Copyright 25 October 1951 by Loew's Inc. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 22 November 1951 (ran two weeks). U.S. release: 23 November 1952. U.K. release: 3 December 1951. Australian release: 12 March 1952. 91 minutes.
Censored to 88½ minutes in the U.K. in order to qualify for a "U" certificate. Cut by M-G-M to 86 minutes in Australia.
SYNOPSIS: Unable to obtain an audition appointment with Eric Wainwright, a famous concert manager, Cynthia Potter in desperation disguises herself as a thirteen-year-old girl with braces on her teeth and enters a children's concert sponsored annually by Eric.
Her brilliant piano playing wins the contest and on the following day, Eric comes to her apartment with a contract. Cynthia, pretending that she is the older sister of the girl she has impersonated, tries to persuade Eric to sign her, but he refuses and even accuses her of being jealous of her successful kid sister. Furious at his attitude, Cynthia decides to continue the hoax by signing the contract as her little sister's guardian.
Dressed appropriately, she arrives at Eric's office to commence her career as a child prodigy. John Tirsen, Cynthia's newspaperman boyfriend, disapproves of the hoax and tries to make Cynthia give it up. Eric comes upon them conversing, and Cynthia is forced to introduce John as her elder sister's boyfriend. Eric, however, is shocked to later find her smoking and drinking a cocktail while with John, and decides to take her to his country home to remove her from the evil influence of John and her elder sister.
Cynthia deliberately proves difficult at Eric's home, by interfering with his romance with Denise Dorcet, a temperamental singer, and by insisting that he stop drinking and smoking if he does not want her to continue these vices. After weeks of practice, however, Eric becomes very fond of his child protégée, while she has secretly been falling in love with him. Nevertheless...
COMMENT: M-G-M, always eager to copycat a success at another studio, have here taken a leaf from the pages of All About Eve. Of course, the idea has been considerably watered down and most of the bite has been removed. However, it still has sufficient sparkle to add up to passable entertainment.
Acting is proficient. Miss Allyson has a role that takes advantage of her small stature (actually the camera cheats a bit here by making her appear taller, when she should — except for the up-swept hair style — be the same size).
The direction is competent, though inclined to intersperse the musical interludes (cut, of course) with too many reaction shots. Within the limits of a very moderate budget, production values are smooth.
OTHER VIEWS: A slight comedy with a theme at once hackneyed and improbable, which sometimes sparkles but has too many flat passages. — Monthly Film Bulletin.
Censored to 88½ minutes in the U.K. in order to qualify for a "U" certificate. Cut by M-G-M to 86 minutes in Australia.
SYNOPSIS: Unable to obtain an audition appointment with Eric Wainwright, a famous concert manager, Cynthia Potter in desperation disguises herself as a thirteen-year-old girl with braces on her teeth and enters a children's concert sponsored annually by Eric.
Her brilliant piano playing wins the contest and on the following day, Eric comes to her apartment with a contract. Cynthia, pretending that she is the older sister of the girl she has impersonated, tries to persuade Eric to sign her, but he refuses and even accuses her of being jealous of her successful kid sister. Furious at his attitude, Cynthia decides to continue the hoax by signing the contract as her little sister's guardian.
Dressed appropriately, she arrives at Eric's office to commence her career as a child prodigy. John Tirsen, Cynthia's newspaperman boyfriend, disapproves of the hoax and tries to make Cynthia give it up. Eric comes upon them conversing, and Cynthia is forced to introduce John as her elder sister's boyfriend. Eric, however, is shocked to later find her smoking and drinking a cocktail while with John, and decides to take her to his country home to remove her from the evil influence of John and her elder sister.
Cynthia deliberately proves difficult at Eric's home, by interfering with his romance with Denise Dorcet, a temperamental singer, and by insisting that he stop drinking and smoking if he does not want her to continue these vices. After weeks of practice, however, Eric becomes very fond of his child protégée, while she has secretly been falling in love with him. Nevertheless...
COMMENT: M-G-M, always eager to copycat a success at another studio, have here taken a leaf from the pages of All About Eve. Of course, the idea has been considerably watered down and most of the bite has been removed. However, it still has sufficient sparkle to add up to passable entertainment.
Acting is proficient. Miss Allyson has a role that takes advantage of her small stature (actually the camera cheats a bit here by making her appear taller, when she should — except for the up-swept hair style — be the same size).
The direction is competent, though inclined to intersperse the musical interludes (cut, of course) with too many reaction shots. Within the limits of a very moderate budget, production values are smooth.
OTHER VIEWS: A slight comedy with a theme at once hackneyed and improbable, which sometimes sparkles but has too many flat passages. — Monthly Film Bulletin.