Little Lord Fauntleroy, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1886 novel of a young American lad who discovers he is the heir to a British aristocratic fortune, has been turned into a movie or television program at least 25 times. Americans, Japanese, Brazilians, Italians, Hungarians, Germans, Norwegians, and Russian directors have all taken a shot at the story.
The first Hollywood attempt, produced in 1921, starred “America’s Sweetheart” Mary Pickford (born in Canada) as both the little lord and his mother.
The most famous version appeared in 1936 with Freddie Bartholomew as the hero and the redoubtable C. Aubrey Smith as his grandfather. Bartholomew’s portrayal is all gooey sweetness and syrupy light; I wish he had gone to my school so the bullies could have thrashed him instead of me.
Another popular rendition was the 1980 TV movie with Ricky Schroder and Alec Guinness in the principal roles.
This brings us to the Christmas connection with the story. In a previous post we have spoken about movies that have nothing to do with Christmas yet have become holiday favourites on television over the holiday season. This is the case with the 1980 version and German viewers. For over 30 years, Der Kleine Lord (“The Little Lord”) has been a regular feature on German TV, attracting millions of viewers every year.