The Littlest Rebel

A sentimental and none too enlightened Civil War picture, painting our Shirl as the heroine of the hour. She lives with her ma, her 'Uncle Billy' (Robinson), and her other happy slaves while pop (Boles) is fighting for the Confederacy. He returns when ma starts ailing, but Shirl persuades the nice Yankee colonel (Holt) to let him escape. Mr Lincoln is not impressed and executions seem in order, but a tug on his beard from the littlest rebel and all is back to rights. The problem with this picture is that it's still charming, despite all of the above. The tap routines with Robinson are the highlights, and go at least some way towards absolving the inherently patronising attitudes.