User Reviews

Jackie "Butch" Jenkins (Little Mr Jim), James Craig (Captain Tukker), Frances Gifford (Mrs Tukker), Luana Patten (Missy Choosy), Laura La Plante (Mrs Glenson), Morris Ankrum (Colonel Starwell), Spring Byington (Mrs Starwell), Ching Wah Lee (Sui Jen), Henry O'Neill (chaplain), Celia Travers (Miss Martin), Ruth Brady (Miss Hall), Sharon McManus (Elsie), Buz Buckley (Ronnie), Carl Nugent (Clara), Jean Van (Mary), Gary Gray (boy).

Director: FRED ZINNEMANN. Screenplay: George Bruce. Based on the 1943 novel Army Brat by Thomas Dorrington Wadelton. Photography: Lester White. Film editor: Frank Hull. Art directors: Cedric Gibbons and Hubert Hobson. Set decorators: Edwin B. Willis and Ralph S. Hurst. Wardrobe supervisor: Irene. Costumes designed by Howard Shoup. Music score: George Bassman. Assistant director: Horace Hough. Sound supervisor: Douglas Shearer. Producer: Orville O. Dull.

Copyright 10 May 1946 by Loew's Inc. Presented by Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: April 1947. Australian release: 16 January 1947 (sic). 10 reels. 8,421 feet. 93 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Shattered by his wife's death, an army officer takes to drink, but is saved by his young son and his Chinese cook.

NOTES: Beloved by audiences worldwide from 1943 through 1948, child actor "Butch" Jenkins had only one significant box office failure right at the peak of his fame. "Little Mr Jim" is it.

COMMENT: This early "B" feature from director Fred Zinnemann (The Search, High Noon, From Here To Eternity, Oklahoma, The Nun's Story, The Sundowners, A Man For All Seasons, etc.) turns out to be an academically interesting movie, if only because it was never released in the USA in its original form. After nearly a year on the shelf, it was sent out to domestic cinemas in a 61 minutes version. In the United Kingdom, it was never generally released at all. In Australia, however, the complete director's cut was shown. And in a reversal of the usual policy, this is the version now being televised on Turner Classic Movies.

Although director Zinnemann's handling of his child performers is occasionally a little uncertain, the acting throughout is more than tolerable. However, Ching Wah Lee (in a well-written major role, despite his position way down the cast list) and super-popular silent siren Laura La Plante easily outshine both kids and nominal stars.

Admittedly, Frances Gifford's role is brief, though she is given the full glamour treatment with loving close-ups in soft, gauzy photography. And considering the somewhat corny and embarrassing things he is often called upon to do and say, Master Jenkins is almost half-convincing at times. (In fact, in 1947 Zinnemann was called upon to direct another of his efforts, "My Brother Takes To Horses", which was such a big hit that the director landed a prestige assignment with "The Search").

Production values benefit from a fair amount of location work. The budget, however, is definitely "B" and one wonders how the studio intended to sell the movie as a support when it originally ran well over 90 minutes.

If you want to see a movie about how NOT to raise a child, perhaps you should see "Little Mister Jim"...a strange and confusing film from MGM starring Butch Jenkins.

Little Jim is a young boy whose father (James Craig) is in the military and his mother is a stay at home mom. They also have a Chinese cook, Sui Jen (Ching Wah Lee). However, when the mother dies, the father neglects the boy and Sui Jen steps in to try to fill the void. Later, the dad comes up with the perfect solution-- he will leave to serve in China and dumps the young maladjusted boy in military school and the film ends...supposedly happily ever after...though I can't help but think we'll see Little Jim on the evening news after he goes on a rampage!!

The acting isn't bad in this one and Jenkins is surprisingly good (I am sure he was a nice person...he was NOT much of a child actor in most of his films). But the message is confusing and weird. All in all, it's not a particularly good movie and the script is the problem.