Bright Eyes (1934 film)

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Bright Eyes
Brighteyes.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by David Butler
Written byDavid Butler
Edwin J. Burke
Screenplay by William Conselman
Henry Johnson
Produced by Sol M. Wurtzel
Starring Shirley Temple
James Dunn
Jane Darwell
Cinematography Arthur Miller
Music by Richard A. Whiting
Samuel Kaylin
Distributed by Fox Film
Release date
  • December 28, 1934 (1934-12-28)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$190,000 [1]

Bright Eyes is a 1934 American comedy drama film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by William Conselman is based on a story by David Butler and Edwin J. Burke.

Contents

Plot

Five-year-old Shirley Blake (Shirley Temple) and her widowed mother Mary (Lois Wilson), a maid, live in the home of her employers, the rich and mean-spirited Smythe family: Anita (Dorothy Christy), J. Wellington (Theodore von Eltz), their spoiled seven-year-old daughter Joy (Jane Withers), and cantankerous wheelchair-using Uncle Ned (Charles Sellon). After Christmas morning, Shirley hitches a ride to the airport to visit her late father's pilot friends. The aviators bring her aboard an airplane and taxi her around the runways while she serenades them with a rendition of "On the Good Ship Lollipop".

That day, Mary is killed in a traffic accident. Loop (James Dunn), one of the pilots and Shirley's godfather, takes Shirley up in an airplane, explaining they're in Heaven where her mother now rests. When the Smythes learn of Mary's death, they plan to send Shirley to an orphanage. However, Uncle Ned, who has grown fond of "Bright Eyes", insists that Shirley stay with them. To raise money for attorney fees, Loop reluctantly accepts a lucrative contract to deliver an item by plane, cross-country to New York during a dangerous storm. Unbeknown to him, little Shirley sneaked away from the Smythes' home, found his airplane at the airport, and stowed away inside. When their plane loses control in the storm in the wilderness, they parachute to the ground together and are eventually rescued. The impasse over custody is resolved when Loop, his former fiancée Adele (Judith Allen), Uncle Ned, and Shirley all decide to live together. The Smythes leave the courthouse miserably, except Joy, at first; when she rudely comments that at least they don't have to be nice to Uncle Ned anymore, her mother slaps her hard across the face.

Cast

Production

James Dunn and Temple in a publicity photo for Bright Eyes Shirley Temple in Bright Eyes with James Dunn 2 (cropped).jpg
James Dunn and Temple in a publicity photo for Bright Eyes

American Airlines and the Douglas Aircraft Company, recognizing the potential of the film in advertising air travel, cooperated in the production and distribution. They provided a DC-2, designated "A-74", aircraft for the exterior shots while a true to scale mock up was provided for the interior scenes. A 12-passenger Curtiss T-32 Condor II transport biplane, designated "Condor 151", in early American Airlines (and Air Mail) livery also features in prominent scenes. In the famous Good Ship Lollipop scene, members of the University of Southern California football team served as extras. In the second flying scene where Temple's character sneaks aboard the plane and they were forced to bail out of it, both Temple and Dunn were strapped into a harness hoisted up into the studio rafters. They were supposed to drift down with the aid of a wind machine. In the first take, someone inadvertently opened an airproof door just as they landed, creating a vacuum that sucked out the parachute and dragged them both across the studio floor. Marilyn Granas served as a stand-in for Temple as she had for her previous movies. She would later be replaced by Mary Lou Isleib who would remain as Temple's stand-in for the rest of her tenure at 20th Century Fox. [2]

Reception

Press photo of Dunn and Judith Allen Press photo of James Dunn and Judith Allen in Bright Eyes (cropped).jpg
Press photo of Dunn and Judith Allen

The film received positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes holds an approval rating of 83%, based on 12 reviews. [3]

Awards and honors

Temple received a miniature Oscar on February 27, 1935, for her contributions to film entertainment in 1934, chiefly for Little Miss Marker and Bright Eyes. She was the first child actor to receive an Academy Award. [4] [5]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

Soundtrack

See also

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References

Notes
    Footnotes
    1. Windeler 1992, p. 26
    2. Black, Shirley Temple (October 1, 1988). Child Star: An Autobiography . New York: McGraw-Hill. pp.  66-71. ISBN   978-0-0700-5532-2.
    3. "Bright Eyes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
    4. Edwards 2017 , p. 80
    5. Windeler 1992 , p. 27
    6. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs" (PDF). American Film Institute . Retrieved July 30, 2016.
    Works cited
    Bibliography