What Is Just Around the Corner About?
The premise of Just Around the Corner in 261 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In a bustling city still feeling the tremors of the Great Depression, life unfolds between towering ambitions and modest dwellings. The streets echo with the mingled hopes of those who still believe in a brighter tomorrow, while the skyline hints at grand designs waiting to be realized. Against this backdrop, the world feels both fragile and full of promise, inviting viewers to linger in its warm, if uneven, glow.
Penny Hale arrives as a bright‑spirited youngster whose optimism turns a sudden change of fortune into an adventure. Once a student at a private girls’ school, she now shares a snug basement with her widowed father, Jeff Hale, an architect whose reputation outpaces his current circumstances. Their bond is a blend of youthful exuberance and seasoned determination, with Penny eagerly championing her father’s vision for a daring slum‑clearance project that could reshape the community. Their home may be modest, but the love and resolve that fill it are anything but small.
Around them, a lively cast adds color and rhythm to the story. Lola brings a touch of romance and possibility, while her uncle Samuel Henshaw—the financiers often whispered about as “Uncle Sam”—holds the keys to the future of Jeff’s architectural dreams. Milton offers a playful contrast, and Waters, the officious building employee, provides gentle comic friction. Occasionally, the affable Corporal Jones joins in a cheerful dance, reminding everyone that joy can be found even in the most unexpected corners. Together, these characters create a warm tapestry of family devotion, hopeful courtship, and community spirit that promises plenty of heart‑warming moments ahead.
What Happens in Just Around the Corner?
The complete story of Just Around the Corner, from the first scene to the last, in 402 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 2 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Penny Hale Shirley Temple is attending a private girls’ school when she is informed that her enrollment has ended and she will be heading home to live with her widowed father, Jeff Hale Charles Farrell. He is a prominent architect who is in dire financial straits and can no longer afford Penny’s tuition. Furthermore, Jeff has lost his penthouse apartment and his car, but he has secured a menial job in the building as its custodian, so he and Penny will still have a home: a small basement dwelling. Although Jeff is humbled by this downturn, the always optimistic Penny views the change as an adventure. Waters [Franklin Pangborn] is an overly officious apartment employee who tries to keep her out of places in the building she once frequented when her father was wealthy.
Jeff is romantically linked with Lola [Amanda Duff], Lola Ramsby’s niece, while Lola’s uncle Samuel Henshaw [Bill Robinson] is a major financier who once employed Jeff to design a major building project, but discontinued it. Penny also befriends Lola’s brother Milton [Benny Bartlett], a pampered and effete boy. Penny helps him shed his prim and snobbish appearance, cutting off his prominent curls in an attempt to make him look more like a “he-man.”
A discouraged Jeff explains to Penny that the United States is mired in the Great Depression because Uncle Sam is being pestered by too many people who want his money. He shows her a newspaper cartoon that illustrates this idea. Penny discovers that Samuel Henshaw is referred to as “Uncle Sam” by his niece and nephew and amusingly believes that Samuel Henshaw is actually Uncle Sam. Henshaw considers re-hiring Jeff and assigning him to a project in far-off Borneo to keep him away from Lola.
Shortly thereafter Penny sees Henshaw accosted by a group of pushy reporters. She helps drive them away with a few well-placed kicks to their shins. Penny tells Henshaw that she sympathizes with him because of all the people who want to siphon money from “Uncle Sam.” The irascible Henshaw takes a liking to Penny. She stages a benefit for Henshaw, charging a nickel apiece for a show that features a song-and-dance performance by her and the apartment building’s doorman. This impresses Samuel Henshaw so much that he announces the building project that he had earlier abandoned will be restarted with Jeff in charge. Jeff and Lola plan to be married.
Just Around the Corner Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Penny learns enrollment is ended and returns home” to “A hopeful new chapter for the project and family”. 12 events name a place, across 11 locations.
- 1
Penny learns enrollment is ended and returns home
Penny is informed that her enrollment has ended and she must return home to live with her father, Jeff Hale. She accepts the change with optimism, treating it as an adventure rather than a setback. This moment marks the start of Penny's new life outside the private school.
