Dunn, James

Shirley Temple - America's Sweetheart Collection, Vol. 2 (Bright Eyes / Baby Take a Bow / Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm)

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Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: NR
Release Date: 22-NOV-2005
Media Type: DVD

Bright Eyes

Shirley Temple, the original dancing baby, sings her signature song, "On the Good Ship Lollipop," in this heart-rending drama, one of eight films she made in 1934 (!) at the ripe age of 6, and for which she was honored with a special pint-sized Academy Award. Temple stars as Shirley, the curly-headed "gosh, oh gee"-adorable mascot to a group of aviators since her pilot father "cracked up and went to heaven." Get out your handkerchiefs when Shirley's mother is also killed, setting up a custody battle between the nasty, highfalutin Joy Smythe's curmudgeon uncle Ned; Loop, another pilot; and the society girl who once left Loop grounded at the altar.

Temple's movies are today marketed as children's films, but, like the classic Warner Bros. cartoons, they were made for adults. Her plucky, indomitable spirit helped America get through the Depression. She's perky and precocious to beat the band, but she suffers so on the way to the inevitable happy ending. When she gushes, "It's the best day I've ever had in my whole life," you know tragedy is imminent.

In Bright Eyes she is also at the mercy of bratty Smythe (scene-stealing Jane Withers), a pint-sized tantrum-throwing terror who makes Linda Blair in The Exorcist look like a Teletubbie. A further parental advisory in these politically correct times: Joy's eagerly awaited comeuppance is a real slap in the face. --Donald Liebenson

The first big film created especially for her, Bright Eyes helped make Shirley Temple a huge box-office star and features her most famous song: "On The Good Ship Lollipop".

The little darling of a group of aviators, Shirley splits her time between her pilot godfather Loop (James Dunn) and her long-suffering mother (Lois Wilson), housemaid for a selfish, wealthy family. When a tragic accident suddenly leaves Shirley orphaned, Loop sets out to adopt Shirley- until he learns he's not the only one determined to keep the adorable youngster.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Elia Kazan made his directorial debut with this adaptation of Betty Smith's novel about a bright, young girl growing up in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn, trying to rise above her tenement existence. Sensitively filmed by Kazan, and graced with wonderful performances by James Dunn as the wistful, alcoholic father and Dorothy McGuire as a strong-willed mother. Peggy Ann Garner won a special Oscar for her performance. --Tom Keogh

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Spain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o English (subtitles) o Spanish (subtitles) o Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1) o English (Dolby Digital 2.0) Synopsis: One-time movie song-and-dance man James Dunn won an Academy Award for his "comeback" performance in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Based on the best-selling novel by Betty Smith, the film relates the trials and tribulations of a turn-of-the-century Brooklyn tenement family. The father, Dunn, is a likable but irresponsible alcoholic whose dreams of improving his family's lot are invariably doomed to disappointment. The mother, Dorothy McGuire, is the true head of the household, steadfastly holding the family together no matter what crisis arises. The story is told from the point of view of daughter Peggy Ann Garner, a clear-eyed realist who nonetheless would like to believe in her pie-in-the-sky father, whom she dearly loves. Joan Blondell co-stars as the family's brash, freewheeling aunt, whose means of financial support is a never-ending source of neighborhood gossip. This first film directorial effort of Elia Kazan earned a special Oscar for "Most Promising Juvenile Performer" Peggy Ann Garner. A Tree Grows From Brooklyn was remade for TV in 1974, and also served as the basis of a Broadway musical. Special Features: o Biographies o Filmographies o Interactive Menu o Photo Gallery o Scene Access o Trailer(s)

Elia Kazan made his directorial debut with this adaptation of Betty Smith's novel about a bright, young girl growing up in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn, trying to rise above her tenement existence. Sensitively filmed by Kazan, and graced with wonderful performances by James Dunn as the wistful, alcoholic father and Dorothy McGuire as a strong-willed mother. Peggy Ann Garner won a special Oscar for her performance. --Tom Keogh

