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THE POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL (20th Century-Fox, 1936), directed by Irving Cummings, stars Shirley Temple who may be little, not quite poor but rich in talent, as displayed in the screenplay suggested by the stories by Eleanor Gates and Ralph. The plot was used earlier as a Mary Pickford film back in 1917, and with numerous alterations and updated material, the revised version, turns out to be, in fact, a modern-day fairy tale on how a little girl, acting out her storybook fantasy, to happily go out and change the lives of the people she meets along the way, only to become a popular radio star, at least during its second half anyway.

The story revolves around a child named Barbara Barry (Shirley Temple), a rich little girl who has everything but the utmost attention of her widowed father (Michael Whalen), a wealthy soap manufacturer, and the joys of being like other children by having playmates her own age as companions. She is cared by a Collins (Sara Haden), her nurse, and Woodward (Jane Darwell), the housekeeper who takes the time to read "Betsy Ware" stories to her. Because she is a lonely child, Barry decides to have Collins accompany Barbara to the Forest Grove School in the Adirondacks (upstate New York) where her late mother once attended. While at Grand Central Station waiting for the train, tragedy strikes as Collins walks out in traffic to locate her missing purse (which has been stolen) only to be struck by a passing car. Left alone with her luggage, Barbara takes off on her own, assuming the fictitious name of her favorite storybook character, orphan Betsy Ware, and starts her own adventure. She first encounters Tony (Henry Armetta), an Italian organ grinder with his monkey, who, feeling sorry for this "orphan," agrees to take her into his home along with his wife (Mathilde Comonte) and his other "bambinos." Sometime later, "Betsy" displays her tap dancing talent to Tony's family that catches the attention to an upstairs neighbor and unemployed hoofer and singers, Jimmy and Jerry Dolan (Jack Haley and Alice Faye). Seeing this child to have a considerable amount of talent, she's "adopted" to become part of their musical act called "Dolan, Dolan & Dolan," with Barbara, a/k/a Betsy, now acting as their "daughter," Bonnie. The audition lands them a job performing for soap manufacturer Simon Peck (Claude Gillingwater), who turns out to be Barry's competitor, who in turn, has become very much interested in Margaret Allen (Gloria Stuart), Peck's advertising girl.

The music and lyrics by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel include: "Oh, My Goodness" (sung by Shirley Temple); "Buy a Bar of Barry's" (sung by radio singers); "When I'm With You" (sung by Tony Martin); "When I'm With You" (sung by Temple); "But Definitely" (sung by Alice Faye and Temple); "Where There's Life, There's Soap" (sung by Temple); "When I'm With You" (sung by Faye); "You've Got to Eat Your Spinach, Baby" (sung by Faye, Temple and Jack Haley); "When I'm With You" (sung by Temple) and "Military Man" (sung and dance finale with Temple, Haley and Faye).

Musically entertaining, often amusing, occasionally cutesy, quite contrived, yet never dull, POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL has many fine things going for it. While such a story might lack logic for first time viewers, having child separating herself from father and nurse only to roam about the city by herself to meet new people, never considering how they must feel once her disappearance is discovered. Along the way, child meets up with several she identifies from her storybook (particularly Jimmy whom she calls "Puddenhead"), a great many being good people, but in true storybook form, there's usually a villain. John Wray, cast as Fagin, is such a character. He's in and out throughout the story, visually seen as spying on little Barbara from a distance or nearby. It's quite evident that his intentions are not honorable. While much of the story cannot actually happen in real life, the stalker following a child comes to be more true to life now than ever before, thus giving the writers some opportunity in adding a little touch of suspense. On the brighter side, the story also features an old grouch, wonderfully played by Gillingwater, whose Ebenezer Scrooge-type performance softens into giving little "Bonnie" a piggy back ride in his office.

