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What's After the Movie?
Family drama

Heidi (1937): Cast & Plot

Heidi (1937) movie poster

Heidi is a 1937 family drama directed by Allan Dwan, starring Shirley Temple as Heidi Kramer, Mady Christians and Jean Hersholt. It is partly based on Heidi by Johanna Spyri and Eva Ibbotson. It runs 1 hour 28 minutes.

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Heidi (1937) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 28m (88 min)
Director
Allan Dwan
Genres
Drama , Family , Music
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Heidi About?

The premise of Heidi without spoilers, adapted from Heidi by Johanna Spyri and Eva Ibbotson. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Orphaned Heidi is sent by her aunt Dete to the Alpine hills, where she lives with her stern, reclusive grandfather Adolph Kramer. Her bright spirit gradually draws him back into village life. Later Dete takes Heidi to be a companion for a wheelchair‑bound daughter of a rich man, prompting her grandfather to race after her and bring her home.

Heidi Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • swiss alps
  • hillside
  • domestic animal
  • girl
  • little girl
  • orphan girl
  • butter
  • cheese
  • milk
  • orphan
  • milking
  • goat
+38 more
  • goatherd
  • alps
  • female protagonist
  • footprint
  • horse drawn sleigh
  • scheming
  • clock
  • wooden shoe
  • character name as title
  • forename as title
  • switzerland
  • heidi character
  • horn the musical instrument
  • crotchety old man
  • christmas movie
  • holiday movie
  • depressed woman
  • depression
  • female friendship
  • first love
  • friendship
  • holiday romance
  • coming of age
  • 19th century
  • curly hair
  • child actress
  • american actor plays a foreigner
  • breaking a table
  • dwan and temple
  • wheelchair
  • invalid
  • gypsy
  • friends who live together
  • gun
  • police chase
  • jail
  • theater
  • broken doll
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Cast & crew

Heidi Cast & Characters

Shirley Temple leads the cast as Heidi Kramer, with Mady Christians as Dete and Jean Hersholt as Adolph Kramer. Directed by Allan Dwan; 17 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Heidi

· 13 more
From the director

More from Allan Dwan

More films directed by Allan Dwan, best-rated first: Sands of Iwo Jima, Most Dangerous Man Alive, Enchanted Island and The River’s Edge.

Full filmography
Plot

Heidi Plot Summary

What happens in Heidi from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Heidi Shirley Temple is an eight-year-old Swiss orphan who is entrusted to her mountain-dwelling grandfather, Adolph Kramer, Jean Hersholt. At first his cool demeanor keeps her at a distance, but her bright, hopeful spirit gradually thaws him and draws him toward the life of the nearby town, where a quiet curiosity about the world beyond the mountains begins to bloom.

Full summary

The whole story of Heidi, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Heidi?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

Who plays the title role of Heidi in this 1937 film?

Details

Heidi Also Known As

5 alternative titles, including “Zoccoletti olandesi” and “海蒂”.

Also known as
  • Zoccoletti olandesi
  • 海蒂
  • היידי בת ההרים
  • Хейди
  • ハイデイ

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FAQ

Heidi FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast, the book behind it and post-credit scenes of Heidi, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Heidi?

Heidi runs 1 hour 28 minutes (88 minutes).

When was Heidi released?

Heidi was released on October 15, 1937.

Who directed Heidi?

Heidi was directed by Allan Dwan.

More films by Allan Dwan

Who is in the cast of Heidi?

Heidi stars Shirley Temple as Heidi Kramer, Mady Christians as Dete and Jean Hersholt as Adolph Kramer, among 17 credited actors.

Is Heidi based on a book?

Yes. Heidi is partly adapted from Heidi by Johanna Spyri and Eva Ibbotson.

Does Heidi have a post-credit scene?

No. Heidi has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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