The Blue Bird (1940) was better than “The Wizard Of Oz”

The Shirley Temple troll?

One can only hope that OP is a troll and this post is a complete joke. That movie is largely insufferable, although the very early technicolor photography has held up beautifully.

Shirley Temple was a brilliant performer. She couldn’t sing like Judy but she certainly had more charisma and was better at tap dancing.

Judy and Shirley weren’t competitors, were they? I consider most of ST’s work to be before the age of 10 whereas JG’s roles were after the age of 10. Both lit up the screen and oozed charisma. Love them both and the work they leave behind.

SHirley's film, The Little Princess, made the same year as Oz is a really good film, The Bluebird is crap... however, it's still better than that monstrocity of a remake from the 70's.

[quote]Judy and Shirley weren’t competitors, were they? I consider most of ST’s work to be before the age of 10 whereas JG’s roles were after the age of 10. Both lit up the screen and oozed charisma. Love them both and the work they leave behind.

This is the truth of the situation, despite idiotic comments from others in this thread.

Judy was more rivals with Deanna Durbin.

Shirley didn't compete with anyone. She did her thing and went home. Show business was all Judy had. In her adult interviews you could tell Shirley barely has a fuck to give about her show biz days. 🛥️ 🍭

You're not still in that shit business, Judy, are you?

OP is just being silly.

"The Blue Bird" is terrible, and Miss Temple was beyond the age where her fabled talents could convey charming precocity. She had begun her "I am trying the same techniques and I seem like an unintelligent and unappealing egotist" years.

In her autobiography, "Child Star", Temple stated she was not fond of the boy who played her brother in "The Blue Bird", she admitted being a bit jealous, he was cute & younger. I recall this movie making me cry as a child (the scene with the unborn lovers being seperated), it's a rather morose & odd movie.

I admit to a fondness for Young People, which she filmed the same year as The Blue Bird. It's basically the same film as the later Grable movie, Mother Wore Tights, which definitely is a better film, but Young People does have Charlotte Greenwood, so how bad could it be?

This Blue Bird was the best of all of them.

Shirley called Bill Robinson the "N" word and hit Lionel Barrymore in the nuts on "The Little Colonel."

She was an adorable cunt.

Oh please. Shirley was told not to touch Bill Robinson in the dance sequence, but she grabbed his hand anyway. She talks about her relationship with Robinson in her book.

[quote] I still think Shirley shat al over Judy when it comes to talent.

Al Jolson?

Stealth scat thread

I saw the Elizabeth Taylor "Blue Bird" in the theater as a 10-year old and loved it!

My friend’s mom was obsessed with Shirley Temple. I found it odd since she was one of the most loathsome individuals I’ve ever known.

Shirley's star decidedly faded in 1939 the year both The Wizard of Oz and The Bluebird was released. With that said, she was the biggest box office star for several years running, making her along with Mary Pickford, Doris Day and Julia Roberts the biggest female box-office stars in Hollywood history.

[quote] The Bluebird is crap... however, it's still better than that monstrocity of a remake from the 70's.

Back in the 80s that showed up on some cable channel and we stumbled across it. I just remember my mom saying “What the hell *is* this?” after watching for awhile. It was very out of character for my mom to curse even mildly like that so I always chuckle when I hear the title

“Heidi” and “Little Miss Broadway” were my favorite Shirley films.

This is NOT what I meant.

Whata rack!

It's sort of like the Xanadu of 1940

I watched Wee Willie Winkie starring ST when stoned and I wept.

Wee Willie Winkie had homo Cesar Romero in it

Shirley did two films with the beautiful Alice Faye.

Alive Faye, now that’s a star DL should talk about more.

I saw The Blue Bird (1940) at a kiddee matinee at my local theater in the early 70s and found it very entertaining. I recall the somewhat sobering themes and adult emotions, plus the beautiful color, the unborn babies, the conflagration and of course Shirley Temple.

With the right expectations I think it can be a very interesting and enjoyable film.

Naturally I think it should be on a double-bill with Shirley's last Fox film, the underrated "Young People".