Where:Private girls' school
- 2
Jeff's finances collapse; new custodian job
Jeff reveals he is in dire financial straits: he has lost his penthouse and his car and can no longer afford Penny's tuition. He has taken a menial job as the building's custodian, meaning he and Penny will still have a home. The family begins to adjust to a much humbler life.
Where:Hale residence (apartment building)
- 3
Family moves to a basement dwelling
Jeff and Penny move into a small basement dwelling in the apartment building. Penny greets the change with enthusiasm and views their new home as an adventure, while Jeff tries to stay hopeful for Penny's happiness. The basement life represents a dramatic fall from their previous status.
Where:Basement dwelling
- 4
Penny clashes with Waters
Penny often runs afoul of Waters, the officious apartment employee who tries to bar her from places she used to visit. She speaks up and sometimes defies his rules, underscoring her resilient spirit.
Where:Apartment building
- 5
Jeff and Lola; Henshaw's past
Jeff is romantically linked with Lola, the niece of the difficult woman who now occupies his old apartment. Lola's uncle, Samuel Henshaw, is a major financier who once employed Jeff but later discontinued the project.
Where:Lola's circle / Jeff's old apartment
- 6
Penny helps Milton transform
Penny befriends Lola's brother Milton and helps him shed his prim, snobbish appearance by cutting his curls to look more like a he-man. Her intervention is playful but also reveals Penny's willingness to challenge social pretenses.
Where:Lola's home
- 7
Penny discovers Uncle Sam connection
Penny learns that Samuel Henshaw is referred to as Uncle Sam by Lola and Milton, and she amusingly believes the financier herself to be the real Uncle Sam.
Where:Henshaw's circle
- 8
Penny drives away reporters
Penny sees Henshaw being accosted by reporters and comes to his aid, driving them away with a few kicks to their shins. She also sympathizes with him, recognizing that many people want his money.
Where:Outside Henshaw's office
- 9
Penny stages a nickel benefit
Penny decides to stage a benefit for Henshaw, charging a nickel for admission and performing a song-and-dance with Corporal Jones, the building's doorman. The show leaves a strong impression on Henshaw, who is moved by Penny's initiative.
Where:Apartment building common area
- 10
Henshaw restarts the project with Jeff in charge
Impressed by Penny's effort, Samuel Henshaw announces that the previously abandoned project will be restarted with Jeff in charge. This marks a turning point for both Jeff and Penny, giving them renewed purpose.
Where:Construction site / Henshaw's circle
- 11
Jeff and Lola plan to marry
Jeff and Lola plan to be married, signaling a new personal milestone amid the ongoing economic hardship. Their engagement reinforces the possibility of a brighter future for the Hale family.
Where:Lola's home
- 12
A hopeful new chapter for the project and family
With the project back on track and Penny's optimism intact, the family looks toward a steadier future. The community also begins to see renewed hope as the project proceeds.
Where:Neighborhood around the building
Who Are the Main Characters in Just Around the Corner?
9 characters, among them Penny Hale (Shirley Temple), Jeff Hale (Charles Farrell) and Samuel G. Henshaw (Bill Robinson): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- PH
Penny Hale (Shirley Temple)
Played by Shirley Temple
An energetic and optimistic girl who treats the move from wealth to poverty as an adventure. She defies the building's officious rules, helps others, and drives the plan to support the tenants. Her resourcefulness and generosity catalyze changes in her father’s career and in the lives around her.
- 🌟 Optimistic
- 🎨 Creative
- 🧭 Resourceful
- JH
Jeff Hale (Charles Farrell)
Played by Charles Farrell
Penny’s widowed father, a once-proud architect who has fallen on hard times and now works as the building’s custodian. He remains determined to provide for Penny and to restart his career, showing humility and resilience in the face of financial collapse.
- 💪 Resilient
- 🧱 Responsible
- 🧭 Steadfast
- SG
Samuel G. Henshaw (Bill Robinson)
Played by Bill Robinson
A major financier who once employed Jeff and now wields considerable power over the building project. Initially irascible, he grows to respect Penny’s boldness and is moved to restart the project with Jeff in charge.
- 🏛️ Powerful
- 🧭 Cautious
- 🤝 Receptive
- LR
Lola Ramsby (Amanda Duff)
Played by Amanda Duff
Lola is the niece of the disagreeable occupant of Jeff’s old penthouse and becomes Jeff’s love interest. Her presence stirs social tension but also motivates Jeff to pursue the project with renewed energy.
