Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

bkoganbing Captain January is Shirley Temple at her best. The film is a remake of a silent film that starred Hobart Bosworth and Baby Peggy. I can't imagine that it is any better than this one.The title role is played by Guy Kibbee who is a lighthouse keeper on the New England coast. Kibbee rescued Shirley from a ship wreck, but other than a photo album has no clue to her identity. Shirley is now a mascot of sorts in the town where the lighthouse is located. The only disturbance to Kibbee's tranquility is the marriage minded Jane Darwell.That all ends when a new truant officer comes to town played by Sara Haden best known for being the maiden aunt who lived with the Hardy family. She's a severe maiden in this film in fact she looks like she could be auditioning for Ms. Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West in this film. Of course it all works out in the end for our little moppet and for her guardian Captain January.Highlight of the film is Shirley dancing with Buddy Ebsen in the Codfish Ball number. Slim Summerville has an important role her also as Kibbee's best friend and occasional voice of reality.Captain January holds up well today for the kid in all of us.

weezeralfalfa A fairly simple plot, with a good dose of singing and dancing. Captain January(Guy Kibbee) has been living at his Cape Tempest, Maine,lighthouse with Shirley for 4 years, since her parents died in a boat accident nearby. Now, their happy life is threatened by two recent developments: 1)the replacement of a lenient district truant officer with a very strict one, full of herself, who wants to require Shirley to go to school and January to formally adopt Shirley or give her up.2)The upcoming obsolescence of January's job due to replacement by an automatic lighthouse light.Sara Hayden did a superb job of playing the one villain: the nasty, if thorough, truant officer, Miss Morgan. In comparison, June Lang, as the kind schoolteacher and Jane Darwell, as the widow with ambition to become Mrs. January, had easy conventional roles. June would return the next year, as Shirley's widowed mother, in "Wee Willie Winkie". Jane played a subsidiary role in 5 of Shirley's films.. Guy Kibbee(January) was borrowed from Warner, while Buddy Ebsen was borrowed from MGM.The central problem of a prospective jobless and Shirleyless January appears to have a solution in the end. Shirley's discovered relatives hire January to captain their large yacht, with Shirley aboard. In addition, Captain Nazro is hired as first mate, Ebsen as the seaman and Jane Darwell as cook.(What happened to the crew they had when they arrived?). We still seemingly have the problem of Shirley's truancy.Turning to the music: Shirley starts things off with "The Early Birds", as she is awakening. Next, Ebsen dances to "The Sailor's Hornpipe". Then, Shirley starts off with "The Codfish Bowl", with Ebsen later joining in, dancing around the wharf area with Shirley. Many people consider this the highlight of the film. Then, after Shirley dawns a fancy dress, she and Captains January and Nazro informally sing an opera from "Lucia di Lammermore". Then, Shirley has a strange daydream in which she sings the ballad "The Right Somebody for Me". A chorus takes over while she is feeding January, who is in the form of a huge baby in baby clothes. Later, she again sings this song to her favorite doll, which she claims looks rather like her deceased mother. Finally, a reprise of "The Codfish Bowl" by Shirley and the two captains, while aboard the yacht.

jootes-garland I love this film -- one of the sweetest Shirley Temple's movies(all right, I'm always saying that). Shirley plays Star, an orphan found by Captain January(played by Guy Kibbee), who is the guardian of a Light House. She loves her life there, but a bad 'officer' tries to take her away from him -- so she must do a test in school for the third grade. Things get worse when they have to leave the light house. This film is perfect for watch with the kids. Of course, adults can love it too. Shirley is sweet as always, singing and dancing, especially in "At the Codfish ball" and "The Right Somebody to love". Anyway, a very enjoyable movie with the great child-star Shirley Temple, with a great cast of co-stars and a great humor!It's very fun to watch!Lovely!

tmpj Actually, Captain January is one of my favorite Temple flix because of the music. For many years, it was out of circulation, not shown on the tube, and not available on video. I finally got to tape it on AMC several years ago, and it's still fum to watch. The score is especially warm and interesting. It's supposed to be written by Louis Silvers, but it was fine writing by whomever the arranger/ orchestrator was. Not my FAVORITE Temple flick, 'cause she did several that are better than this in terms of substance. The main attractions are the music, her dance episodes with a young Buddy Ebsen ( was there ever such a thing?), and the mushy relationship with the Cap'n. And the whole family can get in on the act !!