During the early 1930s, there certainly wasn't any child star in Hollywood bigger than Jackie Cooper. In fact, he was so popular and highly praised that he even got an Oscar nomination during this time--and the crowds adored him. However, following his success in MGM's "The Devil is a Sissy", suddenly you see the boy in this film--by a poverty row studio such as Monogram! Talk about a come-down--it's sort of like being a starter for the New York Yankees one season and being sent to a AA ball club the next! It seems that Cooper's star was no longer on the rise--quite possibly because he was now in his mid-teens and was no longer that adorable kid he had been. Now he wasn't ugly or anything--just a normal 15 year-old--and back in 1937, no one seemed all that interested in 15 year-olds in films! Other ways you can see that Cooper's career was in serious decline are the limpness of the film and the insistence of Monogram in inserting their own Deanna Durbin-style singer throughout the film. This girl could sing but had no screen presence at all---and seriously detracted from the film and often overshadowed Cooper. Wow...how much difference a year and a different studio could make!
The plot is pretty familiar as it's one of many social commentary films made during the 1930s (one of the more popular styles of film at the time--and usually something you'd see from Warner Brothers). A young lady inherits an apartment building in the poor part of town (though it really didn't look THAT bad). The people there are a pathetic lot and there's a well-meaning but annoying doctor who works with them--and yells at the new owner even though he had no idea that she was innocent of his tirades. Naturally in the movie world this means they'll soon be in love! Overall, nothing particularly new or inspiring--just a low-budget mess with a now fading child star.
By the way, if you get a chance, try watching this film immediately after his previous film ("The Devil is a Sissy"). The drop in Cooper's voice is dramatic and he sure looks quite a bit older. Plus now, inexplicably, his blond hair is quite brown. And, the production values for this earlier film are about 1493923% better!
The plot is pretty familiar as it's one of many social commentary films made during the 1930s (one of the more popular styles of film at the time--and usually something you'd see from Warner Brothers). A young lady inherits an apartment building in the poor part of town (though it really didn't look THAT bad). The people there are a pathetic lot and there's a well-meaning but annoying doctor who works with them--and yells at the new owner even though he had no idea that she was innocent of his tirades. Naturally in the movie world this means they'll soon be in love! Overall, nothing particularly new or inspiring--just a low-budget mess with a now fading child star.
By the way, if you get a chance, try watching this film immediately after his previous film ("The Devil is a Sissy"). The drop in Cooper's voice is dramatic and he sure looks quite a bit older. Plus now, inexplicably, his blond hair is quite brown. And, the production values for this earlier film are about 1493923% better!