Should Shirley Temple’s “Bright Eyes” Be Rated R for Smoking Scene?

A few months ago, I was making a not-so-little list of classic movies that had smoking scenes in them, to see if I could come up with an article on the topic, but it was just getting too long! I hadn’t even gotten around to Edward G. Robinson and his big ole cigars or Humphrey Bogart either. Smoking was certainly pervasive in classic movies and I just decided that there were too many to deal with it.

Now that the movie industry has decided to start giving an R rating to movies that contain scenes of someone enjoying a puff or two, I looked around for my list, but it’s gone. I probably tossed it in the garbage since I’m a fanatical adherent to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

I still remember the one on the list that I was most shocked to write down. It was “Bright Eyes,” starring that irrepressible little mop top, Shirley Temple, with James Dunn as the aviator, James “Loop” Merritt, who wants to adopt her. I’ve seen this 1934 movie dozens of time. Shirley Temple movies were among my absolute favorites when I was little. Although “Heidi” was my all-time favorite, I still love to watch “Bright Eyes,” because child actress, Jane Withers’ bratty performance as Joy Smythe steals the show clear away from our unbearably adorable Shirley. (Her name is Shirley in the movie, too). Charles Sellon was also good as the irascible “Uncle Ned Smith” who can’t stand Joy but loves Shirley. This is also the one where she wows the crew on the airplane with her performance of “The Good Ship Lollipop.” The song went on to sell 500,000 copies worldwide.

It’s also interesting to note that Terry the dog was an uncredited player in this movie in the role of a pooch named Rags. Five years after this movie was made, Terry the dog would earn eternal fame as Toto in “The Wizard of Oz.”

Re-watching this yet again in 2007, I can’t believe I never before noticed James Dunn smoking a cigarette when he’s telling Shirley why she has to go back home, a little before she sneaks on his plane. He practically blows the smoke right in her little golden sausage curls. Nowadays, the very fact that Loop smoked would be used against him in his quest to adopt Shirley.

It would be a shame to see this or any of Shirley’s movies fall into disrepute because of a smoking scene. Maybe they can go back in and edit the cigarette out of the scene somehow. I don’t know how hard that would be, but hey – The Sopranos are always calling everyone “bloodsuckers” in A&E; reruns, so there must be a way.