Scatterbrain (1940)

Director:

Gus Meins

Writers:

Val Burton (original screenplay) and
Jack Townley (original screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 July 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

-So Yer A'Goin' To That Glamour City - Hollywood? I Figger It This Way-What Have Those Stars Got That I Ain't Got?

Plot:

Eddie MacIntyre is a press agent, talent scout and right-hand man to J.R.Russell, Producer/Director of Perfection Pictures...

Plot Keywords:

Hillbilly | Actress | Hollywood | Contract | Farm

Cast

Judy Canova	...	Judy Hull
Alan Mowbray	...	J.R. Russell
Ruth Donnelly	...	Miss Stevens
Eddie Foy Jr.	...	Eddie MacIntyre
Joseph Cawthorn	...	Nicholas Raptis
Wallace Ford	...	Sam Maxwell
Isabel Jewell	...	Esther Harrington
Luis Alberni	...	Prof. DeLemma
Billy Gilbert	...	Hoffman
Emmett Lynn	...	Pappy Hull
Jimmy Starr	...	Joe Kelton
Matty Malneck	...	Orchestra Leader
The Texas Rangers	...	Musicians (as KCBS-Texas Rangers)
Cal Shrum's Gang	...	Hillbilly Musicians

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Republic Pictures

Soundtrack:

Benny the Beaver

The Jenny Lind of the Ozarks goes to Hollywood.

The story has Eddie MacIntyre (Eddie Foy, Jr.)as a press agent, talent scout and right-hand man to J.R.Russell (Alan Mowbray), Producer/Director of Perfection Pictures, planning a scheme in which he will "plant" his girl friend, actress Esther Harrington (Isabel Jewell) in the Ozark mountains and then "discover" her for the role of "Ruthybelle" in Perfection's upcoming production, "Thunder Over the Ozarks." With the full approval of Nicholas Raptis (Joseph Cawthorn), Goldwynian president of Perfection Pictures, Eddie farms Esther out to a hillbilly family where she is to remain until she is "discovered"---a discovery to be accompanied by fanfare and publicity.

Russell has heard a recording or Esther's voice, but he has never seen her, and when he arrives in the Ozarks he "discovers" the wrong girl and signs up Judy Hull (Judy Canova), daughter of the hillbilly family, instead of Esther.

The mistake is not discovered until Judy and her Pappy (Emmett Lynn) arrive in Hollywood, and she becomes Perfection's Public Problem Number One. Because there are no loopholes in her contract, Perfection is obligated to use her, but if they do her hillbilly antics will make them the laughing stock of the industry. Or so they think.

But they finally discover a loophole that reads her contract is null and void if she marries before the film is produced. Russell informs Eddie that it is up to him to court and marry Judy so the contract can be voided. But Eddie's plan is to hire Professor De Lemma (Billy Gilbert), a specialist in mind transference, to persuade Judy that she doesn't want to be a movie star and wants to return home to her cows, pigs and chickens.

But Judy does want to be a movie star, and Pappy has sold the farm, become a part of the Hollywood colony and is playing polo with producers named Darrell and such.

It all works out. The producer played by Joseph Cawthorn talks slightly backwards and never knows what he wants when he wants it. Republic goes out of their way in the press releases to say that the character is "a thinly disguised prototype of Sam Goldwyn", without the quote marks.

What Sam Goldwyn thought of that is unrecorded. Probably asked if they spelled his name correctly. And the polo-playing producer wasn't that far off from Darryl F. Zanuck either...especially since he was named Darrell.