With Temple as the talented child who can sing and dance to perfection, she's equally surrounded by secondary performers Haley and Faye as the song and dance team, who not only share the spotlight with their leading star, but get to solo or perform together as well. Gloria Stuart and Michael Whalen, enacting as the second secondary actors, provide some love interest, but on the whole, have very little to do during its 80 minutes of screen time. The obvious success to POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL, having turned out to be another assembly of popular Temple vehicles, was revamped two years later under the guise as REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM (1938), also set in a radio station.

Not counting commercial television broadcasts prior to the 1990s, POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL's cable history did enjoy frequent television showings, ranging from its colorized version from the Disney Channel (colorized), to black and white on American Movie Classics (1997-2001) Fox Movie Channel, and Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere July 23, 2010) as well as availability on video cassette and DVD in both B&W and colorized formats. During its AMC broadcasts, there were occasions when a theatrical trailer preceded the feature presentation. Quite interesting in fact the trailer includes a couple of outtakes, Temple in the bath-tub, and a completely different musical conclusion. Temple fans might find it hard to imagine watching POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL without that military dance finale (although tap dancing would be hard to appreciate listening to from the radio). In spite of some pros and cons, is POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL recommended viewing? But definitely. (***)

Not only does SHIRLEY TEMPLE have the opportunity to co-star with ALICE FAYE and JACK HALEY (just slightly before both of them hit it big), but she gets a chance to shine in a made to order Temple vehicle that closes with a memorable 'Military Man' tap routine, easily keeping up with the talented adult troupers.

Of all the show biz stories associated with Temple's films, this is one of the best. The story has Temple as the neglected daughter of MICHAEL WHALEN, skipping off after her nanny is involved in an auto accident and attracting the attention of entertainers Faye and Haley. A sub-plot has her father winning the love of the lovely GLORIA STUART--and, of course, the outcome is a predictable one when he is reunited with his missing daughter after hearing her perform on a radio show.

The slender plot serves mainly as a vehicle for Temple to be adored by her legion of fans. She doesn't disappoint, her winning ways fully exploited in either song or dance. In fact, this is probably one of her most charming song-and-dance performances.

Alice Faye, Jack Haley, Michael Whalen, Gloria Stuart, Billy Gilbert and Henry Armetta add to the enjoyment. All of it is directed in fine style by Irving Cummings (who also served as host on the Lux Radio Theater shows) so popular on radio.

Henry Armetta has a funny bit as an organ grinder with a monkey who has Shirley enjoy an Italian spaghetti dinner with his family. The only serious moments in the film involve, surprisingly, a stalker who seems to be lurking in doorways waiting for an opportunity to snatch Shirley off the streets. Fortunately, she survives for a happy ending and the stalking incident, while sinister enough, is given minor treatment in the story.

Summing up: Good family entertainment.

Here is another very nice Shirley Temple film, one of the above-average ones for her (and most of hers were above-average to start with!). This one featured really nice characters, downplayed the villain, and had a lot of songs.

It didn't have as much tap dancing as I would like to have seen, but it did feature a prolonged dance at the end with Shirley, Jack Haley and Alice Faye.

The villain was some mysterious dude who was either a child molester or a kidnapper. It was never really explained. Thankfully, he had a small role. Otherwise, it was all good people and fun ones to watch. I like seeing Gloria Stuart in her early days, too.

The story is predictable, but most of them are and everyone winds up happy in the end. I find nothing wrong with that! It's all the better that Shirley winds up with vaudeville performers, guaranteeing we get a lot of musical entertainment in this movie. And.....where else but a Shirley Temple movie, would you have a song called "You've Got To Eat Your Spinach, Baby?"

Shirley Temple is our Poor Little Rich Girl who gets pampered by her widower father Michael Whalen a soap manufacturer with a radio program and rival to Claude Gillingwater. When a lot of the servants tell Whalen he's spoiling the child by treating her like a hothouse plant and school might be good for, he entrusts Temple with Sara Haden to take her to a boarding school.

But on the way there, Haden meets up with an accident when she's hit by a car. Temple left to her own devices decides to go on 'vacation' first with organ grinder Henry Armetta and his family and later with former vaudevillians Alice Faye and Jack Haley who are trying to get a break in radio.

