Summer of Stars is a MovieJawn celebration of actors that have shined on the silver screen. Follow along as we count down some of our favorite players from various eras in the magical cosmos of cinema.

by Ashley Jane Davis, Staff Writer

I will never forget the day Britt H. brought a VHS tape of Candleshoe into Ms. Mueller’s grade one class in 1991. Usually when teach rolled in that TV strapped to the top of the VCR cart, it meant we would be learning something fun. Learning about animal habitats or the water cycle. I have no idea what the educational reasoning was behind watching this Disney live action gem from 1977, but I sureeeee was taking notes.

Jodie Foster, one of MovieJawn’s fave stars, has had many iconic roles. But I swear, nothing has impacted me as much as her character in Candleshoe. No, I’m serious! In this movie, Jodie plays tough, funny, and street-smart orphan Casey Brown, who is picked up by swindler Harry Bundage to embark on a treasure hunt and pull off a life-changing wild heist.

Ya see, Casey resembles the missing granddaughter of Lady St. Edmund of Candleshoe. Harry just knows that if Casey can convince grandma that she really is her beloved Margaret, she will be warmly welcomed to her new life on the estate, where she will then follow clues to find a priceless hidden treasure.

It’s a perfect plan because Harry has the first clue found by his sister who used to work in Candleshoe and no one on the estate has any idea that there even is a hidden treasure. All Casey has to do is play along, blend in, and get to work searchin’. Casey herself is a hustler, so she is up to the task. But she ends up finding more at Candleshoe than she has bargained for.

Sounds great, right? It’s fun! It also stars legend David Niven and at one point is basically Home Alone but with a bunch of orphans, which is a dazzling concept, but who even cares about the story I’ve been blabbing about when you meet ICONIC lesbian orphan, CASEY. MARGARET. BROWN.

Okay so perhaps it isn’t explicitly factual to say that the character Casey is queer buttttttt… have you seen her confident Big Gay Energy in this flick?? I loved how she could spin a basketball on her finger. I loved how she had a flair for five finger discounts. I loved how she began every sentence with, “listen”. I loved her oversized green military jacket that was made into a vest. I loved her corduroy suit. I loved how she shared my intense disdain for wearing dresses. I loved how she flipped through a Ferrari brochure for some light bedtime reading. I loved how she used her charisma to nab extra sales at the farmer’s market. I loved how she suggested they dig up a body at the graveyard, just in case it was a clue. I loved how she befriended cute lil Bobby. Mostly, I loved how she wasn’t scared to stand up for what was important to her.

I sat in the dark classroom on that fateful day and saw my hidden inner self onscreen. I was drawn to her in a way I didn’t comprehend as a first grader, but felt like no one would understand even if I tried to explain it to them. Here was this girl – tough but caring, indelicate but charming, brave but unsure – and it was exactly the kind of person I wanted to be. If I weren’t so scared. The other thing about Casey was that even though she was a young girl, she understood how she needed to act with adults in order to keep herself safe. That was a skill I picked up from her character that served me well for decades. 

When I got home from school, I beggedddd my dad to buy me a VHS copy of Candleshoe. Puhhhleeeeeaaaaase daddddduh! Shockingly, this wasn’t something that was easily found in any local video stores in the early 90s and I think it took years to actually track it down. But somebody did! And I finally owned it and could revisit any time I wanted to contact that part of me hidden deep inside. 

My family members had to have seen what was up, right? They had to wonder why I wanted to watch this movie for the 453809th time, and why my favourite shirt was a denim one just like the one Casey wore. Sure, I loved the adventure. I loved the kids. I loved the excitement. But more than anything, I loved seeing how someone as tough as Casey really had a soft interior. I loved how her grandmother loved her for who she was – whether she really was her beloved Margaret, or not. 

Naturally, I recently forced my sweetheart Jaime to watch Candleshoe with me. It took her about 4 seconds to understand why this movie means so much to me. I have a Letterboxd list called “The Best Jodie Foster Performance” with only Candleshoe in the list and I would add it more than once if I could (to be fair, ONE other person commented “you are right and you should say it”). When I showed her this forgotten gem, it was almost like I was showing her pictures of me when I was a kid. I don’t have family who will regale her with embarrassing tales of my childhood. But I do have Casey – standing in as my twin.

Welcome to Candleshoe!