Freckles
Cast & Crew
Edward Killy
Tom Brown
Virginia Weidler
Carol Stone
Lumsden Hare
James Bush
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
While wandering in the Limberlost forest with her bear Cubby, young, mischievous Laurie-Lou Duncan meets Freckles, an unemployed orphan who is on his way to the nearby Mr. McLean Lumber Company. Laurie-Lou introduces Freckles to Mary Arden, her pretty schoolteacher, who then introduces him to McLean. At Mary's urging, McLean employs Freckles to guard the vast Limberlost against timber thieves. With Laurie-Lou's help, Freckles learns about the forest and gradually becomes comfortable in his new surroundings. At the same time, Mary gives Freckles botany books to read and, attracted to him, encourages him to visit her at home. After McLean runs into Jack Carter, a convicted timber thief, at Laurie-Lou's mother's general store, he alerts Freckles and his other workers to keep a careful watch on the trees. Carter, who gives Laurie-Lou wooden soldiers that he has carved, is actually hiding out in the Limberlost with fellow bank robbers Al Waters, Butch and Lefty. While McLean and his lumberjacks are cutting down a tree that had been marked by would-be timber thieves, Laurie-Lou ties Cubby to a log to prevent him from eating her candy. When Laurie-Lou realizes that the tree is going to fall near Cubby, she rushes to untie him but is pulled away by Freckles just as the giant trunk is descending on her. Cubby survives his injuries, and a relieved Laurie-Lou is able to participate in Mary's school variety show. Later Laurie-Lou, desperate to have Carter carve her a captain for her wooden doll collection, hides in his car one afternoon and rides with him to his cabin. Carter, whose photograph has just appeared in the newspapers, keeps the innocent Laurie-Lou at the hideout, unsure of what to do with her. Eventually Freckles shows up and spots Laurie-Lou in the cabin. Carter and his men capture Freckles, but Freckles executes a surprise escape and, after being shot, locks himself with Laurie-Lou in a back room. When Laurie-Lou discovers Al's machine gun in the room, she shows Freckles how to load and shoot it. Although suffering, Freckles confronts Carter and his men, who have hacked their way into the room with axes, and holds them at gunpoint until Mary and an F.B.I. agent arrive on the scene. After Laurie-Lou congratulates Freckles for his bravery, Mary tells him that she loves him, and the young couple kiss.
Cast
Tom Brown
Virginia Weidler
Carol Stone
Lumsden Hare
James Bush
Dorothy Peterson
Addison Richards
Richard Alexander
George Lloyd
Louis Natheaux
Wade Boteler
Crew
Pandro S. Berman
Alberto Colombo
D. A. Cutler
Robert De Grasse
Charles Kerr
Desmond Marquette
Mary Mayes
Walter Plunkett
Van Nest Polglase
William Sistrom
Sidney Ullman
Dorothy Yost
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Although this film was not viewed, the above credits were confirmed by a cutting continuity deposited with the copyright records. Author Gene Stratton Porter's name appears above the title in the opening credits. The New York Times review credits Mary Mayes with the screen adaptation of Porter's novel. No other source, however, mentions Mayes. The New York Times review also notes that Virginia Weidler does a "send up" of Shirley Temple in one scene in the picture. RKO borrowed Weidler from Paramount for this production. In 1917, Marshall Neilan directed Jack Pickford and Louise Huff in a Paramount production of Porter's novel entitled Freckles (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1911-20; F1.1476). Leo Meehan directed John Fox, Jr. and Gene Stratton Porter in Freckles, a 1928 FBO Pictures version (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.1957). A 1960 Fox version of the novel, also called Freckles, was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starred Martin West and Carol Christensen.
