Timothy's Quest (1936) DVD-R

Previously filmed in 1919, the Kate Douglas Wiggin novel Timothy's Quest was remade as a talkie in 1935. Dickie Moore plays Timothy Tarbox, a dewy-eyed orphan united in misery with his little sister Samantha (Virginia Weidler). The kids are taken in by maiden lady Vilda Cummins (Elizabeth Patterson), an old battle-ax who allegedly hates all children. It takes some doing, but Timothy and Samantha eventually win over Vilda, whose bark (as suspected) is far worse than her bite. A romantic subplot involving grown-ups Martha (Eleanor Whitney) and David (Tom Keene) never intrudes too long on the sentimental main story. Among the scenarists of Timothy's Quest are former Harold Lloyd director Gil Pratt and future MGM executive Dore Schary.