One of several excellent Shirley Temple collections released near the dawn of the 21st century, Animal Crackers contains enough of her best work to land it somewhere near the top of the heap. If every vestige of cuteness were to be stripped away from the title song, its phantasmagoric qualities (triggered by the lyric "animal crackers in my soup do funny things to me") could be understood to suggest the effects of opium or even hallucinogens, the province of Grace Slick and her White Rabbit. The more conventional "On Account-A I Love You" plays up the potentially annoying tendencies of a girl with a big crush on somebody -- often, in Temple's films, a male adult or ...
One of several excellent Shirley Temple collections released near the dawn of the 21st century, Animal Crackers contains enough of her best work to land it somewhere near the top of the heap. If every vestige of cuteness were to be stripped away from the title song, its phantasmagoric qualities (triggered by the lyric "animal crackers in my soup do funny things to me") could be understood to suggest the effects of opium or even hallucinogens, the province of Grace Slick and her White Rabbit. The more conventional "On Account-A I Love You" plays up the potentially annoying tendencies of a girl with a big crush on somebody -- often, in Temple's films, a male adult or (worrisomely perhaps) even a man portraying her own father. "You've Gotta Eat Your Spinach Baby" seems to have materialized right around the invention of Popeye the Sailor Man, and both manifestations were used as propaganda intended to coerce young children into eating their greens. (Aside from a direct cover by Tommy Dorsey's vocalist Edythe Wright, the only swing recording to fasten upon l'epinard as subject matter that comes to mind is Julia Lee's "I Didn't Like It the First Time," a hip reefer novelty that was carefully subtitled "The Spinach Song.") Shirley Temple's primary assignment during the Great Depression seems to have been to prevent economically induced suicides by emitting a steady stream of songs saturated in highly improbable mirth. Examples included here are "You Gotta S-M-I-L-E to be H-A-P-P-Y," "Come and Get Your Happiness," and the giddy "This Is a Happy Little Ditty," whereby the adults end up seeming much sillier than Shirley. This collection does include the title theme from Little Miss Broadway, but not the tune containing the film's philosophical credo: "Be Optimistic (Don't Be a Grumpy)," which is sung onscreen by Shirley and a harmonically balanced squad of little girls. During the first half of the '30s, with unemployment and homelessness threatening to undermine the nation's infrastructure, Tin Pan Alley songwriters became obsessed with the notion of happiness. The entire topic became so suspect that Eddie Cantor retaliated by recording a cynical rant bearing the title "Cheer Up-Ballyhoo (Nertz!)," a rather acerbic response to Shirley Temple's brimming boatload of "happy" tunes.
Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked,
or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to
Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original
and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you
and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not
violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help
ensure that your review can be posted.
Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13
We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer.
However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or
to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.
What to exclude from your review:
Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the
information on the product page, please send us an email.
Reviews should not contain any of the following:
- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation
Reminder:
- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its
sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the
review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly
those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com
also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend
Create a Pen Name
Welcome, penname
You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.
Editorial Reviews
All Music Guide - Arwulf Arwulf
One of several excellent Shirley Temple collections released near the dawn of the 21st century, Animal Crackers contains enough of her best work to land it somewhere near the top of the heap. If every vestige of cuteness were to be stripped away from the title song, its phantasmagoric qualities (triggered by the lyric "animal crackers in my soup do funny things to me") could be understood to suggest the effects of opium or even hallucinogens, the province of Grace Slick and her White Rabbit. The more conventional "On Account-A I Love You" plays up the potentially annoying tendencies of a girl with a big crush on somebody -- often, in Temple's films, a male adult or ...