Shirley Temple: Little Darling Pack

In 1934, when Little Miss Marker and Now and Forever hit theater screens, superstardom for Shirley Temple was still a couple of years away. But she was already a captivating screen presence, and these well-mounted films successfully showcase her universal appeal. Little Miss Marker, adapted from a Damon Runyon short story, finds Temple entrusted to the care of Prohibition-era bookie Adolphe Menjou, who has accepted her as collateral toward the payment of gambling debts. The little tyke not only wins over the bookie but charms most of Manhattan's hardboiled gangsters--with the exception of Charles Bickford, who nurses a grudge against Menjou. Absolutely irresistible both in concept and execution, Little Miss Marker was remade no less than three times--but none of the later versions have this one's charm. Now and Forever is a more polished, sophisticated take on the some basic story: once again Temple reforms a supposedly rough-edged criminal, this time Gary Cooper as her wayward dad, a conman now married to socialite Carole Lombard (whose parents disapprove of the union). It falls to the mischievous moppet to get him back on the straight and narrow. Temple's dialogue in these films--especially the latter--makes her seem more precocious than natural for a child of her age, but she's so natural and winsome that it's impossible not to be entranced. Featuring solid transfers, DVD extras include the short film “The Runt Page,” which marked Temple's debut. Recommended. (E. Hulse)