Little Miss Marker Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Little Miss Marker Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 15, 2021

The original Little Miss Marker was a Shirley Temple vehicle that released back in 1934. The film was subsequently remade and reimagined a couple of times, once in 1949 with the Bob Hope and Lucille Ball film Sorrowful Jones and in 1962's 40 Pounds of Trouble starring Tony Curtis. Curtis would actually star in another remake of the film with 1980's Little Miss Marker, Director Walter Bernstein's (Yanks) adaptation, a charming little slice of simple cinema starring Walter Matthau (The Bad News Bears) and Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music). The story of an abandoned little girl finding comfort and acceptance in the very place and amongst the very people facilitating the very actions that drove her father to suicide is a sobering framework for what is otherwise a cute and uplifting little film about an unlikely pairing amidst personal and social depression.

Sorrowful Jones (Matthau) is a low-rent bookie operating in depression-era America. He’s all business and doesn’t have time for anything that doesn’t involve cash, receipts, races, and fights. He’s got men breathing down his neck for money and he, in turn, is breathing down the necks of those who owe him. One of those men, a man by the name of Carter (Andrew Rubin), leaves his daughter (Sara Stimson) with him as collateral, or a “marker,” a promise he will return with the money owed. Sorrowful doesn’t know what to do with the girl when her father doesn't return. Suddenly, he’s a surrogate father figure to a little girl with no mother, no home, and for now no biological father. She follows him everywhere and even sleeps in his bed. Sorrowful later receives word that a man, in possession of one of his receipts and recently found dead in the river, may be the little girl’s father. Police are now searching for her but Sorrowful, growing more attached to her, leaves her presence in his life a secret. Meanwhile, Sorrowful is forced to pony up some cash to open a small casino out of the home of a wealthy widow named Amanda (Andrews) who is hoping her horse, Sir Galahad, will win big at the races and pay down debt. Amanda grows close to the little girl and even warms up to Sorrowful. As she becomes a voice of reason in the relationship between surrogate father and surrogate daughter, romance blossoms but trouble looms on the horizon, for Sorrowful’s work, for Amanda’s fortunes in the races, and the girl’s status as a de facto orphan.

Little Miss Marker offers a little bit of this and a little bit of that, bringing a number of cinema staples – romance, oddball pairing, humor, and heart – to the screen in a film that juggles its disparate components quite nicely and quite effectively, weaving together a heartfelt, purposeful, and well-organized film that is equal parts tender, touching, funny, and sincere all at once. It all revolves around the growing emotional center that sees a cold, single-minded man make the transition from dedicated bookie to dedicated daddy, from a man who sees the girl as a burden to a man who sees the girl as a best friend. Sorrowful never bet he’d be that guy to find a new life in a couple of new hearts that wiggle their way into his, and it’s the film’s easy approach and steady cadence, that gradual and steady thawing, that makes it work so well.

Matthau, ever reliable in any role, is terrific here. What he does so well in the part is demonstrate that slow drip transformation from single-minded bookie to loving father figure who comes to realize that there are more important things in life than the next wager. Andrews delights in a support role, particularly through her more on-the-sleeve emotional rolls, those ebbs and flows as she discovers more about the new man and little girl in her life as well as the realities of life at the races and the revelations that threaten to drive her away but just might ultimately help draw her closer in to Sorrowful and the little girl. Sara Stimson is a delight as said girl. She's quick witted, cute, charming, and a perfect fit for the part. It was curiously her only film role per IMDB. It was certainly not for lack of talent or screen presence, but props to her if the decision to not pursue acting came from following an inner prompting that, whatever success she may have had in the film or whatever future she may have had in the industry, told her it was not her calling.

Little Miss Marker Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal's 1080p Blu-ray presentation of Little Miss Marker is a delight. While there are some minor issues – occasional, and very minimal, compression issues and some light speckling – the picture holds in fine form throughout. A natural grain structure is a steady presence, yielding a pleasing cinematic texturing. There are only sporadic increases in grain density, including a bicycle race scene in chapter four which pushes the grain to look a little snowy and harsh. There are no signs of unwanted and unwarranted noise reduction, either. Textures are strong throughout, particularly the rough and grimy depression era textures visible through a number of locales, including Sorrowful's apartment. There are some other high class locales that play in contrast but still yield pleasing textural output. Of course, the clarity and definition extend to the critical front-line elements: faces and clothes, both of which offer all the complexity one would expect of a well rounded film sourced Blu-ray transfer. Colors are pleasing and steady for neutral contrast and pleasant density. There's no sign of fading and no needless tweaking, either. It's a pleasant natural state that brings lively tones to the screen with satisfying vigor and more bland tones with refined excellence. Skin tones are fine and black levels are suitably solid. This is a nice looking image all around. It's not quite a stunner, but it's reliable and satisfying.

Little Miss Marker Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack is a little less impressive than its video counterpart. City street din is more jumbled and crunchier rather than full and fluid as heard in the opening minutes. The track is, further, a bit booming at reference volume. Elements seem unbalanced at times, particularly those more chaotic sounds that the track struggles to properly place and prioritize. There's at least good front-end spread to be heard. Music is sufficiently detailed and adequately wide. Dialogue is, of course, the driving sonic factor. Clarity is fine by-and-large and the spoken word images well enough to the center stage area.

Little Miss Marker Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Little Miss Marker contains no supplemental content. There is no "top menu" screen. The remote's "top menu" button simply restarts the film. The "pop up" menu consists of only crude options to toggle subtitles on and off. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Little Miss Marker Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Little Miss Marker is not an original piece of filmmaking but it's a delightful little film with a big heart and an agreeable cast. Universal's Blu-ray is featureless, which is disappointing at its price point (at time of publication just north of $20) but the video presentation is rock-solid. Audio could stand a little fine tuning but the track appears mostly faithful to the source. Recommended.