Aubrey Smith, he's swept away to England and to a new world. There are so many sweet scenes in this movie, it's hard to pick one to describe, but one of my favorites is immediately following the news of his good fortune. He asks his benefactor, Henry Stephenson, for a small sum of money before he leaves America, and rather than spend it on himself, he buys each of his friends a present to remember him by. Each present is thoughtful, and his goodbye scenes with Mickey, Jessie, and Guy are very touching.
In England, he's acquainted with his grandfather, the gruff C. Aubrey, while his mother is banished to a separate cottage. Freddie tries to adjust to his new family member, as well as his new responsibilities as an heir, but he misses his mother terribly. Yes, you'll be able to see several tearful, sweet scenes between the little lord and "Dearest". Do you think he'll be able to soften C. Aubrey and mend the old family feud? You'll have to watch one of his cutest movies to find out. He's such a doll; if you've never seen him in a movie, you'll fall in love with him after this one. For your next movie night, rent David Copperfield!