Maisie (1939)

Stranded, penniless in a small Wyoming town, Maisie Ravier flirts with Slim, the manager of Clifford Ames' ranch. Disgusted by Maisie's flirtation, Slim orders her to leave town. Maisie ... See full summary »

Director:

Edwin L. Marin

Writers:

Wilson Collison (novel), Mary C. McCall Jr. (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Young, Ann Sothern, Ruth Hussey

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Young	...	Charles 'Slim' Martin
Ann Sothern	...	Maisie Ravier / Mary Anastasia O'Connor
Ruth Hussey	...	Sybil Ames
Ian Hunter	...	Clifford 'Cliff' Ames
Cliff Edwards	...	Shorty Miller, Ranch Hand
John Hubbard	...	Richard 'Ray' Raymond (as Anthony Allan)
Art Mix	...	Red Donnen, Ranch Hand
George Tobias	...	Rico
Richard Carle	...	Lawyer Roger Bannerman
Minor Watson	...	Prosecuting Attorney
Harlan Briggs	...	Deputy Sheriff Cal Hoskins
Paul Everton	...	Judge
Joseph Crehan	...	Defense Attorney Wilcox
Frank Puglia	...	Mr. Ernie, a Barber
Willie Fung	...	Lee, the Ranch Cook

Storyline

Stranded, penniless in a small Wyoming town, Maisie Ravier flirts with Slim, the manager of Clifford Ames' ranch. Disgusted by Maisie's flirtation, Slim orders her to leave town. Maisie meets up with Ames and his adulterous wife, Sybil, and gets hired as their maid. When Ames is in an auto accident, Maisie finds Sybil with lover, Richard. That night, Slim and Maisie declare their love for each other. Ames discovers Sybil's infidelity and kills himself. Sybils revenges on Maisie, telling Slim that Ames and Maisie were lovers. An argument erupts between Slim and Maisie, resulting in Maisie leaving town. Maisie soon discovers that Slim is on trial for Ames' murder.

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Plot Keywords:

maid | trial | infidelity | ranch | false accusation | 

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Taglines:

HERE'S OUR GUARANTEE! "Maisie is the surprise picture of the season!" It is one of the things that happen in Hollywood...the once in a "blue moon" mixture of happy players, a good story, a clever director...and the answer is...EXCELLENT ENTERTAINMENT! A GRAND GAL...Everybody's crazy about...! "MAISIE"

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Broadway to Wyoming

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Loew's

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Story was originally purchased for Jean Harlow

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Connections

Followed by Gold Rush Maisie (1940)

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Soundtracks

"The Last Round-Up (Git Along, Little Dogie, Git Along)"
(1933)
Written by Billy Hill
Sung a cappella by Cliff Edwards
Reprised a cappella by him later

User Reviews

The wonderful Ann Sothern begins the "Maisie"series

Ann Sothern could enliven any production and any script, gracing both with her talent, beauty and unusual voice. "Maisie," the first in a series of films about one Miss Maisie Ravier, is no exception. Despite being made on a shoestring, watching Ann Sothern is a delight. She plays a showgirl who is left stranded when the show folds before she arrives. Desperate for work, she takes a job in a carnival, where she meets Slim (Robert Young), a woman-hating cowboy. She stows away in his truck and then assigns herself as a maid to the wife (Ruth Hussey) of Slim's boss (Ian Hunter) when they arrive. Mr. and Mrs. Ames are there to repair their marriage, which was nearly ruined by Mrs. Ames' infidelity. It doesn't take long for anyone to realize that she's a tramp and still at it. This leads to tragedy, and it's up to Maisie to save the day.

Sothern makes the film entertaining - Maisie has a smart mouth and is very enterprising. I can't agree with one poster that this was the first series to have a woman as the main character because the Torchy Blane series started two years before Maisie. Ian Hunter gives a very gentle performance as Mr. Ames, Ruth Hussey is appropriately conniving, and Robert Young is miscast. It's not the first time.

Although I haven't seen the rest of the series yet, apparently they're done as separate entities, because from looking at the cast lists, it doesn't appear that the Young character is in the other films, unless the reason is subsequently explained. I originally thought this might be the last film instead of the first. Well, they promise to be interesting. Anything with Ann Sothern usually is.