YOURE AN IDIOT

R29, I would think THE BLUE BIRD (1940) would be far more enjoyable by children than by adults -- at least, by children back in the day, in a time simpler than our own. But for most adults, I think it's far too obvious in its manipulative tear-jerking, and the themes are handled almost with a sledge hammer. If the acting and direction were far more subtle and real, I think it would be a far better film.

While she and others may have thought so, Shirley never had the talent Judy had. She went to MGM, but it bombed harder than Mariah in Glitter.

A child actress from the film died shortly after film.

Four-year-old Caryll Ann Ekelund appears as an unborn child in the film. On Halloween 1939, Ekelund's costume caught fire from a lit jack-o-lantern. She died from her burns several days later and was buried in her costume from the film. Ekelund came from a showbusiness family; her older sister was actress Jana Lund.

The posters for the film are stunning. Google them.

[quote]Shirley's star decidedly faded in 1939 the year both The Wizard of Oz and The Bluebird was released. With that said, she was the biggest box office star for several years running, making her along with Mary Pickford, Doris Day and Julia Roberts the biggest female box-office stars in Hollywood history.

Shirley Temple was the #1 movie star in 1935-1938, ahead of superstars like Clark Gable and Fred & Ginger.

She ranked #8 in 1934 and #5 in 1939.

In that period, she also won a special Oscar for her box office power and being the cheerful face of Hollywood during the grim Depression years.

She's the greatest child star ever!

Incidentally, Judy Garland made the list a few times but not in the top spot and never in direct competition with Shirley Temple: 1940 (#10)), 1941 (#10), 1945 (#9).

As others have pointed out, the careers of Judy Garland and Shirley Temple are not really comparable for several reasons, including the fact that most of Shiirley's starring roles in films came when she was a very young, pre-pubescent child, which was not the case with Judy.

There are some really fucked up things in The Bluebird. There’s a land of yet-to-be born children, where Shirley meets her soon-to-be-sister. Shirley’s excited until she’s told her future sister isn’t going to live very long.

Yes, R37, and then there are the two unborn children who are holding each other and crying because they're in love with each other and they somehow know they're going to be born in different time periods, so they won't be able to be a couple on earth. In order to try to make this a little less creepy, those two kids are played by teenagers rather than pre-pubescents, but it's still pretty creepy and very treacly.

History has pretty much made its final judgment. Few have ever or are currently clamoring for The Shirley Temple Story. Her most memorable depiction is as the nightmarish crux of Day of the Locust.

La Temple is way too cringe to have stood the test of time. Mostly people just want to smack her.

Incidentally, 2001 was a good year to be a Classic Hollywood obsessed gayling like myself.

That year saw the following TV biopics:

- "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" with Judy Davis in February.

- "Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story" with Connie Britton as Shirley's mom in May.

- "Blonde" with Poppy Montgomery as Marilyn Monroe in May.

"- James Dean" with James Franco in August.

I anticipated each and every one.

That's how I recall my pre-9/11 spring/summer.

R35, Imagine abruptly falling to #5 after 3 years on top. Poor Shirley.

[quote]La Temple is way too cringe to have stood the test of time. Mostly people just want to smack her.

The pouty syrupy delivery of her lines is excruciating. Judy's acting at a young age seems contemporary, it still holds up.

It's no surprise that Temple could not transition successfully to adult roles. She just wasn't much of an actress.

Imagine if Temple had played Dorothy, what different film The Wizard of Oz would have been.

For R39.

I think they're two very different movies and I like them both for different reasons.

But the unborn children scene in The Blue Bird is one of the more jaw-dropping scenes I've seen in any movie.

The best part was the forest fire.

[quote]But the unborn children scene in The Blue Bird is one of the more jaw-dropping scenes I've seen in any movie.

I agree, and I'd be interested to hear exactly what you find jaw-dropping about it. I assume that one young man is supposed to be Abraham Lincoln, although no one ever quite says that?

[quote]I'd be interested to hear exactly what you find jaw-dropping about it.

That it was integrated. Ike nearly choked on his popcorn when we saw this at the theater.

Here's the little crispy critter mentioned at R33.

One of my favorite ST scenes:

Another good one

I wonder if Gale Sondergaard ever regretted saying no to The Wizard Of Oz and yes to this piece of shit?