Wouldn't you know it, Faye and Haley decide that Shirley is just what they need for their act and no one else has a claim on her since Shirley said she ran away from an orphanage. And of course who does our little moppet charm into giving them a radio program? None other than her father's rival soap magnate, cantankerous old Claude Gillingwater.

Since this is a Shirley Temple movie I think you know where this is all going. Shirley's little white lie about an orphanage nearly lands the innocent Haley and Faye and Armetta for that matter in some trouble. And she does almost run afoul of a real kidnapper in John Wray. If it had been me, my backside surely would have been blistered for all the trouble I caused, but this is a Temple movie not real life.

What the film does do is provide some good musical numbers by the song writing team of Mack Gordon and Harry Revel who were Alice Faye's composing team at 20th Century Fox in the late Thirties. Faye's two ballads of When I'm With You and But Definitely are not overshadowed by Shirley's obbligato. And the first one is actually first sung in the film by a young baritone named Tony Martin who wound up marrying the star.

This must have been a trying part for Claude Gillingwater. He suffered from a crippling arthritis and the scene where he gives Temple a piggy back ride must have been unbearable. Gillingwater committed suicide a few years later because he couldn't stand the intense pain in his life.

Best number in the film is You've Got To Eat Your Spinach Baby sung by Jack, Alice and Shirley, it's a charming piece. The finale they did dressed up in Ruritanian soldier uniforms called Military Man. It's a nice visual number, but after all gang they're performing on the RADIO.

After over 70 years, Shirley Temple still has the capacity to charm anyone.

The precocious & incredibly talented little daughter of a widowed soap merchant dreams of living like a normal child. On her way to boarding school, she loses herself in New York City, changes her name and ends up living with a couple of ex-vaudeville performers. With spunk & vitality, the child makes them all stars of a radio show sponsored by her father's greatest business rival. Will she continue to enjoy her new freedom, or will her identity be revealed so that she once again becomes a POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL?

Shirley Temple is in top form in this winning film which gives her ample opportunity to display her many charms. She lights up the screen with her youthful joy. It's no wonder she was Hollywood's biggest star for several years.

Shirley is given fine support from Jack Haley & Alice Faye as her musical partners, and Michael Whalen & Gloria Stuart as her father & his new lady love. Claude Gillingwater is very good as the crotchety business rival who is melted by Shirley's affection. That's Jane Darwell as Shirley's nanny & Henry Armetta scores as an Italian organ grinder. Film mavens should keep an eye out for Billy Gilbert, in a tiny bit as a hilarious waiter.

Shirley sings `Oh, My Goodness', `When I'm With You' & `But Definitely' and joins with Faye & Haley in `You Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby' & "Military Man".

...it's still vastly entertaining. It was common practice for 20th Century Fox to buy film rights to a classic novel, and turn it into a Shirley Temple vehicle that has not even a passing resemblance to the original. The book "The Poor Little Rich Girl" is far more tragic than this cute-fest, but as an entertainment film, it certainly succeeds.

The performances are right up there. One of my favourite screen stars Alice Faye is so brilliant, she never gets lost in Temple's glare as do so many of her costars. Jack Haley is hilarious, and the songs are amazing. Alas, Gloria Stuart isn't given much to do but she looks wonderful.

Favourite moments include the spaghetti-eating scene, Shirley's conversation with the curb-side porter and of course "You Gotta Eat Your Spinach Baby." Fine film for parents to watch with their kids.

Try to get the original black and white version if you can, the colorized version looks a little weird.

Little Shirley Temple stars as Barbara Barry, a pampered only-child growing tired her lonely, friendless life in her big empty mansion. She craves attention from her loving but absentee dad, the owner of a major soap brand, and even devotes an entire song sequence to how much she misses him, but the clueless man still thinks it is better to buy his daughter riches than to spend time with her.

