Little Miss Roughneck (1938) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

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A talented 10-year-old singing prodigy, Foxine LaRue (Edith Fellows), who is only slightly less artificial and theatrical than her name, is pushed into vaudeville by her stage-mother mama, Gert LaRue (Margaret Irving), who is even more artificial and theatrical than her name. Foxine's pretty and older sister, Mary LaRue (Julie Bishop as Jacqueline Wells) makes sacrifices to support the trio. Al Partridge (Scott Kolk as Scott Colton), a hollywood agent becomes interested in Mary and takes the family trio to Hollywood in the hopes of Foxine getting into the movies. After several incidents by the rowdy Foxine on the train, and later at International Studios, Foxine is further from being in the movies than she was in New York. Gert decides that a "hoax" kidnapping is just the ticket to get Foxine the publicity to land a studio contract. That night Foxine dresses as a boy, disarranges her room, leaves a "ransom note" and hops a freight train. The police arrive the next morning and hear Mary accuse Al and Gert of staging the kidnapping, and they are arrested. Foxine leaves the train several hundred miles away and takes shelter with the good-natured Pascual Orozco (Leo Carrillo) and his family. The arrested pair are released when the police receive another ransom note (sent by Foxine.)

Cast & Crew

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Aubrey Scotto

Edith Fellows

Leo Carillo

Scott Colton

Jacqueline Wells

Margaret Irving

Mrs. Gert LaRue

Film Details

Also Known As

Wonder Child

Genre

Comedy

Release Date

Feb 23, 1938

Premiere Information

not available

Production Company

Columbia Pictures Corp. of California, Ltd.

Distribution Company

Columbia Pictures Corp. of California, Ltd.

Country

United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 4m

Sound

Mono

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.37 : 1

Film Length

6 reels

Synopsis

Ten-year-old Foxine LaRue is being groomed for the vaudeville stage by her mother Gertrude, while her older sister, Mary, makes many personal sacrifices to support the family. During one of Foxine's performances, Hollywood agent Al Partridge takes an interest in Mary, and later goes backstage seeking an introduction to her. When Al learns that Foxine is Mary's sister, he immediately feigns interest in the child star in order to get closer to Mary, and sees his chance with her in having the whole family join him on a train ride to Hollywood. Soon after arriving at the International Studios in Hollywood, Foxine gets herself into trouble and is ejected from one studio lot after another. Hoping to generate some much-needed publicity for her daughter, Gertrude concocts a plan in which Foxine is to be the victim of a fake kidnapping. After leaving evidence in her room to suggest a struggle, Foxine, dressed in boys' clothes, mails a ransom note and steals away on a freight train. The next day, as police scour the area looking for Foxine, Mary accuses her mother and Al of staging the kidnapping, and the police overhear her. While Al and Gertrude are arrested for the hoax, Foxine meets a Mexican man named Pascual Orozco, who takes her into his family. Gertrude and Al are later released when the police mysteriously receive a second ransom note. Realizing that he cannot keep her, Pascual drives Foxine to the orphanage she said she was from, but the girl manages to escape en route by stealing his car. Police soon capture Foxine, and later arrest Pascual when they find him mailing a letter that the girl had given him, not realizing that it is a ransom note. Al, Mary and Gertrude all arrive at the jail to take Foxine home, but Foxine refuses to go until they stop a lynch mob from storming the jail and attacking Pascual, who has been accused of the kidnapping. Although Foxine confesses her hoax to the crowd, her fans forgive her and she soon appears in her first film.

Director

Aubrey Scotto

Cast

Edith Fellows

Leo Carillo

Scott Colton

Jacqueline Wells

Margaret Irving

Mrs. Gert LaRue

Inez Palange

Mercedes Orozco

George Mckay

Thurston Hall

Frank C. Wilson

John Gallaudet

Walter O. Stahl

Ivan Miller

Alan Bridge

Wade Boteler

Guy Usher

Phillipe Turick

George Mori

Gilbert Enriquez

Eddie Laughton

Master of ceremonies

Ernest Wood

Publicity director

George Lloyd

George Pearce

Proprietor of store

Jack Daley

Eddie Fetherston

Assistant director

Neal Burns

Assistant director

Iris Meredith

Ann Doran

Ben Crawford

Frances Morris

Leona Valde

J. G. Macmahon

Cyril Ring

Gene Stone

Ed Coxen

Bud Geary

Oscar G. Hendrian

Larry Fisher

Earl Bunn

Bill Lally

Al Rhein

Village citizen

Harry Hollingsworth

Harry Tenbrook

Cy Schindell

Jack Lowe

Robert Wilber

Chuck Hamilton

Dick Rush

Bert Moorhouse

Walter Anthony Merrill

Ralph Mccullough

Fingerprint man

Harry Strang

Dick Curtis

Bud Jamison

Vernon Dent

Bill Irving

Bert Starkey

George Hoey

Crew

Irving Briskin

Executive Producer

George Cooper

Milton Drake

Bob Farfan

Assistant Director

Stephen Goosson

Kalloch

Benjamin Kline

Wallace Macdonald

Associate Producer

Grace Neville

Grace Neville

Fred Niblo Jr.

Fred Niblo Jr.

Ben Oakland

Michael Simmons

Morris Stoloff

James Sweeney

Film Details

Also Known As

Wonder Child

Genre

Comedy

Release Date

Feb 23, 1938

Premiere Information

not available

Production Company

Columbia Pictures Corp. of California, Ltd.

Distribution Company

Columbia Pictures Corp. of California, Ltd.

Country

United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 4m

Sound

Mono

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.37 : 1

Film Length

6 reels

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

The working title of this film was Wonder Child.

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