That is so sad and horrible about the way that little girl died. I think it's pretty disgusting that anyone would joke about it as you did, R49, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Really.

YOU OTTA BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF FRIGHTENING HIM LIKE THAT WHEN HE CAME TO YOU FOR HELP!

R49 - That clip should read: "Pre-Mortal WHITE Spirit World"

Only one of the films was made better by the work of legendary character actress Margaret Hamilton. And it wasn't the Temple flick.

I just recently watched Temple's "Heidi", and was genuinely impressed by her acting ability, at such a young age. She tapped and pouted, but Shirley Temple was the real deal. One thing she wasn't: genuine competition for Judy Garland.

R47, the reason I felt that way about the scene was because of the way it totally ignored any Christian dogma (huge point in its favor for me) — sure, the whole movie was a fantasy but even so there was something about it that was somehow so oddly realistic. It’s hard to explain. Oh, I also picked up on the Lincoln similarity, which brought reincarnation to mind. The “mothers” singing the children to earth was downright eerie. And the unborn sister who couldn’t stick around when born cast a shadow on the movie’s supposedly happy ending.

It’s a very philosophical film. The WOZ was philosophical too, but in a much more conventional way.

[quote]I wonder if Gale Sondergaard ever regretted saying no to The Wizard Of Oz and yes to this piece of shit?

Um, as she did wardrobe and make-up tests for Oz, I don't think she said no. She couldn't be made unattractive enough, so they let her go.

The visit with the dead grandparents ...

Yeah, I can't imagine that Margaret Hamilton would have been next on the list if they were still going for a Gale Sondegaard type.

R59, that reminded me of Peggy Sue Got Married (a movie that made me totally lose my shit).

[quote]She couldn't be made unattractive enough, so they let her go.

Au contraire, r58...

[quote]During pre-production of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's classic The Wizard of Oz (1939), an early idea was to have the Wicked Witch of the West portrayed as a slinky, glamorous villainess in a black, sequined costume, inspired by the Evil Queen in Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Sondergaard was cast as the witch and photographed for two wardrobe tests, both of which survive—one as a glamorous witch, and another as a conventionally ugly one. After the decision was made to have an ugly witch, Sondergaard, reluctant to wear the disfiguring makeup and fearing it could damage her career, withdrew from the role, and it went to veteran character actress Margaret Hamilton.

[quote] While she and others may have thought so, Shirley never had the talent Judy had.

First of all, that's pretty much apples and oranges.

But though Temple was never the singer garland was, Garland was never the dancer Temple was... at age seven!

I know her delivery can be cloying and it's easy to criticize, but Shirley Temple was phenomenally talented, especially when you consider she was little more than a baby during the early part of her heyday. She was naturally charming and adorable.

R50, I could have sworn that there was a part of that scene in which Shirley and Bill are dancing the stairs singing something like, "Nyeh-nyeh-nyeh, nyeh-nyeh-nyeh, nyeh-nyeh-nyeh ne nyeh-nyeh-nyeh." Do you know what I mean? Is it in a different movie?

[quote]Garland was never the dancer Temple was

Here, pregnant with Liza...

Interesting, R57. I thought you meant you found that scene "jaw-dropping" in a bad way, but apparently you meant in a good way??? I have to disagree!

I meant it in an astonishing way.

I think this was her next-to-last film under her Fox contract from the 1930s, and I actually like her final one, “Young Folks,” more.

I think Judy could old-school shuffle in the vaudeville style pretty convincingly when needed, like she did with Fred in just one of such scenes in 1948’s MGM film “Easter Parade.”

By a strange coincidence, both Temple and her "Blue Bird" co-star Johnny Russell (aka John R. Countryman) both became United States ambassadors, she to Ghana and he to Oman. Temple's mother tried to have Johnny replaced by an actor closer to Shirley's age because she thought a younger actor would be perceived as cuter than aging Shirley, but Darryl Zanuck refused. Countryman is still alive; he just turned 91.

Yeah, but in 95% of Judy's film performances she reads as being on the brink of being institutionalized. With Post Meet Me in St. Louis Judy a little goes a loooong waayy.

The video at R49 is all kinds of crazy. The section with Shirley meeting her soon to be dead sister starts around 2:30.