When her nanny is struck in a hit-and-run at the train station, little Barbara strikes on her own to meet friends. After spending a day with an Italian organ grinder and his colorful family, Barbara joins up with Jack Haley and Alice Faye as down-on-their-luck married singers Dolan and Dolan. Adopting the identity of her favorite book character, Barbara tells the Dolans that she is runaway orphan Betsy Weer. Soon she is given another alias: Pretending to be the Dolan daughter, Bonny Dolan, Barbara turns their failing act around, and the trio is hired to advertise for the Peck Soap Company, the arch rival of Barbara's father's soap brand.

As Bonny, Barbara wins the hearts of all her audiences, until her father hears her voice singing on the radio. Mr. Barry finds his daughter just in time to save her from a mysterious stalker who has been following the young girl around throughout the entire movie, always accompanied by eerie orchestral music. In one scene, he peers through a window and watches Barbara sleeping, and in another, he tries to lure her away with the promise to buy her candy. What's even more disturbing is that the movie never says exactly what this creep wants with Barbara. The fate of Barbara's nanny is never revealed either; she is simply whisked away to a hospital after the car collision and is not seen or mentioned again.

Despite these two loose ends, Poor Little Rich Girl is a perfect example of the standard Temple story. All ingredients for a Shirley smash are here: long tap-dance numbers (Shirley's dance-off with Jack Haley will knock your socks off), lots of cute songs (particularly enjoyable are "Oh My Goodness" and "You've Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby"), a cranky curmudgeon who warms his heart to Shirley (in "Poor Little Rich Girl," it's Mr. Peck, but see Ned Smith in "Bright Eyes," Colonel Lloyd in "The Little Colonel," or Lord Wickham in "The Little Princess," for other examples), and a happy ending. Her story lines may seem trite and repetitive now, but they were what the nation wanted to see in the 1930s, when Shirley Temple was one of the biggest stars in the world and a guaranteed box office smash. Shirley was obviously enjoying the height of fame at the time of this movie, as one song, "But Definitely," makes a reference to two of her most famous songs, "The Good Ship Lollipop" and "Animal Crackers in My Soup."

The second of four films Shirley Temple made in 1936 is a solid star vehicle tailored for her unique talents but, apart from her winning charm, proves to be hard tack as entertainment for this admitted non-fan of musicals! The thing is that the plot is so incredibly contrived that it's impossible to take any of it seriously: Shirley is the pampered daughter of a millionaire soap manufacturer who is eventually sent to an exclusive college so that she can be with children her own age instead of her prissy butler-nanny-guardian combo. However, she is stranded at the train station and never gets to the college but instead follows an Italian immigrant (Henry Armetta, who else?) who is an accordion-playing busker and has a pet chimp for companion. Before long, however, she is 'adopted' by the penniless husband-and-wife performing team of Jack Haley and (a constantly grouchy) Alice Faye who, thanks to Temple's addition to their act, become radio stars publicizing through song the products of a rival (and predictably cantankerous) soap manufacturer! All this while, Temple's dad is blissfully unaware of her absence from school and subsequent radio success because he's perpetually swooning over his rival's ad campaign manager (the lovely Gloria Stuart). Eech! Another decidedly irritating recurrence in the film is the mystifying appearance of a stranger (John Wray) who seems to follow Temple everywhere and is always on the point of molesting or kidnapping her but for Jack Haley's timely and heroic interventions! Having said that, the film satisfactorily climaxes with the "Military Man" production number which is a tour-de-force of virtuoso tap dancing performed by Temple, Faye and Haley in remarkable unison.

Pretty good story, but if I had had to hear "When I'm with you" one more time I would have puked. Claude Gillingwater, as always, gives a wonderful cranky performance as Simon Peck. Pretty sad too, that no one seemed to care about what became of poor Sara Haden, as Collins, even if she was her ususal cold, unfeeling self. If you can, try to catch the non-colorized version, Miss Temple just doesn't look right in anything but good old black and white.

