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Stowaway

Stowaway

  • Status: Released
  • 25-12-1936
  • Runtime: 87 min
  • Score: 6.7
  • Vote count: 24

Chin-Ching gets lost in Shanghai and is befriended by American playboy Tommy Randall. She falls asleep in his car which winds up on a ship headed for America. Susan Parker, also on the ship, marries Randall to give Chin-Ching a family.

Shirley Temple

Barbara 'Ching-Ching' Stewart

Robert Young

Tommy Randall

Alice Faye

Susan Parker

Eugene Pallette

The Colonel

Helen Westley

Mrs. Hope

Arthur Treacher

Atkins

Allan Lane

Richard Hope

J. Edward Bromberg

Judge Booth

Astrid Allwyn

Kay Swift

Robert Greig

Captain

Jayne Regan

Dora Day

Julius Tannen

First Mate

Willie Fung

Chang

Philip Ahn

Sun Lo

Paul McVey

Second Mate

Helen Jerome Eddy

Mrs. Kruikshank

William Stack

Alfred Kruikshank

Honorable Wu

Li Ze Mon

Richard Loo

Chinese Merchant (uncredited)

CinemaSerf

Believe it or not, Shirley Temple has got herself a Chinese name ("Ching Ching") and lost in Shanghai. The god of luck is looking down favourably on her, though, and she happens upon "Tommy" (Robert Young). She befriends him, takes a nap in his car and next thing is the eponymous lass on a Transpacific liner heading to the USA. He is a decent cove and agrees to take her under his wing but with their destination looming, an orphanage for her beckons! Unmarried men can't adopt. Meantime, "Susan" (Alice Faye) is also on the boat and also takes a shine to the little girl - and to her minder, too! She's engaged to the rather wimpish "Richard" (Allan Lane) though and her mother (Helen Westley) wants no truck with "Tommy" - so, yep - you've guessed it - it falls to the curly-haired star to do a bit of fixing so that true love will blossom and she will hopefully be spared being in a real version of "Annie". The instantly recognisable dulcet tones of Eugenie Pallette help keep things on an even keel and Temple delivers with her usual and natural charm. On that last point, she always comes across as charismatic and never precocious, and here there's a germ of chemistry between her, Young and Faye. Messrs. Revel & Gordon have provided a few gentle numbers to allow Temple to show off some of her nimble dancing and the writing some entertainingly bilingual dexterity. It's light-hearted and characterful fun, this, and though you'll probably never remember it, it's enjoyable.