Universal Pictures
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There's one in every family
A young city girl from a poor family is invited to spend the summer at a camp for girls from wealthy families. At first made fun of and ridiculed because of her background, she determines to show the snooty rich girls she's just as good as they are.
CinemaSerf
Jun 22, 2022 · via TMDB
Now, as a man who really doesn't much like children in films unless it's "Oliver!" (1968), I guess I was asking for trouble when I started to watch this. The opening scene features cinema debutante, the 13 year old Gloria Jean ("Pip-Emma"), giving us the equivalent of an audio postcard of Charles Previn's recent holiday in Switzerland. Yep, a good old fashioned yodel! Luckily, I couldn't be bothered fetching the remote control so decided to persevere and, actually, it's not entirely awful. The young girl wins an essay competition with a first prize of a summer camp experience in a facility frequented by wealthier girls. She arrives and is shunned by her hosts - except one of the teachers, and what follows is a depiction of just how cruel young children can be to one another. Our spunky heroine is not to be deterred, however, and she perseveres... No, there are no twists or turns, it turns out exactly as you would expect. Shirley Mills is quite good as the rather spoilt brat "Cecilia" and C. Aubrey Smith (aged 76) looks suitably fitting as the youngster's kindly, sagely, "Grandpa" as this battle of wills takes a lightly moralistic take en route to an ending that is never in doubt. You will either adore the singing or you won't (I didn't) and I suspect that will define how much you enjoy this. If you like the first ten minutes, then this is for you... if not, well...
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Gloria Jean
Pip-Emma Binns
Robert Cummings
Dennis Lane
Nan Grey
Priscilla Adams
C. Aubrey Smith
Grandpa
Beulah Bondi
Miss Delphine Thornton
Virginia Weidler
Janet Cooper
Margaret Lindsay
Mrs. Cooper
Raymond Walburn
Mr. Layton
Ann Gillis
Letty Lou
Paul Cavanagh
Mr. Franklin Cooper
Billy Gilbert
Tolio
Kenneth Brown
Tolio's Son
Billy Lenhart
Tolio's Son
Frank Jenks
Uncle Dan
Shirley Mills
Cecilia Layton
Samuel S. Hinds
Dr. McKay
Ernest Truex
Mr. Binns
Doris Lloyd
Mrs. Binns
Dickie Moore
Jerry Binns
Spencer Charters
Druggist
Charles Coleman
Butler
Harry Hayden
Lawyer
Howard Hickman
Business Man
Selmer Jackson
Lawyer
Cecil Kellaway
Mr. Wendelhares
Matt McHugh
Soda Jerk
Jean Porter
Penguin Girl
Roman Freulich
Still Photographer
Richard Wallace
Director
Joe Pasternak
Producer
Grover Jones
Screenplay
Aug 31, 1939
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Versus
Sign in to play →
Way Down
2018
Telling Lies
2006
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Top Gun: Maverick
2022 · 11 wins
Joker
2019 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
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