Curly Top (film)

Curly Top 1935 is an American musical film directed by Irving Cummings. The screenplay by Patterson McNutt and Arthur J. Beckhard focuses on the adoption of a young orphan Shirley Temple by a wealthy bachelor John Boles and his romantic attraction to her older sister Rochelle Hudson.

Young Elizabeth Blair Shirley Temple lives at the Lakeside Orphanage, a dreary, regimented place supervised by two decent but dour women. Her older sister Mary Rochelle Hudson works in the kitchen, laundry, and dormitory. Elizabeth is a sweet child but her high spirits often lead her into trouble with the superintendent.When the trustees descend on the orphanage for a tour of inspection, Elizabeth is caught playfully mimicking the head trustee and is threatened with being sent to a public institution. Young, rich, handsome trustee Edward Morgan John Boles intervenes. He takes a liking to Elizabeth and, in a private interview with the child, learns that most of her life has been spent obsequiously expressing her gratitude for every mouthful that has fallen her way. He adopts her but, not wanting to curb Elizabeths spirit by making her feel slavishly obligated to him for every kindness, he tells her a fictitious Hiram Jones is her benefactor and he is simply acting on Joness behalf as his lawyer. He nicknames her Curly Top. Meanwhile, he has met and fallen in love with Elizabeths sister Mary but will not admit it. ........

Source: Wikipedia