I have posted this previously, but it fit in so well with Alan's Sepia Saturday theme for this week, that I decided to run it again:
Last night I watched the original movie of Heidi, starring Shirley Temple. She is such a doll.
This is a really good movie for anybody to watch. It is interesting how things were back when Johanna Spyri wrote the book Heidi. People could get away with a lot in the way they treated kids. The men are really nice in the movie, but the women are really awful (except for the school teacher and the old, blind, Sweet Anna.) I searched all over for the following photos and then found that most of them were on the website in the link below.
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| Heidi |
Heidi is a little German girl. Her parents died when she was two, and she was raised by her very mean and no good Aunt Dete (Heidi's mom's sister).
Aunt Dete got a job in a big city, and brought Heidi to live with her grandfather (Heidi's dad's father). The Grandfather (as Heidi calls him), got into a big fight with his son because he did not want him to marry Heidi's mom. They married anyway, and then both died. Dang. The Grandfather became a recluse, quit going to church and was mean to the village people. His son's death gave him a very bad attitude.
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| Heidi and Aunt Dete |
Here is Aunt Dete and Heidi on their way to The Grandfather's cabin. Heidi got hot as they walked up the steep hill and took of a bunch of her clothing. Aunt Dete is scolding her.
Heidi is irritated by Aunt Dete, but she isn't afraid of her. They are just two people stuck together by fate. It isn't a pleasant relationship, but it is not unbearable.
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| Peter and Heidi |
One of the friends that Heidi makes in her new town is Peter the Goat Master. Peter is a nice guy, and sometimes Heidi goes with him on hikes with the goats.
Peter warns Heidi that her Grandfather is pretty mean, and that she had better watch out.
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| The Grandfather and Heidi |
The Grandfather is gruff, but they love each other right away. He builds Heidi a nice chair and a nice bed for her room in the hay loft above the kitchen.
How can he not love Heidi? She is so cheerful and adorable. And she is the only link left to his son who died.
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| Heidi reads to The Grandfather |
The Grandfather teaches Heidi to read books. She also learns to milk the goats and make cheese. They even begin to go to church. The whole town is glad that The Grandfather is being nice to them again.
Things are great. Until that mean Aunt Dete comes back, kidnaps Heidi and sells her to a rich family in Frankfurt. Heidi is meant to be a companion to Clara, an 11-year-old in a wheelchair because of a back injury. Heidi likes Clara fine and everybody in the household loves Heidi, except for the mean nurse, Frau Rottenmeier. Frau Rottenmeier does not want Clara to walk again, because she does not want to lose her job.
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| Clara enjoys her new doll, and Hedi loves her snow globe. |
At Christmas, Clara's father comes home. Clara gives Heidi a snow globe that inside looks like The Grandfather hauling wood by his cabin. Clara's father gives Clara a beautiful porcelain doll. Clara and Heidi give Clara's father the best gift of all: Clara can now walk!
That infuriates Frau Rottenmeir to no end! She breaks Heidi's snow globe, kidnaps her, and sells Heidi to the gypsies. Lots of child selling going on in this movie.
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| At the police station, Heidi does her best to escape. |
The Grandfather finds Heidi just in time, but the cops are there also. Frau Rottenmeir lies, and says that The Grandfather kidnapped Heidi. The cops continue to believe her lies until Heidi finally mentions the name of Clara's father, and the cops think twice about letting that mean lady leave with poor Heidi. Heidi then goes back home, to the cabin, to her happy life with The Grandfather and her friends. They all live happily ever after.
The end.
This is a Sepia Saturday post! Please CLICK HERE to go and see what everybody else is doing with their old photos on that cool website!
Today is the eighth day of the A - Z Challenge, which is hosted by Arlee Bird's: Tossing It Out. Several of my blogging friends are participating, and this year there are over 1,200 participants. We post everyday, except for Sundays, and work our way through the alphabet. I am posting past photos that I have taken, and am linking them up to the posts where the photos originated from too. When you are all done here at Oregon Gifts, please click here to visit the other bloggers who are participating in this challenge.
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| Don't miss out on the news ... please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today. |
17 comments:
Heidi was my most loved book way back when, I read it so many times, lost so many tears over it ...but I can't remember the part about Heidi being sold to the gypsies. Maybe this was just in the movies.
You have some great movie shots here and Shirley temple certainly did make a lovely Heidi.
Thanks for the summary and the accompanying screenshots. I watched it and loved it when I was a kid!
I loved the book and wept buckets over it and then read it again so I could cry again. Thank you for the reminder. I still have the copy my parents gave me for my ninth birthday.
Goodness, I have the hardest time getting the comments page to open.
Anyway, thanks for the revisit with Heidi. I was surprised how much I had forgotten about that wonderful movie.
Sorry, Patti, I've made some changes now to the commenting. I have had a hard time leaving comments on here with IE. Let's see if this helps.
I enjoyed your retelling of the Heidi story, as I've never read the book or seen the movie! (How did that happen, I wonder?) I also applaud your efforts in the A to Z challenge. Sounds like a fun thing to tackle--good luck!
+JMJ+
Lots of child selling, indeed! Heidi the novel was one of my childhood favourites, so I know it wasn't half as dramatic as the Shirley Temple movie. LOL!
I guess it's because, in a simpler world, adults aren't really mean until they are willing to trade children for money? In the novel, Aute Dete is very impatient and callous, but she really believes that what she is doing is best for everyone concerned. There's some personal gain in leaving Heidi with Clara's family, but she honestly regretted dumping Heidi on her grandfather earlier in the story and is trying to make amends. Very clumsy woman, but not really a baddie.
Thanks for the summary of the film, Kathy. =)
I don't think I ever saw the Shirley Temple movie (wasn't she adorable?) but my mother read me the book when I was little.
I saw them all over and over again, as a child growing up...the reruns were always playing...she was such a doll....my granddaughter reminds me so much of her sometimes...all those charming and darling expressions she always offered and her singing and dancing...they are a close pair! Not only was she darling but they had often really charming and handsome men that came into her life...as well as the lovely ladies in the mix.....she was the perfect childhood star in my eyes and heart! THanks!
I saw the movie when I was young, but I didn't remember the story. I didn't realize there were all those nasty people in it.
I LOVE THIS POST!!!! "Heidi" was my favorite book as a child and I had been looking for an old copy for years. Just a couple months ago I found one in a local antique mall, printed in 1944, calling to me and similar to what I had. Lately the Shirley Temple movie has been advertised. I am rereading pages now and then from my newfound, "Heidi" book and loving it. I remember crying when Heidi had to leave the Grandfather. I will have to get that Shirley Temple DVD--wasn't she adorable? Great post. I may copy a couple photos for myself if ok with you?
We were looking for Halloween costumes at Goodwill last year. We were dressing up as Dr. Jekyll and Heidi, inspired by a comment at my book club where someone described something as Jekyll and Hydey. Anyway, we happened to see the Heidi video for sale at Goodwill for $1.99, so we bought that too - and we absolutely loved the movie. The costume were not quite as much of a hit.
One of my favorite Temple movies. I need to sit down and have a Shriley Film festival some night. Perhaps when the weather is warmer and I can have the windows open. You've inspired me to take Heidi off the shelf.
I can't remember seeing the movie, but I had the book and tried many times to read it. I remember thinking "milk, cheese and bread? That's it??" of their dinners. I never did finish it though, and was thinking recently that I ought to check it out again.
I seem to remember watching a TV series of Heidi, though my mind maybe playing tricks on me! Loved this post!
Ellie Garratt
i remember seeing this in my childhood. the CBC used to play a matine movie on saturdays.
:)~
HUGZ
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