Little Miss Marker Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Little Miss Marker Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 8, 2024

Alexander Hall's "Little Miss Marker" (1934) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary by critic Lee Gambin and costume historian Elissa Rose. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

After several substantial losses that threaten to bring down his popular nightclub in New York City, Horseshoe Cabaret, Big Steve Halloway (Charles Bickford) cooks up a scheme to recover his money. He summons the biggest bookies in town and tells them that if they pay him $1,000 each, his racehorse, Dream Prince, will lose the highly anticipated upcoming race which it is projected to win. The scheme makes perfect sense to the bookies, and after some quick reassurances from Halloway, they pay him the money. Shortly after, one of the most respected bookies, Sorrowful Jones (Adolphe Menjou), accepts an unusual bet from a desperate gambler (Edward Earle) who is also trying to recover the money he has lost. Because the gambler is short $20 on a $500 bet, Jones agrees to keep his little girl, Marky Jane (Shirley Temple), as a “marker” until the race is over.

But despite Halloway’s reassurances, everything that could go wrong goes terribly wrong. Someone leaks that the bookies are in on a great scheme, bets are changed, and immediately after the race is called the authorities begin looking into Halloway’s dealings. After yet another loss, the desperate gambler commits suicide, too. Amidst all the chaos that ensues after the fixed race, Jones attempts to run his business as if nothing has happened, but his newest possession, Little Miss Marker, quickly proves to be a most unusual burden. Unsure how to deal with her, Jones then reluctantly begins accepting tips from Halloway’s high-maintenance girlfriend, singer Bangles Carson (Dorothy Dell), whom he has been asked to keep an eye on while the heat is on.

Before Alexander Hall began shooting Little Miss Marker several writers worked on the adaptation of Damon Runyon’s original story, which is slightly different. During the shooting process, Hall then made additional changes that further altered important details in the relationships between the main characters. However, in the grand scheme of things, these changes proved utterly irrelevant.

Despite being lauded as a classic comedy, Little Miss Marker is a much better character study that works as well as it does almost exclusively because of the charisma of its stars and their great chemistry, and neither the former nor the latter could have been scripted in a screenplay. Indeed, the story that is told in Little Miss Marker could not be any more straightforward – three very different characters are unexpectedly forced out of their comfort zones and then made to coexist. So, once the gravitational forces that are supposed to bring them together are activated, Little Miss Marker goes through several entirely predictable phases that reshape their arcs.

The magic is in the quality of the individual performances. Temple, for instance, brings such positive energy that even some admittedly quite silly scenes suddenly begin to look irresistibly charming. This positive energy becomes stronger as she warms up to Menjou and Dell too, so the more time she spends in front of the camera, the better Little Miss Marker looks. However, and this is very important to underscore, Menjou and Dell are not demoted to peripheral performers whose main function is to further enhance the likeability of Temple’s character. Both undergo very intriguing character transformations that expand the comedy and the drama, and both receive the same attention from the camera.

The only material that looks out of sync is the one where Dell is seen and heard singing. It has a different vibe, one that would have been far more appropriate for an unapologetically lavish period film. Little Miss Marker is not that kind of film.

Hall’s director of photography was Alfred Gilks, who lensed several classic comedies with W.C. Fields as well as the multiple Oscar-winner An American in Paris.

Little Miss Marker Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Little Miss Marker arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The film has a dated appearance. It never becomes distracting, but it is very easy to tell that a proper restoration/remastering job could easily make it look healthier and more attractive. Generally speaking, delineation, depth, and clarity remain pleasing throughout the entire film. However, there are areas with small yet notable fluctuations that are introduced by the limitations of the existing master. Grayscale is convincing. However, this is another area where some balancing work can make a positive difference. (Highlights should benefit the most). Image stability is good, but a few shaky transitions are present. The surface of the visuals is healthy, but there is room for minor cosmetic adjustments. All in all, this release offers mostly decent presentation of Little Miss Marker, but in an ideal world the film could have a more attractive organic appearance. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Little Miss Marker Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio can use a remastering job, too. Indeed, while all exchanges are clear and easy to follow, in several sequences light background hiss becomes very easy to identify. The good news is that it is not accompanied by distortions, crackle, or other similar age-related imperfections. Stability is good, too.

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

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Lee Gambin and costume historian Elissa Rose.

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

Yes, Shirley Temple is adorable, especially after she begins to force Adolphe Menjou out of his comfort zone. However, Little Miss Marker would have been a very different film without Menjou and Dorothy Dell's solid performances, which keep the comedy authentic. This recent Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber is sourced from an older master that gives Little Miss Marker a dated appearance, but there are no serious issues and the overall quality of the presentation is still pretty decent. RECOMMENDED.