Taken in by missionaries, an orphaned American girl's life is in danger when bandits invade Sanchow, China; she ends up stranded in Shanghai, where she befriends a bachelor American who travels the world. Vehicle for America's Sweetheart, Shirley Temple, is a little lax in all departments (not funny enough for a comedy, not poignant enough for a drama), although the pint-sized star is adorable speaking fluent Chinese! The musical moments are welcomed, but the plot is contrived, the production seems cheap, and Temple has a far stronger connection with Philip Ahn as loyal friend Sun Lo then she does with either Robert Young or Alice Faye. Director William A. Seiter does pedestrian work; nothing is spontaneous--it all seems overly-rehearsed, overly-polite--and the only charisma is generated by Temple when she's allowed to be natural and a little scruffy. ** from ****

Ching Ching, er, Barbara (Shirley Temple) is the young daughter of missionaries to China. Unfortunately, her parents were killed and her present guardian, a fellow minister, is determined to stay put, even though lethal bandits are coming to the village. Therefore, a Chinese citizen who knew the little gal's parents whisks her secretly away to Shanghai. However, things get confusing when Ching Ching's new caretaker suddenly vanishes (with the tot's own piggy bank). Now, on the streets of Shanghai, Barbara is fortunate to run into millionaire American Tommy Randall (Robert Young), who is attempting to buy a dragon head at a local market but can't speak the language. When Ching Ching helps him with his business, the two begin to talk and Randall discovers she is parentless and homeless. Tommy's plan is to watch over her but when he leaves her in the car to talk with friends, she hides in the trunk with her dog, Mr. Wu, as rain starts to fall. Coming back, Tommy thinks she has taken off and he drives his car back to the ship, where the auto is loaded onto the vessel. Thus, Ching Ching is a "stowaway". But soon, the two are reunited, even though Tommy has a strong reputation as a playboy whose own butler, Atkins (Arthur Treacher) often covers for him. Alas, the ship's captain is determined to find another home for Barbara in the meanwhile. But then, Barbara makes friends with a lovely young woman, Susan (Alice Faye), who is engaged to a stuffed shirt in Bangkok, and the little lady introduces her to Tommy. Could there be a little matchmaking and family planning in Ching Ching's mind? This is a lovely film that I have admired since childhood. When I was a girl, "Shirley Temple Theater" came on every Sunday, as one of the local channels was obviously keen to find suitable viewing material for the church going crowd. My opinion is that if you have never seen a Shirley film, this is a good one to begin upon. First, Shirley shows she can do it all, sing, dance, crack jokes, speak Chinese, and be utterly adorable. Complimenting her nicely is a young Robert Young, who has plenty of charm and humor in his own right. Ditto for Treacher, who is hysterical as the snooty butler. Beautiful Faye can also sing up a storm and the rest of the cast is quite nice, too. The setting in China is exotic, the costumes are very nice and the story and direction are snappy and "funtastic", with the expected happy ending a very welcome one indeed. In conclusion, a Shirley Temple film can be greatly enjoyed on a child's and on an adult's level and this is one of her best works. Therefore, do stow away enough family free time to catch this one, as everyone watching it will forget their woes. Indeed, few film stars can lift the spirits like our treasured Shirley.

I had been living in China about a year, when I saw this DVD. (It's a very popular title in the People's Republic: there are original dialog versions, Chinese dubbed versions, colorized versions, even a sing-along version where you follow the lyrics as Shirley or Alice Faye warble.I was humbled that a 7-year-old, under the tutelage of a Mandarin coach, could get her mouth and lips around some of the words she was using. She spoke pretty good Chinese!! Much better than mine was after living for 12 months in the country.Aside from that, *Stowaway* is a good product of the studio system. The tunes are hummable; Alice Faye is gorgeous and has the dreamiest contralto voice; Eugene Palette is gruff yet lovable; the plot twists are fun. Plus there's a little darkness in it, because Shirley is orphaned and then abandoned after her money is stolen from her. So the first reel is anything but sweetness and light.A fun movie.

Shirley Temple was, deservedly, the most famous child star ever. She was a natural, endearing actress, with little of the cloying "cuteness" that afflicted so many of her contemporaries (Jane Withers, Darla Hood, e.g.), and an amazingly talented singer/dancer. Normally I don't mind her movies all that much, and a few ("Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm", for example) I even find enjoyable. However, something went wrong here.It's hard to put a finger on exactly who or what to blame. William A. Seiter was a first-rate comedy/musical director; Nat Perrin was a top comedy writer who wrote for, among others, the Marx Brothers; Robert Young and Alice Faye were solid actors who were more than capable of carrying a picture by themselves. However, absolutely nothing works in this picture. The story (for lack of a better word) is so far out it should be classified as science fiction. Shirley is a street kid nicknamed "Ching-Ching" (!) who befriends Robert Young in China; the two of them wind up on a cruise ship to Hong Kong and Singapore, where Young meets Alice Faye, who is aboard with her fiance's mother. The fiance, as played by Allan "Rocky" Lane--a future Republic Pictures cowboy star--is a wealthy banker who has a mother fixation that would shame Cliff Claven. The film is so full of embarrassing moments it's difficult to pick out just one. Shirley's spouting of witless "Chinese proverbs" at every conceivable opportunity is infuriating; there is a jaw-dropping scene at a Hong Kong version of "The Gong Show" where a Chinese singer does Bing Crosby impressions, and Shirley gets on stage and dances with a life-size (for her) doll that is attached to her shoes. To make a long and idiotic story short, Alice dumps her fiance, she and Young agree to get married so Young can adopt Shirley, then they will go to Reno to get a divorce; however, after the marriage, when they arrive in Reno, Shirley manages to persuade the presiding judge (and Young and Faye) that they actually love each other and should stay married.There. I've saved you the trouble of sitting through this. You're welcome.