Bright Eyes, as introduced by Robert Osbourne on Turner
Classic Movies, is said to be film which catapulted Shirley Temple into “super-stardom,”
a phrase not invented in 1934. Prior to this time, Shirley had appeared in a
number of children’s shorts, bit parts and what might be called “B” movies, but
this was her true shining moment for an entire film and she carried.
By the time “Bright Eyes” was made, Shirley had her 56 curls
firmly in place. Still a small child, she was no longer a baby and to watch
this film after “Little Miss Marker” and “Now and Forever,” which preceded it
on Turner Classic Movies is amazing. Indeed, she does sparkle.
The question this blog, begun on another site, was created
to answer was the question as to whether Shirley Temple’s films have meaning,
and if so, are they relevant today. A close friend of mine last night, upon
seeing “Little Miss Marker,” declared it to be dated. Well, in the long run
everything is dated. History, last year, ten years ago, 50 years ago and 200
years ago is dated, but what is human and meaningful is not.
In “Bright Eyes,” Shirley is a little girl living in a
wealthy home. Her mother works there as a maid
because her father, a pilot
(then in the early days of flight) crashed his plane and died. Shirley’s
sweetness is juxtaposed by the wealthy family’s daughter, Joy – a name quite
funny because this little girl, played amazingly by Jane Withers, is anything
but a joy! |
| Shirley's opening costume |
In Shirley’s opening scene, we find her hitchhiking along a
dusty California highway. To our eyes today, that is shocking. No child would
be considered safe along a highway because of the cars let along predators, but
there is this tiny girl walking determined to the airport where her father’s
best friend and her godfather, “Loop,” played by one of Shirley’s best co-stars
ever, James Dunn, works.
When Shirley arrives, she goes to the cabin or room where all
the pilots hang out when not flying. There she dusts her daddy’s photo on the wall,getting dust all over her face. Then Loop takes out an old scrapbook. One of
the photos in the book is of a young, attractive woman. When Shirley asks who
she is, Loop turns away as Shirley says,
“She’s a pretty lady, isn’t she?”
“It’s not enough to be pretty out here,” says Loop, circling
Shirley’s face. “You have to be pretty in here too.”
Loop points to her heart.
"How can anyone be pretty in there?" Shirley wonders.
In that question lies the
theme of the entire film. In "Bright Eyes," the wealthy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Smythe
(pronoucing their name that way instead of Smith because they think it "looks" better)
dress attractively and have a beautiful home, but their attitude and treatment
of others is cold and mean. Their actions and attitudes are played out in full through daughter, Joy, but they seem blind to it.
Then, there is their Uncle, who pronounces his name “Smith.”
He’s in a wheelchair and needs help, so he lives with them. He’s a very wealthy
man – which is why they want him to live with them, hoping he'll leave his fortune to them when he dies. Uncle S is very unpleasant; he's a miserable old man, but at the same time he is the one
whose heart is warmed by Shirley. When Joy tells Shirley there is no Santa
Clause, she asks Mr. Smythe if there is. His replay is,,
“What did she say?” (of Joy)
“She says there isn’t,” says Shirley.
“Well, then there is,” says Mr. S.
It turns out that the Smyth’s New York cousin who comes to
visit is the same “pretty lady” in Loop’s scrapbook. They had been close to
marriage when she either spurned him or showed she didn’t have the values he
did. She was rich and he was not. Now, fate brings them in contact again. The
question with her as with each person is whether they will choose kindness and
love or the superficial appearance, money and power. Although Shirley is
beautiful, her innocent sweetness and kindness shine through with a glowing
light.
During the film, Shirley loses her mother and becomes an
orphan at the mercy of those around her. Some like the Smythes would like to
use her to look good and to keep in the Uncle’s good graces, while others
really care about this little girl whose lost both her parents and needs love. Loop cares. He will risk his life flying cross-country in a dangerous storm
so he can earn enough money to get a lawyer and gain custody of Shirley.
The script by William Conselman is beautifully written. It
is perfectly director by David Butler with a
 |
| Shirley Temple's "Good Ship Lollipop" dress |
In summing up, this is a great Shirley Temple film, but not
simply because Shirley was a cute or talented kid. The film has a meaning about
goodness, kindness and love which radiates from Shirley’s every moment on the
screen. The filmmaker doesn’t try overly hard to show it, it just happens.
Of note: Rags the little dog in this film is played by
Terry, four years later to become known to the world as “Toto” in The Wizard of
Oz.
Theriault’s will be auctioning Shirley Temple’s childhood
costumes and other items in Kansas City, MO on July 14th.
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