Baby Take a Bow

A classic convict-turned-good-guy story, this DVD rendition of the 1934 Baby Take a Bow has been nicely restored in its original black and white format as well as colored and remastered for a whole new look. Viewers choose whether to watch in color or black and white, but no matter which is chosen, Shirley Temple shines as the adorable Shirley Ellison, an ex-con's daughter who's full of sweetness, energy, and a touch of the mischievous. As Eddie Ellison (James Dunn) and his prison pal Larry Scott (Ray Walker) try to earn an honest living and make a new life with the women they love (Claire Trevor and Dorothy Libaire), they're constantly harassed by private investigator Welch (Alan Dinehart) and are unwillingly dragged into a crime by a just-released convict Trigger Stone (Ralf Harolde). A comic and suspenseful game of hide-and-seek sweeps viewers along to the conclusion of the film, punctuated by Shirley's rooftop birthday party where she and her father perform the memorable vocal-tap duet "On Account-A I Love You." Though the plot is aimed at adult audiences and the film dated by various details like Shirley's unattended play on the sidewalk and the distinct lack of child-proofing in her home, Baby Take a Bow is a classic film that's appealing to modern audiences ages 6 and older. --Tami Horiuchi

Shirley's father is an ex-con trying hard to make an honest living by working as a chauffeur, But he runs into trouble when appears necklace disappears form his employer's home and the detective on the case decides he's guilty. Luckily, Shirley finds the pearls and winds up the case in short order. But not before she engages her father and the detective in the film's most enjoyable scene a hilarious game of hide and seek.

The Ghost and the Guest

Newlyweds Webster and Jackie Frye (James Dunn and Florence Rice) arrive at an old country house for their honeymoon. They are horrified to discover a dead body. When the corpse disappears, a bumbling team of policemen confine them there for the night, along with the next-of-kin who've arrived to claim it. Unbeknownst to any of them, a gang of jewel thieves are hot on the trail of a fortune in diamonds which is also hidden in the house. Writer Morey Amsterdam keeps the pace swift and the dialogue crackling in this screwball comedy with a splash of the macabre. An exceptional ensemble cast featuring Sam McDaniel as the nervous chauffeur and Robert Dudley as the town's retired executioner who has a fixation with nooses, makes this a PRC classic. Starring: James Dunn Florence Rice Directed by : William Nigh Screenplay by : Morey Amsterdam DVD Details : Run Time: 56 minutes Number of Discs: 1 Originally Released in 1943 Black White No region encoding; For global distribution.

Stand Up and Cheer!

President Franklin Roosevelt appoints a theatrical producer as the new Secretary of Amusement in order to cheer up an American public still suffering through the Depression. The new secretary soon runs afoul of political lobbyists out to destroy his department.System Requirements:Run Time: 68 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG UPC: 024543381952 Manufacturer No: 2238195

It can't really be called a "Shirley Temple movie," because the original Little Miss Sunshine appears in it for just 10 minutes or so. But you can easily see how Stand Up and Cheer! gave birth to the most dominant star of the mid-1930s: Shirley Temple brings down the house. With just a bit of dialogue and one musical number, "Baby Take a Bow," Ms. Temple sets the cuteness meter to 11 and packs considerable hilarity into her already-definable personality. (Old pro James Dunn, who co-starred with Temple in a few subsequent features, plays her father/dance partner here.) The movie itself is something else again, in every sense. Purportedly based on an idea by Will Rogers, it imagines a new cabinet position--Secretary of Amusement--established by the President himself. Said official (Warner Baxter, fresh off a similar role in 42nd Street) must drum up lotsa socko entertainment to pull America out of its Depression doldrums. The near-surreal results include the acrobatic vaudeville team Mitchell & Durant as loopy senators and a sequence involving Stepin Fechit and a talking penguin dressed up as Jimmy Durante. Yes, you read that right. Meanwhile, corporate fatcats conspire to ruin the plan; they want America to remain scared and passive. But you know they don't stand a chance against Shirley Temple--whose 1930s career fulfilled the movie's idea of cheering up a population staggered by hard times. --Robert Horton

Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven

In a case of mistaken identity, a handsome young writer is mistaken for a bank-robber.

Baby Takes a Bow

Shadows Over Shanghai