Films › Dora's Dunking Doughnuts (1933)
Dora's Dunking Doughnuts
A 20-minute Andy Clyde comedy short with Shirley Temple and the Meglin Kiddies Band performing on a doomed radio broadcast.
Production Background
Dora's Dunking Doughnuts was directed by Harry Edwards and produced by Educational Pictures in 1933. The 20-minute short was written by Ernest Pagano and Ewart Adamson, with cinematography by Dwight Warren. It belongs to the Andy Clyde Shorts series at Educational rather than the Baby Burlesks one-reelers.
Shirley Temple appears in the cast, credited as 'Shirley.' The Meglin Kiddies Band — the dance-school troupe through which Temple was originally discovered — also performs in the film.
Synopsis
A schoolteacher named Andy is enamored with both Dora, who runs a bakery, and her doughnuts. He proposes that his students' musical talents perform on a radio show to advertise the bakery. The scheme backfires when bickering mothers of the students fight and brawl with the manager — chaos that the radio audience mistakenly interprets as intentional comedy.
Cast & Crew
- Director: Harry Edwards
- Writers: Ernest Pagano and Ewart Adamson
- Cinematography: Dwight Warren
- Andy: Andy Clyde
- Dora: Ethel Sykes
- Shirley Temple as: Shirley
- Radio station manager: Bud Jamison
- Woman at radio station: Fern Emmett
- Singer on radio program: Florence Gill
- Performers: The Meglin Kiddies Band
Behind the Scenes
Dora's Dunking Doughnuts sits outside the Baby Burlesks line: it was an Andy Clyde two-reeler released by Educational Pictures, with Temple inserted as part of the Meglin Kiddies Band — the same children's troupe she had been dancing with when casting director Charles Lamont discovered her.
The Shirley Temple filmography lists Dora's Dunking Doughnuts alongside Merrily Yours and other 1933–1934 short films as part of Temple's transition from Baby Burlesks to longer-form work.
The Andy Clyde plot — a teacher trying to promote a girlfriend's bakery via a children's radio performance that descends into chaos — gives Temple and the Kiddies a sustained musical sequence rather than the costume-parody framing of the Baby Burlesks.
Reception & Legacy
Contemporary critical coverage is not documented in the Wikipedia sources consulted. The short is in circulation today and, per the Wikipedia article, is available for free viewing on the Internet Archive.
Fun Facts
- Released 1933.
- Runtime: 20 minutes — a two-reeler rather than the Baby Burlesks' one-reel format.
- Part of the Andy Clyde Shorts series at Educational Pictures.
- Directed by Harry Edwards, not Charles Lamont.
- The Meglin Kiddies Band appears — the troupe through which Temple was originally discovered.
- Andy Clyde plays a lovestruck teacher; Ethel Sykes plays the baker Dora.
- Cinematography by Dwight Warren.
- Available free on the Internet Archive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dora's Dunking Doughnuts about?
A teacher arranges for his students — including Shirley Temple as part of the Meglin Kiddies Band — to play on a radio broadcast promoting his girlfriend's bakery, only for brawling stage mothers to derail the show in ways the audience mistakes for intentional comedy.
Was Dora's Dunking Doughnuts Shirley Temple's first film?
No. It was a 1933 release, well after her debut in the Baby Burlesks series.
How old was Shirley Temple in Dora's Dunking Doughnuts?
She was four or five during 1933 (born April 23, 1928); Wikipedia does not give a specific release date within the year.
Is Dora's Dunking Doughnuts in the public domain?
The Wikipedia article notes the short is available for free viewing on the Internet Archive; it does not formally state its copyright status.
Where can I watch Dora's Dunking Doughnuts for free?
The Internet Archive hosts the short; shirleytemplefilms.com embeds the Internet Archive player.