"Wait 'til you see my new Pony and Duck!"
Curly Top is a 1935 American musical romantic comedy film starring Shirley Temple, John Boles, and Rochelle Hudson.Edward Morgan (Boles) is a wealthy bachelor who wants to adopt Elizabeth Blair (Temple), an orphan who refuses to leave behind her older sister Mary (Hudson). He adopts them both, and eventually falls in love with the older sister.
This film provides examples of:
- Cute, but Cacophonic: Elizabeth disrupts the orphanage with her often noisy antics, but few can stay angry with her for long.
- Fat and Skinny: The orphanage is run by the fat Mrs. Denham and the skinny Mrs. Higgins.
- Gleeful and Grumpy Pairing: The orphanage is run by the gleeful Mrs. Denham and the grumpy Mrs. Higgins.
- Heartwarming Orphan: Elizabeth is one.
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: True to form, Shirley Temple's character is so innocent and well meaning. See the ode to her character:You're just so full of sunshine
Folks agree
You could supply the world
With Vitamin D!
Two eyes that make
The heavens proud to be blue
Angel cake
It's just a copy of you! - Internal Reveal: The audience knows from the beginning that "Mr. Jones" is just an alias Morgan hiding behind, but Mary doesn't find out until the end of the film.
- Invented Individual: Mr. Jones, of course.
- Love Triangle: Mary Blair has one with Jimmie Rogers and Edward Morgan.
- Regal Ringlets: The film title is Elizabeth's nickname, which was inspired by Temple's famous curls.
- Relationship Reveal: At the end, Elizabeth walks in on Edward and Mary, and sees them kissing.