Little curly-haired singer Shirley Temple (as Barbara Barry) loves bedtime stories, and imagines her dolls coming to life. Since Ms. Temple is pampered, and without friends her own age, her wealthy father decides to send her to a boarding school in the Adirondacks. On the way to the train station, Temple's servant is hit by a car. In a New York minute, the "Poor Little Rich Girl" wanders off, imagining herself "on vacation." First, Temple is taken in by an overweight Italian couple, who teach her how to eat spaghetti. Next, vaudeville couple Jack Haley and Alice Faye (as Jimmy and Jerry Dolan) hear her tap-dancing, and adopt Temple. With them, she becomes a radio singing star. All the while, Temple is pursued by a potential kidnapper. Will he get his grubby hands on her, or not?

**** Poor Little Rich Girl (7/24/36) Irving Cummings ~ Shirley Temple, Michael Whalen, Jack Haley, Alice Faye

I was six years old when I saw Shirley in Poor Little Rich Girl. I had been watching Shirley Temple movies since I was four, and I absolutely adored her.I was very impressionable at this age. My parents used to take me to the movies every Saturday. If Shirley Temple was playing I didn't want to miss it.

The day after I saw this movie, we were sitting down for Sunday dinner. My mother was about to serve up spinach. I never had liked it, and Mother had to cut my serving in half to get me to eat it. She had about given up on getting Jerry to eat spinach. She said, "Well, I guess I'll give Norman some spinach today, but I know Jerry doesn't like it, so I'm not going to give it to him anymore." I immediately replied. "But Mom,I want the spinach. Yesterday I saw Shirley Temple at the movies, and she said we've got to eat our spinach. If she says to eat it,I'm gonna eat it! From now on I want spinach."

My mother and father turned and stared at each other with their mouths open, in a look of disbelief that I will never forget. A little girl had accomplished in one day what they had been unable to do for months. From that day on, I ate my spinach and even got to like it!

"Poor Little Rich Girl" is an interesting Shirley Temple movie because it seems to have been, at least in part, the inspiration for the 90s film "Baby's Day Out"!

When the film begins, Barbara (Shirley Temple) is a pampered little girl living in a mansion. But she's also lonely and begs her father to send her to school. Instead of having her live at home and go to school (what normal folks would do), he decides to send her off to a residential school. On the way, however, she's separated from her governess when the lady is run over!!! This part sure shocked us! And Barbara just wanders off and ends up in the poor section of town. There she recognizes characters from a story book she loved and sees everything as a big adventure...and she tells everyone she's the little orphan girl, Bonny, from the book.

During the course of Barbara's adventures, she meets up with the Dolans (Alice Faye and Jack Haley). The Dolans just accept Barbara's story that she's an orphan and take her in...never contacting the police or children's services! Much of this might be because she's a great singer and they want to put her in their singing/dancing act. Oddly, Barbara doesn't seem to miss her father nor does he seem to notice that she never arrived at the school!!! What a weird story.

During the course of the film, Shirley sings a lot of cute but forgettable songs (there's no "Good Ship Lollipop" song in this one!), dances with Haley and Faye and is gosh-darned adorable. Pretty much, all the stuff you'd normally expect in a Temple movie...but with a MUCH weirder and nonsensical plot than usual. In addition there's a weird guy who likes to look in the windows at Barbara and offers to take her out to buy her candy--and I think he's supposed to be a pedophile (my wife, incidentally, thought maybe he was just a fortune-hunter who wanted to kidnap her)!!! Because of this, I wouldn't rank it among he better Temple outings but like almost all her other films (with the exception of "The Blue Bird") she made as a child, it's fun and worth seeing--and the kid is just adorable. Among the best part of the movie, by the way, is the cute portion where Barbara wins the heart of a grouchy old guy who looks to be the inspiration for Jeff Dunham's character 'Walter'! Well worth seeing despite its flaws.

By the way, at the very end, Faye, Haley and Temple dress up and do a song AND dance routine...and it's supposed to be on the radio!! Does this make any sense at all?!

