In one of her earliest and most popular roles, the adorable Shirley Temple (Now and Forever) single-handedly melts the hearts of a gang of hardened gamblers when she is left as an IOU or “marker” for a debt. Adolphe Menjou (The Front Page) stars as a jaded head bookie, “Sorrowful” Jones, who winds up playing reluctant papa to the curly-topped waif and soon falls under her spell. Helping Sorrowful with the rigors of instant fatherhood is the beautiful Bangles Carson (Dorothy Dell, Wharf Angel), a nightclub singer whose racketeer boyfriend Big Steve (Charles Bickford, White Woman) is big trouble! Based on a story by Damon Runyon (Guys and Dolls) and directed by Alexander Hall (Torch Singer, Goin’ to Town), this heartwarming tale of love, faith and new beginnings will delight the whole family and make you believe in miracles!

For thoughts on Little Miss Marker, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/ryBLRvEkLeE?t=970]

Video Quality

Little Miss Marker debuts on Blu-Ray thanks to Kino Classics with a 1080p transfer not cited as being from a new master but still looks pretty capable. For a film that is nearly 90 years old, there is not much that pops up as a major detriment. There is a decent amount of detail present with distinct textures on the clothing and within the production design. The transfer shows a bit of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. The black-and-white photography thrives in high definition with natural grain intact and resolved without issue. Black levels could be a bit deeper, but there are no overwhelming occurrences of black crush or compression artifacts. Contrast is well defined, and the track only experiences a minimal amount of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. There is a consistent amount of minor print damage, but nothing pops up that would count as a major distraction. Kino Classics has done a pretty good job with this one.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a passable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that presents this movie well considering the age limitations. This track does present with a small bit of age related wear and tear including some humming and crackles. The track also sounds a bit unsteady when the music comes up, which likely dates back to the source elements. Dialogue and background noises are in harmony with all competing elements. The music plays well with the dialogue and other important information. Kino Classics has done their best to provide the most steady track possible for this one. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Critic/Author Lee Gambin and Costume Historian Elissa Rose deliver an entertaining and informative commentary track in which they discuss its place as an early Shirley Temple star vehicle, the various adaptations of the story, the careers of the ensemble, how the costumes suit the narrative and much more that is more than worth a listen.

Trailers: There are trailers provided for Now and Forever, Sorrowful Jones, Goin’ To Town and Paths Of Glory.

Final Thoughts

Little Miss Marker is an early telling of a story that has been reimagined several times for the silver screen. While Shirley Temple brings a lot of charm to the central character, the ensemble surrounding her do not quite match the charisma showcased in Sorrowful Jones 15 years later. The script keeps things much more dour with a much weaker ending in this version. This one is still entertaining, but it does pale in comparison to some of the other versions. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fine A/V presentation and a nifty commentary track. If you are a big fan of Shirley Temple, it is worth checking this out for her alone. Recommended

Little Miss Marker is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.