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Skippy from 1931 with Jackie Cooper, Robert Coogan, Willard Robertson and Enid Bennett
Skippy is a family drama or really a kids' movie, 1931 style, where the Depression isn't tucked away from the public. It's entertaining enough if you want to get an idea of what being a kid in 1931 was like; otherwise, it's tough sledding.
Titular Skippy, played by child star Jackie Cooper, is the only child of a wealthy doctor, played by Willard Robertson, who is the head of the town's Board of Health. Skippy's kind mom is played by Enid Bennett.
Skippy, like most kids, doesn't like doing what he's told, such as washing his face and brushing his teeth, but his real "bad behavior" is sneaking over to "Shanty Town," the poor part of town where his father fears he'll catch a disease.
Skippy, inappropriately dressed like Little Lord Fauntleroy, finds a sense of freedom in Shanty Town, playing with the ragamuffin kids in a way that contrasts sharply with his more solitary life in his upscale home.
While his father sees danger and disease, Skippy finds camaraderie and fun, highlighting the innocence of childhood amid socioeconomic disparity.
It is also in Shanty Town where he befriends Sooky, played by Robert Coogan. Sooky is worried he's going to lose his dog because his mom, who lives alone with Sooky, can't afford a dog license for him.
Of greater concern to all in Shanty Town is that they are being forced to move because the Board of Health, again, headed up by Skippy's father, is shutting it down, believing it is a breeding ground for disease.
The plot, and it's pretty straightforward, is Skippy trying to raise the $3 necessary for the dog license, which leads to a bunch of little kid money-raising efforts like breaking into a piggy bank, putting on a show with the neighborhood kids, and opening up a lemonade stand.
Skippy starts out worshipping his father as an important doctor who helps others, but as he learns about Shanty Town, he begins to question that view. It doesn't help that his dad is almost always too busy for him, even when he needs the money for the dog licence.
That plot summary doesn't do justice to the movie's real value, which lies in its ability to capture a child's point of view. You're with the kids when they break a window and run or use kid "logic" to not cross the railroad tracks by scooting through a drainage pipe that runs under them.
Whatever is happening to them, at that moment, is the most important thing in the world, but even at a young age, some develop sympathy for others, as Skippy does for Sooky and his mother.
The two worlds - the kids' and the parents' - as they usually do in kids movies, come together in the climax as Skippy's father finally sees what his edicts mean to the people of Shanty Town. It's heartwarming in a very obvious but effective way.
It's also a timeless lesson in the dangers of well-meaning but powerful bureaucracies as Skippy's dad becomes so focussed on data that he forgets his decisions impact real people. It's an evergreen lesson Washington and even local school boards need to learn today.
Kudos to Paramount Studios and the writers for not making all the Shanty Town residents good and kind souls, or all the rich people heartless and mean-spirited, as happens in many movies, both then and now.
The Shanty Town dog catcher and his kid are mean little bullies and Skippy and, eventually, his dad are shown in a positive light. In real life, one's bank account balance is not shorthand for one's character.
For us today, it's eye-opening just to see how truly free-range these eight-or-so-year-old kids were back then. They roam around their neighborhoods unsupervised all day, something shocking to modern generations.
Cooper, Coogan and many of the other child actors, already pros at the time, were able to show on screen the unique mannerisms, characteristics and thoughts of children. They were ably supported by the talented adult actors like Robertson and Bennett.
Skippy will only be your cup of tea if you like seeing long scenes of kids being kids. Today, it would be interesting to watch with your children to get their reaction to how kids grew up in the 1930s, when a radio was modern technology and "playdates" were spontaneous and unsupervised
N.B. Kids putting on a show (a stage play or musical review) to raise money is a stock storyline in many movies from the 1930s to the 1950s. To each his own, but I find it hard to not fast-forward through every single one of these scenes, and I very rarely fast-forward through any scene.
