Ojos cariñosos

When tragedy befalls a curly topped toddler, her care is assumed by a familiar but dysfunctional family, her spirits buoyed by the crusty old patriarch and a crew of friendly commercial fly boys. So funny, so precious (On the Good Ship Lollipop), so fantastic (parachute drop) and, at times, so poignant (Mom's cake run), that I rate Bright Eyes the most sacred cinema in the Temple of Shirley.

Co-stars James Dunn as the kid's godfather and personal pilot, Charles Sellon is Ned Sparks on wheels, the hard-shelled uncle with a soft center, and little Jane Withers amuses as baby Blake's nemesis, cleverly named, Joy. Directed for 20CF by Temple believer, David Butler (4) (Leave It to Beaver), I think Mr Spade would've agreed, this one has all the "stuff(ing) that dreams are made of (3/4)."

Little BRIGHT EYES wins the hearts & changes the lives of a lonely aviator and a cranky old coot.

This movie was a very big hit for Shirley Temple, who certainly deserved all the attention: she is adorable. Although the film tends to lag into melodramatics during the final half hour, Shirley brightens everything considerably when she appears. With her undeniable talent & elfin smile, it's easy to see why she became Hollywood's top box office star.

However, the Mighty Mite does have competition. Jane Withers is on hand as the Ultimate Brat, a dreadful child who likes to play with imaginary machine guns and amputate body parts off of dolls. Although she looks alarmingly like OUR GANG's Alfalfa in drag, Withers is wonderful and the perfect antidote for those who may find Miss Temple a tad bit icky sticky. To say that Miss Withers practically plunders the picture from The Moppet is high praise, indeed.

James Dunn appeared in four films with Shirley in 1934; in BRIGHT EYES he has his finest scenes with her. As her dead father's best buddy, Dunn is quite touching in his devotion to the child. Elderly character actor Charles Sellon has some funny scenes as a most obstreperous old blister. His contempt for Miss Withers is a joy to behold.

Jane Darwell was always a welcome addition to any cast; here she plays a lovable Irish cook. Brandon Hurst as her prim English butler husband, Judith Allen as Dunn's love interest, Lois Wilson as Shirley's doomed mother, and Theodore von Eltz & Dorothy Christy as Withers' pestilential parents all add to the movie's enjoyment.

Shirley sings what was to become her signature song - ‘On The Good Ship Lollipop' - and it is a highlight of the film. Many first time viewers, having heard the song all their lives, may be surprised to learn it's about a plane, not a boat - in this case, from American Airlines.

Even though there is very little singing and dancing, which is a big part of the appeal of Shirley Temple, it's still a solid film.

This was the first movie in which was Shirley was the big star, I believe, and you can see why she quickly won the hearts of Americans.

Although there is only one song, it's perhaps her most famous: "On the Good Ship Lollipop." The rest of the film is almost as charming as that song with many sweet, touching moments that made her films so endearing.

It also helped to have James Dunn as the male lead. Dunn was one of the more likable guys in classic Hollywood, on and off the screen. He and Shirley make a great pair.

Other interesting people to watch in this movie are the crabby old grandfather, played by Charles Sellon; the spoiled brat played by Jane Withers, who is so bad she's funny and an assortment of other characters from fliers to cooks to old girlfriends.

The only negative is the ending. It looked like they didn't know how to end this, so they rushed to finish it without much thought. Oh, well, the main thing is Shirley's charm.....and that's there in abundance.

One of Shirley Temple's best movies is stolen by an absolutely riotous performance by Jane Withers as Temple's bratty nemesis-the mean rich kid who picks on poor,noble motherless Shirley. This is the movie that boasts Temple's anthem- On the Good Ship Lollipop.Worth seeing if you haven't seen a Shirley Temple movie.And this was one of the major hits of the 1930's.

Reasons why this film is worth seeing:

1. Bright Eyes stars Shirley Temple. What an appropriate title. Shirley is too cute for words. If you look at her filmography you will see that she had plenty of roles under her belt by the time she made this film, but this is one of the early films that put her on the map.

2. Shirley's performance was so popular, it put her on the cover of "Time" and won an Academy Award.

3. The canine star of the film is Terry, who later played Toto in The Wizard of Oz.

4. Jane Withers nails her performance of the bratty spoiled kid who terrorizes Shirley and everyone else. Only The Bad Seed has a better juvenile villain.

5. Shirley sings her signature song: "On the Good Ship Lollipop".