[4][5] Despite his great success and acclaim following David Copperfield, his childhood film stardom was marred by nearly constant legal battles and payouts, which eventually took a huge toll on both his finances and his career.

In adulthood, after World War II service, his film career dwindled rapidly and he switched from performing to directing and producing in the medium of television.

[12] By age five, he was a popular Warminster celebrity, the "boy wonder elocutionist", reciting poems, prose, and selections from various plays, including Shakespeare.

He also pursued acting studies at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London,[15] and appeared in four minor British films.

[3][17][18] David Copperfield, which also featured Basil Rathbone, Maureen O'Sullivan, W. C. Fields and Lionel Barrymore, was a success and made Bartholomew an overnight star.

Among his successes of the 1930s were Anna Karenina with Greta Garbo and Fredric March; Professional Soldier with Victor McLaglen and Gloria Stuart; Little Lord Fauntleroy with Dolores Costello and C. Aubrey Smith; Lloyd's of London with Madeleine Carroll and Tyrone Power; The Devil is a Sissy with Mickey Rooney and Jackie Cooper; and Captains Courageous with Spencer Tracy.

"[20] His acting skills, open and personable presence, emotional range, refined English diction, and angelic looks made him a box-office favorite.

"[21] Of his role as the protagonist of Captains Courageous, Frank Nugent of The New York Times wrote, "Young Master Bartholomew ... plays Harvey faultlessly.

"[22] By April 1936, following the very popular Little Lord Fauntleroy, Bartholomew's success and level of fame caused his long-estranged birth parents to attempt to gain custody of him and his fortune.

[23][24] A legal battle of nearly seven years ensued, resulting in nearly all the wealth that Bartholomew amassed being spent on attorneys' and court fees, and payouts to his birth parents and two sisters.

[2][25][26] The extreme financial drain of his birth parents' ongoing custody battles prompted Bartholomew's aunt to demand a raise in his salary from MGM in July 1937, leveraged by the huge success of Captains Courageous.

As World War II deepened, Columbia had him star in three military-related films: Naval Academy, Cadets on Parade and Junior Army.

In 1946, after distressing experiences, including a devastating auto accident and performing unsuccessfully in a play in Los Angeles, Bartholomew married publicist Maely Daniele.

Daniele, six years his senior, was a twice-divorced woman, and his marriage to her caused a serious and permanent rift with his aunt, who moved back to England.

[30] In 1947, he appeared as himself in a five-minute cameo in the otherwise all-Black musical film, Sepia Cinderella, relating his post-war efforts to have a successful vaudeville routine and telling a few gags onscreen.