Heidi

Heidi (1937) starring Shirley Temple, Jean Hersholt, Marcia Mae, May Nash

When little Heidi’s cruel aunt steals her (and sells her) her grouchy grandfather searches for her. Meanwhile she brings happiness to the invalid daughter of a wealthy man.

Product Description 

Johanna Spyri’s perennial children’s favorite Heidi was retailored to the talents of Shirley Temple, resulting in one of her best vehicles. Orphaned early in the proceeding, Heidi is left in the care of her bitter, misanthropic grandfather Adolph Kramer (Jean Hersholt). It doesn’t take long before the sweet little child has melted grandpa’s hardened heart, and the two “outcasts” become inseparable. But things take a sinister turn when Heidi’s cruel and avaricious aunt (Mady Christians) kidnaps the girl and sells her into servitude in the home of wealthy Segemann (Sidney Blackmer).

Making the best of the situation, Heidi befriends Segemann’s invalid daughter Klara (Marcia Mae Jones), encouraging the girl to walk unassisted for the first time in years. The grateful Segeman promises to reunite Heidi with her grandfather, but Jones’s wicked governess Fraulein Rottenmeier (Mary Nash) contrives to keep the girl and her grandpa separated once more – until the very, very last moment!

Perhaps feeling that the Alpine setting of Heidi did not allow Shirley Temple full scope for her musical talents, the screenwriters contrived to include a dream sequence, wherein Heidi imagines herself to be in Holland and clogs to the tune of “In My Little Wooden Shoes.”

Cast of characters

• Shirley Temple (Our Little Girl) as Heidi
• Jean Hersholt (Grand Hotel) as Adolph Kramer
• Arthur Treacher (Curly Top) as Andrews
• Helen Westley (All This and Heaven Too) as Blind Anna
• Pauline Moore (The Three Musketeers) as Elsa
• Thomas Beck as Pastor Schultz
• Mary Nash (The Philadelphia Story) as Fräulein Rottenmeier
• Sidney Blackmer (High Society) as Sesemann
• Mady Christians as Dete
• Marcia Mae Jones (The Champ) as Klara Sesemann
• Delmar Watson (His Girl Friday) as Peter
• Egon Brecher (The Black Cat) as Inn Keeper
• George Humbert (A Farewell to Arms) as Organ Grinder
• Sig Rumann (A Night in Casablanca) as Police Captain