A genuinely delightful surprise!

mark.waltz

Like their earlier "The Little Fugitive", this sweet family drama is quite delightful exploration into "reality cinema". I had heard of this film before, but other than the title and its stars (Lori March and Gerald S. O'Laughlin) I knew nothing about it. I was delighted to find it in the New York Public Library, released on DVD by Kino as part of a double bill with another "reality cinema" film, "Weddings and Babies". "Lovers and Lollipops" is undoubtedly the better of the two, but unlike its predecessor by the same creators, "The Little Fugitive", featured actors whose names may be familiar to those of us who study film, television and theatre as a whole. I knew the name of Lori March from my research on daytime soaps; She has appeared on a dozen New York based serials, most notably "The Secret Storm" as matriarch Valarie Ames, as well as regular, recurring or guest parts on other soaps. I recalled her from "One Life to Live" during Vicki's 1987 trip to heaven, playing the spirit of her mother, and later, in the recurring role of Jackson Freemont's socialite mother on "Guiding Light". Her beau is played by Gerald S. O'Laughlin, a busy character actor probably best known from "The Rookies".

The story is a simple and often told one; An attractive widow (March) with a young daughter (Cathy Dunn) falls in love and faces issues with the daughter who is upset by the romance. But it's not for the usual reasons here. The child is no ordinary screen brat. She has had her mother to herself and now finds competition with this new man whom she likes but must get used to. He is desperate to get her love and buys her presents from all over the famous spots of New York City. She doesn't throw tantrums or act bratty; In fact, she seems to want attention from him as much as she wants it from her mother. They must try to balance out her desire for individual attention from each and convince her that nothing will change if the two marry.

The narrative is sweet and simple, and the New York photography, like in "The Little Fugitive", is another character in the story. They not only frequent Coney Island (the scene of "The Little Fugitive"), but go to the Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller Center, and the Statue of Liberty. This isn't some travelogue like MGM's old "Traveltalks" shorts. New York has millions of stories, and not all of them are about criminals or showgirls. Real people reside in every borough, and "Lovers and Lollipops" is about three of them who are truly human and real. March (in her only film role) is a beautiful and capable leading lady. She's much more believable than many other movie and TV mothers, not perfect, but yet human and loving. She's a widow worth pursuing, and O'Laughlin's character knows that the slight conflict with young Dunn is worth fighting in order to win her. Dunn, fortunately, is not grasping or annoying in any sense; I have many issues with how most children were (and still are) presented on screen. They are either too perfect or too bratty, and Dunn falls somewhere in between. She has a brief mood swing which makes her momentarily annoying but like most children, she falls out of that mood into doing what makes us love children all the more. In the year of "The Bad Seed", this is refreshing to see on film.

Some people might find the documentary style photography more appropriate for a TV anthology show, but it works here. It has the feel of what filmmakers were doing in Europe at the time, and adds to the artistry of its creators. Like "The Little Fugitive" was perfect for children in learning to love their siblings unconditionally, this is perfect for families, especially those with only one parent who might one day re-marry.

score 7/10

mark.waltz 10 April 2010

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2233893/