Bright Eyes (1934)

Director:

David Butler

Writers:

William M. Conselman (screenplay)
David Butler (story) ...

Release Date:

28 December 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Musical

Plot:

An orphaned girl is taken in by a snobbish family at the insistence of their rich, crotchety uncle, even as her devoted aviator godfather fights for custody.

Plot Keywords:

Uncle | Aviator | Custody Battle | Godfather | Maid

Cast

Shirley Temple	...	Shirley Blake
James Dunn	...	Loop Merritt
Jane Darwell	...	Mrs. Higgins
Judith Allen	...	Adele Martin
Lois Wilson	...	Mary Blake
Charles Sellon	...	Uncle Ned Smith
Walter Johnson	...	Thomas
Jane Withers	...	Joy Smythe
Theodore von Eltz	...	J. Wellington Smythe (as Theodor von Eltz)
Dorothy Christy	...	Anita Smythe
Brandon Hurst	...	Higgins
George Irving	...	Judge Thompson

Runtime:

85 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #427) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Australia:G | USA:PG (re-release)

Filming Locations:

Glendale Grand Central Air Terminal - Grandview Avenue, Glendale, California, USA

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Despite the aviation element of this movie, Shirley Temple was never allowed to actually ride in an airplane during filming; her life insurance policy voided claims resulting from aircraft.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Joy offers to give Shirley's doll an operation, Shirley picks her up and calls her doll Mary Lou. This is the name Shirley gave to the doll her mother gave her for Christmas, but the doll she has now is the one the aviators gave her, named Loopy. You can tell because this doll is larger and is wearing an aviator hat.

Quotes:

Mrs. Elizabeth Higgins: It's just a bit of a Christmas gift for Shirley.
Mary Blake: You're so kind. I bought a few things for her, not very much of course. Things were different when her father was alive.
Mrs. Elizabeth Higgins: Yes, the poor young fellow. But it must be a comfort to know you're doing all you can for her. She's such a sweet child. Not like that Joy. There's a brat if ever one lived.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992) (V)

Soundtrack:

On the Good Ship Lollipop

She will play on your heart strings.

Hollywood's smallest, biggest star Shirley Temple plays an orphan caught up in a custody battle. She worships a daredevil pilot(James Dunn)and through the course of the movie gets the chance to sing and make immortal "On the Good Ship Lollipop". Also in the steadfast cast are: Jane Darwell, Judith Allen, Charles Sellon and probably the show stealer Jane Withers. Withers is the perfect rich brat to be mean to the poor little orphan(Temple). One of the better projects of the busy little "curly top".