- 💃 Social
- 👀 Intrigued
- 🎯 Determined
- MR
Milton Ramsby (Benny Bartlett)
Played by Benny Bartlett
A pampered, effete nephew who embodies old-money manners. Penny helps him shed his pretensions and adopt a more masculine, self-assured appearance.
- 🧸 Pampered
- 🧔 Reformed
- 🪞 Self-aware
- AJ
Aunt Julia Ramsby (Cora Witherspoon)
Played by Cora Witherspoon
The disagreeable aunt who occupies the old apartment and serves as a social obstacle in the power dynamics of the building.Her presence highlights the tensions between wealth, propriety, and progress.
- 👵 Commanding
- 🗣️ Critical
- 🧩 Gatekeeper
- W(
Waters (Franklin Pangborn)
Played by Franklin Pangborn
The overly officious apartment employee who tries to keep Penny out of places she once frequented. He functions as comic foil while representing bureaucracy during hard times.
- 🎭 Comic
- 🗂️ Bureaucratic
- 🧭 Annoying
- K(
Kitty (Joan Davis)
Played by Joan Davis
A neighbor who adds humor and helps move the plot forward through social maneuvering within the building.
- 😂 Humorous
- 🧭 Witty
- 🗺️ Social
- G(
Gwendolyn (Marilyn Knowlden)
Played by Marilyn Knowlden
A peer from Penny’s world who appears uncredited, representing Penny’s pre-depression social circle and the contrast with her current realities.
- 🧒 Young
- 📝 Observant
- 🪞 Reflective
Where and When Is Just Around the Corner Set?
Just Around the Corner is set in Private girls' school, Apartment building and Basement dwelling (1930s, Great Depression era). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
1930s, Great Depression era
The film is set during the Great Depression, a period of severe economic hardship in the United States. Financial strain forces a fall from wealth to a much humbler living situation. Amid this backdrop, Penny keeps an optimistic view and finds opportunities in adversity. The era's strain is echoed through headlines, cartoons, and the economic anxieties of the characters.
Where
Private girls' school, Apartment building, Basement dwelling
The story moves from Penny's private girls' school to a modest urban apartment building. Penny and her father now reside in a basement dwelling within that building, reflecting the era's economic downturn. The building houses a mix of tenants and an officious doorman, illustrating the social dynamics of the time.
- 🏫 Private girls' school
- 🏢 Urban apartment building
- 🏚️ Basement dwelling
What Are the Themes of Just Around the Corner?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Resilience, Class & Economy and Community & Charity.
-
01
Resilience
Penny’s relentless optimism amid poverty illustrates resilience as a driving force for hope. Her courage helps her father confront his reduced status without surrendering his dignity. The film uses Penny’s attitude to show how smaller, personal acts of courage can ripple outward. Resilience becomes a catalyst for rebuilding both livelihood and faith in the future.
-
02
Class & Economy
The narrative contrasts former wealth with present hardship, highlighting how money shapes social access and opportunity. Jeff’s fall from a prestigious architect to a lowly custodian underscores the fragility of status during the Depression. Penny’s impact on the building’s fortunes demonstrates how initiative can bridge class divides. The Uncle Sam motif frames economic debate in accessible, humorous terms.
-
03
Community & Charity
Penny organizes a nickel show to support Samuel Henshaw, turning a personal setback into communal aid. The act of staging a benefit brings residents together and prompts a reversal of fortunes. The story emphasizes social solidarity and the power of small acts to inspire larger economic and political change. Through performance, the community reclaims agency in hard times.
What Kind of Film Is Just Around the Corner?
Light in tone, with steady pacing and a straightforward story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Light
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Straightforward
- Intensity
- Low
- Ending
- Happy
An optimistic and feel-good musical comedy in which a spirited young girl's unwavering cheerfulness transforms her family's financial hardship into a charming adventure, full of song, dance, and heartwarming connections.
- uplifting
- optimistic
- whimsical
- cheerful
- feel-good
- heartwarming
- great depression
- father-daughter relationship
- social status
- kindness
Quiz
How well do you remember Just Around the Corner? Test yourself on the story.
