(1934)
2.5
Hans J. Wollstein
Shirley Temple should definitely be seen as well as heard. Vocally, little Miss Temple is something akin to a nail on a blackboard, even when performing her signature song, "On the Good Ship Lollipop." But watch her deliver the very same number to an American Airlines crew in Bright Eyes -- and presto! Instant magic. No other child performer but Temple could have convincingly played Bright Eyes' cheerful little orphan; certainly not Jane Withers, who is thrown into the mix almost as an antidote. That Miss Withers runs away with every scene she is in is more to the credit of the writers, who merrily piled on the abuse. Withers added her God-given talent for mugging, and together they created one of filmdom's most memorable villainesses. The adults -- even such veteran scene stealers as James Dunn, Dorothy Christy, and Charles Sellon -- can do little more than stand back and watch in awe as the pint-sized duo goes to town.
Bright Eyes on AllMovie
Bright Eyes (1934)
