Shirley Temple was a veteran picture star, with a following of faithful admirers that numbered millions. The child's uncanny charm was admirably exploited in The Little Colonel, made in 1935.
Came 1936, and with it the first Chaplin picture in five years. Again Charlie stuck to his guns and presented a picture in which--except for one sequence of unintelligible jargon--he and the rest of the cast remained silent. For a lesser artist the risk might have been fatal, but to his fans Chaplin could do no wrong. Modern Times was a tremendous success.
The plot utilized the basic Chaplin formula--the picked-on little man befriending a waif who is worse off than he. This time the waif was Paulette Goddard, a newcomer to pictures and one of his discoveries.
King Vidor directed, produced, and collaborated on the story of Texas Rangers for Paramount. Basically, it was a horse opera, but done on a grand scale that raised it above the level of the ordinary Western. As this shot of the company on location indicates, some of the credit for the picture's success should go to nature's well-designed settings.
An important Thalberg production of 1936 was Romeo and Juliet. Having planned it as a vehicle for his wife, Norma Shearer, he gave it a magnificent production with a cast that included, besides Miss Shearer as Juliet, Leslie Howard as Romeo, Basil Rathbone as Tybalt, John Barrymore as Mercutio, and Edna May Oliver as the nurse. Incidentally, Miss Shearer surprised many of the prophets by giving a skilled and sensitive performance.
The production was notable for the historical accuracy of its settings and costumes, for Thalberg had sent research men to Italy to verify every detail of architecture and clothing. In Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Gary Cooper, relieved of the necessity of playing the strong, silent man, went to town on his own hook and revealed himself as an engaging and talented comedian. Frank Capra directed the picture brilliantly from a script by Robert Riskin.
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