The characters of Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard are established early in this tearjerker with a few laughs when Cooper pretends to be a books inspector to con fellow guests at a hotel in order to pay off his own bill. They head separate ways-Lombard to Paris and Cooper to America, where he stops by to collect money promised in order to let his in-laws adopt his daughter (Shirley Temple). Bartering for the perky young miss as if she was a prize heffer at a county fair, Cooper obviously has no interest in taking her in until he spends some time with her and finds that she has a free spirit that his former brother-in-law is trying to subdue. Cooper takes her to Paris so he can marry Lombard and continue their string of cons, but circumstances arrange themselves so he has no choice but to make some strong moral decisions based upon his own growing love for his flesh and blood.
At first, Temple and Lombard hit it off like oil and water, but who can resist Shirley's curls and Lombard's blue eyes? This makes their situation all the more dangerous as Cooper finally agrees to take on a respectable career but can't stop his extravagant lifestyle which includes trying to con a wealthy widow (Charlotte Granville) with the help of an old colleague (Guy Standing).
There's a lot of sentimentality in this drama, one of two pictures which Temple made on loan to Paramount at the start of her major stardom years. She shows some adult cynicism when she first meets the pretty Carole, and you know that they will open their hearts to each other. Some actors warned you about the focus being stolen by dogs and children, but they forgot about spunky old ladies, which is true in the case of Granville who comes off the champion here, her acidic delivery (mixed with love) the highlight of the film. This is an enjoyable family drama that may seem forumulatic in some respects, but is memorable on its own rights.
At first, Temple and Lombard hit it off like oil and water, but who can resist Shirley's curls and Lombard's blue eyes? This makes their situation all the more dangerous as Cooper finally agrees to take on a respectable career but can't stop his extravagant lifestyle which includes trying to con a wealthy widow (Charlotte Granville) with the help of an old colleague (Guy Standing).
There's a lot of sentimentality in this drama, one of two pictures which Temple made on loan to Paramount at the start of her major stardom years. She shows some adult cynicism when she first meets the pretty Carole, and you know that they will open their hearts to each other. Some actors warned you about the focus being stolen by dogs and children, but they forgot about spunky old ladies, which is true in the case of Granville who comes off the champion here, her acidic delivery (mixed with love) the highlight of the film. This is an enjoyable family drama that may seem forumulatic in some respects, but is memorable on its own rights.