Another musical showcasing the prodigious talents of little Shirley Temple. I recall hearing that Alice Faye said somewhere that she was hard put to it just to keep up with Shirley during that final dance sequence of the soldiers.

In this film Shirley is the little rich girl who becomes lost but is taken in by a family and soon gets acquainted with performers. It's a very pleasant musical, so just enjoy! My preference, however, is for her movies that have a simple and heartwarming tale to tell. The showbiz films are less moving as a story although still very delightful.

This definitely is one of Shirley's three or four best, mostly because she is not required to perform a tearful treacly scene as in some other films, those which tug at your heart but later seem somewhat embarrassing. This is one in which she comes across as a young actress, and not simply as a personality. The musical numbers are unusually effective; probably because they are shared with Alice Faye and Jack Haley and not strictly solo. (You have to smile over the final number, when the military band number, well done though it is, is done with full costumes and choreography, even though the performance is taking place over a radio hookup.) Shirley conveys an innocence and trustfulness and joy in life which is a universe removed from portrayals of children in contemporary film and TV. One more remark: I was truly surprised to see the appearance of a pedophile in a film of that era, and to see Jack Haley confronting and fighting him as he is about to lead Shirley away from the apartment house.

Were star vehicles in film *created* for Shirley Temple? It certainly seems so--there just couldn't have been another more adorable, endlessly charming, chubby little cherub fit to act in films like POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL.. and actually keep the audience interested and not turned off by all the unabashed saccharine sweetness she exudes (especially true for modern cynical audiences for whom Macaulay Culkin was their superstar child star).

In this film, Temple plays little Barbara Barry, daughter to soap mogul Richard Barry (Michael Whalen). Unfortunately, her father is too busy trying to fight off competition from Peck Soaps to spend much time with her and decides to send her off to school. On the way there, Barbara's nanny meets with an accident and Barbara is left to go off on her own little vacation where she eventually meets the Dolans (Alice Faye & Jack Haley), who work her into their radio act as their talented child who sings and taps like a dream. Barbara charms the Dolans' way into a Peck Soaps radio spot and it is when her father listens to the radio and recognises her singing a song with lyrics special to him that he realises that Barbara never made it to school...

POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL doesn't try to be a great film classic. (Incidentally, it's not one.) It's just a vehicle for Temple to sing, act, and generally be cute. She takes full advantage of it. Her baby voice is high but uncommonly sweet, and she does well with numbers like, "When I'm With You", "Oh My Goodness" and "But Definitely". It doesn't hurt that she's quite a talented little dancer as well, so she looks good when performing with the Dolans (for example, the over-long and rather pointless, but well-performed "Military Man"). My favourite number is when they argue over spinach in "You've Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby"--Temple displays just the right degree of righteous indignation as she pleads on behalf of children across the world that spinach isn't necessary. Her cuteness is undeniable as well--it's what made her box-office champion at Fox for several years in a row, and her trademark shock of ringlets, dimples and chubby cheeks are used to excellent effect in this film.

It's a pleasant enough film, moderately engaging for most, with no real shocks but no moments of supreme awfulness either. Good for a night in with the kids--they're sure to identify with all of Barbara's vitriolic protests against eating her greens (they sure are obsessed with spinach in this film!). Fun, but not challenging. 7.5/10

Shirley Temple really shines in this gorgeous movie. Although the storyline is a tad weak, and features some of the cliché's used in her early movies (for example, winning over the old man- aka, in the Little Colonel) the singing and dancing definitely makes up for it.

Songs such as "When I'm with you" and "You've gotta eat your spinach baby" are magnificent mediums for Shirley's voice and the addition of cast members Alice Faye and Jack Haley make it even better.

This movie is definitely one of Shirley's best, and she showcases the charm and talent that is often void from the performances of today's child-stars. A must see for any Shirley fan.

After all these years and with all the changes within our society it is amazing to feel the charm of this sparkling young girl. Even with Jack Haley, Alice Faye and Claude Gillingwater providing such good support, there is no doubt who makes this film work - Shirley Temple.

