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The Blue Bird

  • 1940
  • Approved
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
The Blue Bird (1940)
AdventureFamilyFantasy

Mytyl and her brother Tyltyl, a woodchopper's children, are led by the Fairy Berylune on a magical trip through the past, present, and future to locate the Blue Bird of Happiness.Mytyl and her brother Tyltyl, a woodchopper's children, are led by the Fairy Berylune on a magical trip through the past, present, and future to locate the Blue Bird of Happiness.Mytyl and her brother Tyltyl, a woodchopper's children, are led by the Fairy Berylune on a magical trip through the past, present, and future to locate the Blue Bird of Happiness.

  • Director
    • Walter Lang
  • Writers
    • Maurice Maeterlinck
    • Ernest Pascal
    • Walter Bullock
  • Stars
    • Shirley Temple
    • Spring Byington
    • Nigel Bruce
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    1.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Walter Lang
    • Writers
      • Maurice Maeterlinck
      • Ernest Pascal
      • Walter Bullock
    • Stars
      • Shirley Temple
      • Spring Byington
      • Nigel Bruce
    • 44User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 2 nominations total

    Photos30

    Shirley Temple in The Blue Bird (1940)
    Shirley Temple in The Blue Bird (1940)
    The Blue Bird (1940)
    The Blue Bird (1940)
    Shirley Doble and Gene Reynolds in The Blue Bird (1940)
    Shirley Temple, Johnny Russell, and Loree Lee Foxx in The Blue Bird (1940)
    Dena Penn and Rae-Nell Laskey in The Blue Bird (1940)
    Dena Penn and Rae-Nell Laskey in The Blue Bird (1940)
    Dorothy Joyce in The Blue Bird (1940)
    Tommy Baker and Dorothy Joyce in The Blue Bird (1940)
    Diane Fisher in The Blue Bird (1940)
    Diane Fisher in The Blue Bird (1940)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Shirley Temple
    Shirley Temple
    • Mytyl
    Spring Byington
    Spring Byington
    • Mummy Tyl
    Nigel Bruce
    Nigel Bruce
    • Mr. Luxury
    Gale Sondergaard
    Gale Sondergaard
    • Tylette
    Eddie Collins
    Eddie Collins
    • Tylo
    Sybil Jason
    Sybil Jason
    • Angela Berlingot
    Jessie Ralph
    Jessie Ralph
    • Fairy Berylune
    Helen Ericson
    Helen Ericson
    • Light
    Johnny Russell
    Johnny Russell
    • Tyltyl
    Laura Hope Crews
    Laura Hope Crews
    • Mrs. Luxury
    Russell Hicks
    Russell Hicks
    • Daddy Tyl
    Cecilia Loftus
    Cecilia Loftus
    • Granny Tyl
    Al Shean
    Al Shean
    • Grandpa Tyl
    Leona Roberts
    Leona Roberts
    • Mrs. Berlingot
    Gene Reynolds
    Gene Reynolds
    • Studious Boy
    Stanley Andrews
    Stanley Andrews
    • Wilhelm
    Frank Dawson
    Frank Dawson
    • Caller of Roll
    Sterling Holloway
    Sterling Holloway
    • Wild Plum
    • Director
      • Walter Lang
    • Writers
      • Maurice Maeterlinck
      • Ernest Pascal
      • Walter Bullock
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The blue bird of the title was paid $50 a day, and flew away from a Los Angeles aviary soon after the movie was finished.
    • Quotes

      Granny Tyl: Somebody must be thinking of us. I feel quite strong. I think we're going to have visitors. They seem to be coming near.

      Grandpa Tyl: Maybe now I can finish my carving. I've been at this one for nearly a whole year.

      Granny Tyl: That's because we're so seldom awake.

      Mytyl, Tyltyl: Granny! Grandpa!

      Granny Tyl: It's the children! Give us a hug, dears, a big one this time.

      Grandpa Tyl: It's been months and months since you last remembered us.

      Granny Tyl: The last time was Easter morning. The church bells were ringing.

      Mytyl: Easter? Oh, we didn't go out that day. We both had very bad colds.

      Granny Tyl: But you thought of us.

      Mytyl: Yes, we missed you.

      Granny Tyl: Every time you think of us, we wake up and see you again.

      Mytyl: But we thought you were dead.

      Granny Tyl: No, dear. Only when we're forgotten.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits listed in hand turned pages of a book.
    • Connections
      Featured in Biography: Shirley Temple: The Biggest Little Star (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      O Come Little Children
      (uncredited)

      Traditional

      Arranged by Edward B. Powell and Frank Tresselt

    User reviews44

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Shirley Temple's Last Child Role
    An obnoxious girl, unable to find joy in her life, is sent by an elderly fairy into the Lands of the Past & the Future to seek for THE BLUE BIRD of Happiness. Her search will change her life profoundly...

    Fantasy is the most difficult genre for film to create successfully. All the elements have to come together just right, and then, more often than not, success is a happy accident. Fantasy is not replicable; note the number of failed sequels. If 20th Century Fox was trying to emulate MGM's THE WIZARD OF OZ (an initial box office flop, it should be remembered), it was not a wise endeavor. Given its troubled production history, OZ should have been a disaster. That it was not still puzzles & delights film historians.

    THE BLUE BIRD's ultimate failure is not complete. There are several very good things about it. The main trouble seems to be in the casting of Shirley Temple in the lead role. The greatest child star of them all was now aging, and prepubescent Shirley seems to depend a bit too much on the gracious memories of her devotees. She's still cute, but this time that's just not enough. Also, it must have been awkward acting such a nasty role, one doomed to be disliked by the audience for much of the film.

    Gale Sondergaard, as the Cat, has much the same problem. She tries hard, but the role is very unsympathetic & we are never told why her character is so wicked - indeed, capable of murder.

    It's interesting to note that both Temple & Sondergaard were important contenders for major roles in OZ, but were instead rejected for Judy Garland & Margaret Hamilton.

    There are several cast members that do an excellent job with their material: Spring Byington, tender as Shirley's mother; wonderful old Jessie Ralph as the fairy; Eddie Collins, often very funny as the Dog; Nigel Bruce & Laura Hope Crews, giving ripe performances as Mister & Mrs. Luxury; and dear Cecilia Loftus & Al Shean as Shirley's lonely, dead grandparents.

    Some of the minor casting is also very effective, witness Thurston Hall as Father Time, Edwin Maxwell as Old Man Oak & Sterling Holloway, on screen only a few seconds as Wild Plum. That's Scotty Beckett, from the old OUR GANG Comedies, as one of the Unborn Boys.

    The use of Technicolor is very eye-appealing, although its initial entry into the film lacks the dramatic punch produced in OZ. The forest firestorm sequence is very well done & the Unborn Children scenes have genuine pathos.
    helpful•23
    4
    • Ron Oliver
    • Jul 5, 2000

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 15, 1940 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Plava ptica
    • Filming locations
      • Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $2,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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