SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

HarlowMGM If you don't like sentimental movies, run from this but if you do like them you will no doubt be moved by a great performance by May Robson. Miss Robson, one of the 1930's most beloved character actresses, made 63 films and starred in about ten. GRAND OLD GIRL is one of those. The seventyish actress portrays Miss Bailes, a small town principal whose whole life is her students. In her 38 years of teaching, it seems she has taught practically the whole town including it's most famous graduate, the current (unnamed) President of the United States. Miss Bailes' concern for the welfare of her students goes beyond the classroom and for some somewhat unclear reasons, several of the town's leading businessmen and school board members have gotten tired of her meddling, presumably feeling it's hurting their businesses. When Miss Bailes opens a "wholesome" malt shop (as opposed to the one with a vice back room with gambling and booze that is run by her erstwhile student Alan Hale) a fight breaks out in the shop on opening night which incredibly is sufficient grounds for the townsmen to have the shop closed and the school board to send Miss Bailes packing from her beloved school. Learning of Miss Bailes' situation, the President (whose face is never seen) himself returns to town to comfort her and honor her in a speech in front of the awed townsfolk.This little movie is a fine showcase for the always wonderful Miss Robson, here less incendiary than usual although a major butt-in-ski as normal. Her scenes at her last day at school are played as hearttuggers and they are highly effective. Beautiful 30's starlet Mary Carlisle is cast as one of the major problem children, a spoiled little rich girl and the very young Fred MacMurray (quite dashing in a working class way) has an early role as a delivery man unimpressed with Carlisle's methods. It's a particular treat to see Alan Hale in a rare non-period role as the town bad seed who isn't so bad after all but the supporting player who stands out the most is Etienne Girardot, an elderly character actor specializing in diminutive pretentious professor-types here cast as Miss Bailes' no nonsense, devoted vice principal.The movie's ending is unintentionally haunting, Miss Bailes gets praised by the President but what will become of this old lady now that she has been pushed out before her reaching her pension. The new principal has already been hired and is set to start the next school day. The moral of the film almost becomes be of service to your community but don't go too far. Miss Bailes' fate is unclear, whatever will become of this truly grand old girl?

MartinHafer This is a terrible film that I watched simply because it starred the usually wonderful May Robson. I loved her crusty persona in other films but here she seemed pretty obnoxious and I hated so many elements in the film due to very, very shoddy writing. In fact, the film was downright embarrassing to watch at times--particularly (yuck) when the President came to town (which was reminiscent of the very wretched Presidential scene in OF HUMAN HEARTS--another film undone by schmaltziness and poor writing).In this film, Robson is the overly-involved but nice principal of a high school (where most of the kids look about 25 years-old). She seems to know every kid and it's obvious she cares, but at times she's so stubborn and blind that she gives everyone who dislikes her plenty of ammunition to say she's gone senile!! Her big crusade is to try to shut down the local malt shop because she KNOWS it's a den of sin! Surprisingly, late in the film she's able to prove this is so--where under-age drinking and gambling occur in a hidden back room. YET DESPITE THIS, the police don't prosecute! And, when Robson opens her own hangout for kids, jerks come in and deliberately start a riot and the new hangout is shut down by the authorities! This makes no sense at all--a fight in her store results in its closure, and yet gambling and drinking by minors is okay?!?! Come off it, this makes no sense at all.Additionally to several places where the film makes no sense (proving the writing was done by hacks), the film also is terribly offensive and gross in its treatment of Blacks. While I am usually one to look past this in old films (since it was just a product of the times), seeing a moon-eyed Black student behaving like a walking stereotype was very sad indeed. This was particularly awful when the young man sees dice and immediately he begins salivating and jumping for joy--illustrating the hurtful stereotype that all Black man wanted to do was shoot Craps. Sad indeed.Overall, there's little to commend this film despite an occasionally funny performance by Robson. By the way, a young Fred MacMurray is also in the film, but considering he wasn't given much to do and that the film sucked so badly...who cares?! A terribly dated and ridiculous film that just isn't worth your time.Did I really say "sucked"?

David (Handlinghandel) This is far from May Robson's best movie. But it has its appeal. She is a school principal -- and a more caring one than I ever had. She's also meddling and a bit of a prig. But so were the ones I did have and they didn't show the interest in their students that her character does.Living alone with her cat, Robson gives all her energy over to her young charges. She helps a young football player not only pass his math exam but also learn that he's not so stupid as has been thought.She's also on a crusade to shut down a gambling parlor behind a soda shop. It's called the Back Room. Very racy for small town 1935, I'd think. As to the time, I have to wonder if a high school at that time would have a black student accepted as a member of his peer group. The exact location of the town is never specified but it appears to be the Midwest, New York, or New England. (In other words: No Southern accents.) There he is, though -- a black boy named Neptune who hangs out with the other kids.Fred MacMurray is implausibly cast in a small role and does nothing one way or the other to the movie.I like May Robson and she was in some truly bad movies. This is not bad. It just isn't good. And she puts her heart into the role.

bkoganbing May Robson, two years after her Academy Award nominated performance in Lady for a Day, got roped into doing this film about a school principal in small town USA. The premise is actually an interesting one and you can follow the concept from a film like Grand Old Girl right up to a television series like Boston Public. She's a school principal 24 hours a day and takes an interest in all that goes on in her small town.The problem was that the script just had so many saccharine characters in it who in the end don't really turn out to be as bad as they first seem that it gets ridiculous. Alan Hale who runs a malt shop, but who has a back room where gambling and liquor are available to the kids, is one of her foes. In the end however he feels sorry for the old gal and turns out to be her rescuer. This is after she attempted to run him out of business.Mary Carlisle in the next generation would be labeled a high school hellcat. At first she is one spoiled rich kid tramp and then she breaks down and cry when the town fathers led by her father put Robson out to pasture. Among Robson's former pupils is a man who became an unnamed mythical President of the United States who makes a dramatic appearance in his home town. It can't be FDR since the president's face is never shown. Sort of like how Jesus was portrayed in films like The Big Fisherman or Ben-Hur later. Also the president is walking unaided which FDR could not do. But Gavin Gordon who plays the president has an FDR like mellifluous voice.Fred MacMurray here is wasted, none of his gifts of comedy are utilized and that's a shame. He's a delivery man who Carlisle has a yen for.Cecil B. DeMille made a controversial film two years earlier called This Day and Age about high school kids fighting corruption in their small town. Some of the same elements are here in Grand Old Girl, but the scriptwriters I believe were trapped by the persistent mythology of small town America and the good people in it. So the film got watered down to nothingness.Sad to say, but there's nothing of any real interest in Grand Old Girl.