A child that any parent could be proud of. Strong-willed, intelligent, talented, and fearless yet obedient and loving.

The performance, with Jack and Alice of the "Spinach" song, coupled with the final dance routine would, by themselves, make this movie worth watching repeatedly.

The Fabulous "Poor Little Rich Girl"This Shirley Temple movie is absolutely one of her best pure musical films, and one of the best musicals of the 1930s. Shirley's singing, dancing, and acting talents shine throughout this film. She sings "Oh My Goodness" in various dialects is remarkably done for a child her age and bound to get a laugh. Shirley's finale tap dance with lovely Alice Faye and wonderful Jack Haley, Sr. is simply great. The songs are memorable and fun. Shirley's fashions are adorable. Grand entertainment 1930's style.

Most actors felt being in a Shirley Temple movie spelled a kiss of death for their film careers. When Gloria Stuart was asked to appear alongside the sprightly seven-year-old in July 1936 "Poor Little Rich Girl," the actress was "sick to my stomach at the thought of doing a Shirley Temple movie." Another actress scheduled for the motion picture, Alice Faye, felt the same way, saying, "We were all aware that to be an adult in a Shirley Temple film was a pretty thankless job. You had to work to hold your own." Frank Nugent, film critic for The New York Times agreed, writing that being in a Shirley feature was "short of becoming a defeated candidate for Vice President, we can think of no better method of guaranteeing one's anonymity than appearing in one of the moppet's films."

Head of Twentieth Century Fox, Darryl Zanuck, saw Gloria's appearance in the film far differently than Stuart and all the others. He said to the reluctant actress, "Gloria, in a Shirley Temple movie you'll be seen by millions - millions all over the world." After "Poor Little Rich Girl's" release, Stuart had to admit, "I still hear from friends and fans. They said 'we saw you last night with Shirley Temple.'"

"Poor Little Rich Girl" was a remake, like many Shirley Temple movies, of a Mary Pickford silent, this from the 1917 film based on a 1913 play by Eleanor Gates. The studio writers used the Pickford framework of a lonely child, the daughter of rich soap manufacturer Richard Barry (Michael Whalen), who recently lost his wife. Besides the basic premise of a despondent rich girl, Zanuck felt the Pickford script could be molded towards Temple's on-screen personality, telling his staff, "I think we could take any liberties we want and write an entirely new story - something that is a light, bubbling musical comedy with plenty of opportunity for Shirley to sing and dance and do clever pieces of business." Barbara Barry (Shirley Temple) is sent to summer camp, but wanders off at the city train station before getting on board. She pretends to be an orphan when a vaudeville couple, Jimmy (Jack Haley) and Jerry (Alice Faye), spot her. The pair ultimately incorporate the child into their act, and before viewers know it, the three become famous with Barbara receiving the spotlight singing on the radio. Her father per chance hears her show, and despite protests from his new girlfriend, Margaret Allen (Gloria Stuart), Mr. Barry pursues his hunch that it's really his daughter even though she's supposed to be at summer camp. At the same time, a creepy guy (John Wray) is lurking around Shirley with intentions of kidnapping her.

"Poor Little Rich Girl" proved to be the mother load at the box office for the studio, assuring Shirley Temple's lock on Hollywood's number one ranking for ticket sales in the year 1936. Germany, the second most lucrative market in the world behind the United States, banned the movie because several credited actors, writers and support personnel listed in the credits had 'Non-Aryan" names. The studio researched the backgrounds and assured the Nazi government with proof they were Aryans.

Meanwhile, during "Poor Little Rich Girl's" production, Shirley lost the first of her baby teeth while filming the closing number, a complex tap dance routine with Haley and Faye which beguiled everyone, with the lone exception of Shirley. A post-sound synchronization of the three tap dancing in a sound room to record their steps proved difficult, except for Shirley, who nailed it right away. She left Haley and Faye to work long hours before they were able to record what Temple did much earlier.