Wee Willie Winkie

There’s a line here from “Col. Williams” (C. Aubrey Smith) when he expresses his hope this his recently arrived daughter-in-law “Joyce” (June Lang) and his granddaughter “Priscilla” (Shirley Temple) will soon adapt to military life in the British Army. You just know that after about five minutes, it’s the army that’s going to have to adapt to the charms of this young girl as she effortlessly befriends even the most curmudgeonly of the soldiers, and even their gun-running arch-enemy “Khoda Khan” (Cesar Romero). She is quickly taken under the wing of the regimental sergeant major “MacDuff” (Victor McLaglen) who even procures her a uniform so she can feel more useful in the day-to-day running of their fort. Meantime, her mum takes a bit of a shine to “Lt. Brandes” (Michael Whalen). Once the rebels manage to free their leader from captivity, “Priscilla” - now renamed “Pte. Winkie” sets off to see if she can’t get the two sides to reconcile. What chance? I really did quite enjoy this. As much as with his efforts with Freddie Bartholomew in last year’s “Little Lord Fauntleroy”, Smith expertly handles his rapport with a charming younger star, and she also manages to wrap Romero around her finger, too, as this gentle story of the Raj unfolds. Temple is a natural here and she positively exudes a mischievous charm throughout this adventure film that’s at times quite funny and at times a little sad - usually at the hands of a McLaglen who decides this time he is Scottish rather than his usual Irish. The emphasis on the Scottishness of this Kipling story also manages to reduce some of the colonial pomposity that often accompanied these style of stories, and it’s a good showcase for some engaging acting talent who looked like they enjoyed themselves in their Californian version of India.