Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

An action-packed slog

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

I managed to catch this movie on Movies! channel. For a 1939 movie the cinematography and sound are very good.It if course stars 10-yr-old Shirley Temple who already was very experienced in movie roles. She is little Susannah Sheldon, called Sue for short. As the movie opens we see that she is the lone survivor of an Indian attack on her family's wagon. Set in the NW Territory the main male star is Randolph Scott as Canadian Mountie, Inspector Angus Montague, usually just called Monty for short. He comes upon the burned and destroyed wagon and brings little Sue to safety. The core of the story is strained relations between the white man and the Indians, during the time when cross-country railways were being built, threatening the native lands. After a meeting the local tribal chief agrees to leave collateral as a sign of his sincerity, and that collateral is his son, first-time actor Martin Good Rider, about 14, as Little Chief. After a very rocky start he and little Sue become good friends in the fort.Sue is so taken with her rescuer, Monty, that she begins to imagine herself as his long-term companion. When pretty Margaret Lockwood as Vicky Standing shows up, and Monty starts to show interest in her, little Sue begins to show signs of jealousy.In the end an incident threatens to drive the parties apart but little Sue brings forth some information that saves the day. Young Shirley Temple was indeed a fine actress and she deserves all the attention she received over the years.

Shirley was racist in downtalking to Little Chief, and about how Native Americans had to learn to behave, er Indians. I realize that that was the patois of the day. It is no longer correct to talk down to people of other backgrounds.Scott had just saved her life, and she had the nerve to berate the older gentleman, Scott's friend, for making her clothes because she said sewing was for women. He made her a beautiful outfit.Scott was good looking, and very gentle with Shirley and the others. He seemed to be very patient with everyone.I am giving this movie as high as an eight, because I usually like Shirley movies. This one I am rating lower just because of the racism and some of the dialogue. In some other Shirley movies, she is always very nice to the African American characters.Shirley, RIP. I still love you, anyway. I loved The Little Princess and even The Blue Bird.Eight out of ten.Annie Middle of Ohio

I happen to be viewing the colored version on tv, which is fine. Young Shirley had grown up just a little more since her last role as the Little Princess (1939).This movie about Mounties, Indians, and adventure is the kind of entertainment we as kids would sit through in a dark theater on Saturday afternoons, with much noise, lots of popcorn, and plenty of fun. I believe the main storyline deals with the troubles encountered when laying down the railroad line out West. Such an action clashed with the Indians' way of life; they also felt threatened by the white man's progress into their territory.It's questionable to see Victor Jory as an Indian. Well this is a movie so anything can happen. Little Susannah (Shirley Temple) has a harrowing time at the beginning, being the only one left after an Indian raid. She's found hiding under a barrel and befriended by Inspector Monty (Randolph Scott) who takes her under his wing and gives her shelter. One episode later shows her having a good time teaching Monty how to dance (with a book on his head), him being so tall and her still short, it's very amusing to watch.Much action of Indians, war dances, troubles afoot. I liked the scenes of beautiful mountains as I live west of the Rockies too. Original Blackfoot tribesmen were a big part of this film.Good adventure, lots of activity, great for youngsters and those who are still young at heart!

SUSANNAH OF THE MOUNTIES (20th Century-Fox, 1939), directed by William A. Seiter, stars Shirley Temple, now 11-years-old, trying new ground so not to repeat herself. No songs or dance numbers here, just plain outdoors adventure between white men and Indians.Temple plays Susannah Sheldon who is orphaned after her family is killed in an Indian massacre, thus, becoming the sole survivor found and taken in by a Canadian Mountie, Angus Montagu (Randolph Scott). She soon bonds with the Mountie and later rescues him from being sacrificed by Indians, who believe him to be a traitor. Susannah later exposes the one who is. Not as memorable as some of her earlier outings, but watchable. Temple has her moments with Scott in a scene in which she tries to teach him how to dance in order to impress an attractive visitor, Vicky Standing (Margaret Lockwood). Margaret Lockwood, an English actress, is best known for her performance in the Alfred Hitchcock's suspenser, THE LADY VANISHES (1938). She also worked in another Hollywood produced feature, RULERS OF THE SEA (Paramount, 1939) before returning to England where her roles surpassed those made in Hollywood. As for Shirley, she is even given some screen time opposite an Indian boy, Little Chief (Martin Good Rider), who calls her "papoose," which is Indian for "baby." Also featured in the cast are J. Farrell MacDonald, Moroni Olson and Victor Jory. As mentioned during the opening credits, scenes were filmed on location in the Canadian mounties. With plenty of background scenery, one wonders why it wasn't done in Technicolor. Otherwise, it's convincing actioner.SUSANNAH OF THE MOUNTIES, which can be found on video cassette from Playhouse Video, formerly played in the colorized context on the Disney Channel in the early 1990s, later on American Movie Classics from 1996 to 2001, and afterwards on the Fox Movie Channel, where it's presented either in its original black and white format or colorization. (***)