Poor Little Rich Girl 1936

Barbara Barry Shirley Temple is the young daughter of wealthy Richard Barry Michael Whalen, a recently widowed soap manufacturer. Worried that she spends too much time alone and not with other children her age, he decides to send Barbara to boarding school. At the train station, Barbara and her accompanying nanny Collins Sara Haden are separated when Collins, while looking for her stolen handbag, is hit and killed by a car.

Barbara, left to her own devices, wanders the streets and masquerades as an orphan. Along her aimless trek, she meets a friendly Italian street performer, Tony Henry Armetta the organ grinder. Barbara follows him home after his performance and witnesses his large, bustling family rushing to greet him at the door. She is welcomed into their warm, lively world, shares dinner, and experiences spaghetti for the first time. After dinner, the mother tucks her into bed with Tony’s own children, and Barbara feels a sense of belonging she hasn’t known before.

Her presence soon draws the attention of struggling vaudeville performers Jimmy Dolan Jack Haley and his wife Jerry Dolan Alice Faye, who live upstairs. The couple takes Barbara in as their daughter and places her into their radio act. They are helped by advertising executive Margaret Allen Gloria Stuart, and the trio rapidly rise to fame, becoming an overnight sensation. Mr. Barry hears his daughter singing on the radio and is reunited with her in person, a moment that brings relief and joy to both of them. The story also threads a romance between Barry and Allen, while a crook schemes to kidnap Barbara, casting a shadow over the newfound happiness.