Obvious wizard of oz influenced movie here is somewhat overdosing on the sweetness, and does get dull at times, but this tale, about two kids trying to find the blue bird of. The blue bird vhs, 2002, colorized for sale online ebay. The blue bird 1940 adventure, comedy, family, fantasy. Oz was a hit, but the blue bird was the first shirley temple picture to lose money. Its sort of the poor mans the wizard of oz with shirley playing the part of a girl named mytyl who along with her brother tytyl embarks on a journey through the past and future searching for happiness in the form of the title bird. It was a movie that was considered both a critical and financial disappointment, 1940s the blue bird. The blue bird, unfortunately, flopped at the box office, marking the end of shirleys reign as americas child star. The blue bird is a film directed by walter lang with shirley temple, spring byington, nigel bruce, eddie collins, year. The blue bird 1940 shirley temple, spring byington, nigel bruce, gale sondergaard. Shirley temple the blue bird 1940 video dailymotion. Shirley temple laydeo from the blue bird 1940 youtube. Like the original version it was a box office flop. Shirley plays mytyl, a girl searching for the bluebird of happinessthis was the first shirley film that was a real failure.
This version of the blue bird pretty much marked the beginning of the end of shirley temples career as americas favorite tyke. The impressive cast included elizabeth taylor, jane fonda, ava gardner and cicely tyson. I also grew up watching shirley temple on saturdays on kplr my mom was a huge shirley temple fan. This restored and remastered 1940 film opens with a purposely grainy, black and white world that reinforces mytyls shirley temple ill.
The blue bird 1940 shirley temple color version dvd. Shirley temple, american actress and public official who was an internationally popular child star of the 1930s, best known for such sentimental musicals as bright eyes, the little colonel, and curly top. With shirley temple, spring byington, nigel bruce, gale sondergaard. The blue bird 1940 adventure, comedy, family, fantasy shirley temple, spring byington, nigel bruce film gorillas.
For much of the decade, she was one of hollywoods greatest boxoffice attractions. The children are aided by their dog tylo and their. Intended as 20th century foxs answer to mgms the wizard of oz, which had been released the previous year, it was filmed in technicolor and tells the story of a disagreeable little girl played by. If you mean shirley temples little sister was waiting in heaven to be born, that was in the movie, blue bird, shirley temple played as metil, her brother was tiltil. Its not at all a bad movie its just not a lot of fun. Shirley temple the blue bird 1940 edited version duration. Shirley saw the gun and remarkably continued singingalbeit a little bit off. For a lighthearted fantasy, this is awfully depressing, full of moaning and weeping, especially in a hellish future purgatory where halfnaked preadolescent spirits fret and moan over when they will. Its beautiful to look at and shirleys dark side is a lot of fun. The truth about shirley temples wizard of oz connection. Caryll ann ekelund in the blue bird 1940 nigel bruce and johnny russell in the. The 1918 silent version was alright, but this one suffers from copying oz too much.
The jury is still out as to whether or not curly haired shirley temple was the most talented child star in movie history. The blue bird 1940 shirley temple, spring byington. The star of sothebys magnificent jewels sale on 19 april in new york is a stunning 9. In a rare departure from her usual bubbly screen persona, shirley temple plays a selfish, spoiled little girl named mytyl, who doesn. Formerly available as part of the shirley temple playhouse on video cassette in 1989, and later in dvd format, the blue bird has turned up on numerous cable channels over the years, ranging from the disney channel 1980s, american movie classics 19962001, fox movie channel, and finally turner classic movies tcm premiere. Released 1940, the blue bird stars shirley temple, spring byington, nigel bruce, gale sondergaard the g movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 28 min, and received a score of out of 100 on. Despite all the negativity surrounding this movie, the blue bird was remade as a musical in 1976. The blue bird 1940 stream and watch online moviefone. Shirley temple the blue bird 1940 mytyl finds true. The blue bird 1940 is a drama, family movie starring shirley temple and spring byington.
This restored and remastered 1940 film opens with a purposely grainy, black and white world that reinforces mytyls shirley temple illhumored attitude toward life. What was the name of the movie where shirley temple. Oh wait, this was a butchered imitation called the blue bird 1940. Mytyl and her brother tyltyl, a woodchoppers children, are led by the fairy berylune on a magical trip through the past, present, and future to locate the blue bird of happiness. The blue bird was shirley temples first boxoffice flop in her six years. The blue bird was a bigbudget fantasy movie considered to be 20th century foxs answer to the mgm smash hit the wizard of oz, for which temple herself was briefly considered for. It came out right after the wizard of oz which shirley would have starred in if jean. Temple made her last movie as a child star, the blue bird, in 1940. Shirley temple the blue bird 1940 mytyl finds true happiness within herself.
Comparisons between the blue bird and the wizard of oz are perhaps inevitable, given that the blue bird was put into production in response to the wizard and that two of its stars shirley temple and gale sondergaard had been sought for wizard. Shirley temple the blue bird 1940 mytyl finds true happiness. When it flopped, fox dropped her contract, and temple was able to enroll in school for the first time. Shirley temple is aucitioning off her deep blue diamond riing. Rent the blue bird 1940 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Shirley temples father purchased the diamond ring in early 1940. Shirley temple footage shirley cuts the ribbon 1938 duration. It was beautiful to look at in glorious technicolor but was not. I felt compelled to comment because i am watching blue bird right now and was looking up commentary on the picture as allegory when i found me this post and because it. But, we were absolutely shocked when we tried to watch it with them it was horrible. First of all, shirley is not her normal sweet self, but is playing a spoiled, ungrateful little brat named mytyl. I do recognize and respect shirley temples place in film history. Shirley temple was the leading child actor of her time, receiving a special oscar and starring in films like bright eyes and heidi.
While singing one of the songs from the film, a woman in the audience stood up and pulled a handgun from her purse. When i was little i came across the 1940 shirley temple movie the blue bird several times on television. In emulation of the wizard of oz, the blue bird was bookended with black andwhite. This is a family movie about a little girl, her brother and their adventures. Zanuck cast shirley in a series of classic childrens stories adapted for the screen culminating in the blue bird in 1939 a technicolor musical that, like the wizard of oz, opens in sepiatones before converting to color for a lengthy fantasy sequence. The blue bird 1940 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Shirley temple in the blue bird we are movie geeks. Bird falls far short in comparison with the mgm classic in almost all categories, but taken on its own, its decent childrens entertainment. She was the biggest star in the movies during the great depression. Parents need to know that the blue bird is a departure from the typical adorable shirley temple movie, with a few scenes which may frighten younger or more sensitive kids. The little princess 1939 full movie in full technicolor. Our kids just love shirley temple movies, so we recently got the blue bird for them.
It was too expensive to turn a profit and audiences didnt like seeing shirley in a negative or adolescent light. The blue bird 1940 adventure, comedy, family, fantasy shirley temple, spring byington, nigel bruce. The screenplay by walter bullock was adapted from the 1908 play of the same name by maurice maeterlinck. This bizarre, creepy gothic fantasy stars shirley temple, in a borderline childadolescent role, as a spoiled brat who searches for the bird of happiness in a most nasty world of doom and gloom. After consulting their lawyer, the temples decided to go forward with the movie as planned. Shirley temple visits the premortal spirit world youtube. One leading adult character transformed from a cat appears to be killed in the storm.
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