Bright Eyes (1934 film)

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 Burke, and focuses on the relationship between bachelor aviator James Loop Merritt James Dunn and his orphaned godchild, Shirley Blake Shirley Temple. Merritt becomes involved in a custody battle for her with a rich, elderly gentleman. The film featured one musical number, On the Good Ship Lollipop.

Shirley Blake Shirley Temple and her mother, Mary Lois Wilson, a maid, live in the home of her employers, the rich and meanspirited Smythe family, Anita Dorothy Christy, J. Wellington Theodore von Eltz, and Joy Jane Withers. Shirleys aviator father died in an airplane crash before the film opens, and she now spends most of her time at the Glendale, California airport with her godfather, bachelor pilot James Loop Merritt James Dunn, and his dog, Rags. note After Christmas morning she hitches a ride to the airport. The aviators bring her aboard a ship and taxi her around the runways, where she serenades them with her rendition of On the Good Ship LollipopMary is killed in a traffic accident. When Loop hears about this he takes Shirley up in an airplane, explains that she is in Heaven, and that her mother is also there. When the Smythes learn of Marys death they make plans to send Shirley to an orphanage. However, Uncle Ned Charles Sellon, the cranky, wheelchairbound patriarch of the Smythes, is fond of little Bright Eyes as he calls her and insists that she remain in the house. His relatives grudgingly comply with his wishes, although they make her feel unwelcome. A custody battle for her ensues between Loop and Uncle Ned. The impasse is resolved when Loop, his fiance, Adele Judith Allen, Uncle Ned, and Shirley all decide to live together. ........

Source: Wikipedia