Too Many Girls (1940)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

George Abbott

Writers:

George Marion Jr. (book)
John Twist (writer)

Release Date:

8 October 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Sport

Tagline:

It's knee-deep in gorgeous gals and gaiety!

Plot:

Mr Casey's daughter Connie wants to go to the Pottawatomie college and he sends without her knowlege four football players as her bodyguards...

Plot Keywords:

Bodyguard | Dancer | Singer | Student | Heiress

Cast

Lucille Ball	...	Consuelo 'Connie' Casey
Richard Carlson	...	Clint Kelly
Ann Miller	...	Pepe
Eddie Bracken	...	Jojo Jordan
Frances Langford	...	Eileen Eilers
Desi Arnaz	...	Manuelito Lynch
Hal Le Roy	...	Al Terwilliger
Libby Bennett	...	Tallulah Lou
Harry Shannon	...	Mr. Harvey Casey
Douglas Walton	...	Beverly Waverly
Chester Clute	...	Harold L. Lister
Tiny Person	...	Midge Martin
Ivy Scott	...	Mrs. Tewksbury
Byron Shores	...	Sheriff Andaluz

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #6464) | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Van Johnson's film debut.

Quotes:

[Trying to get the $300 needed to open the school]
Eileen Eilers: I'm president of the student body and prepared for almost ANY sacrifice.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lucy (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Look Out!

So bad it's hilarious, with some great performances

A cast of thousands--extra dancers and singers. George Abbott probably had 18 dancers in the Broadway version, so here he got about 180. Some of these numbers are well worth the watch. Don't miss the surreal finale with Desi Arnaz on conga (and he's supposed to be a rich Argentinean). Lucille Ball is shot through gauze even though she's quite young, but who cares, she's luminescent in this silly plot. This is the rare Hollywood film taking place on a college campus where not a single professor is evident, save a quick visual joke.

The hard-to-watch scenes involved handsome Richard Carlson who acts like a sap in a painfully sappy way. No wonder he was unable to continue his career after WWII. But oh, that Eddie Bracken, Hal Le Roy, and the always magnificent Anne Miller. Frances Langford shows how that band experience produced fabulous singers.

Really, you'll be screaming in pain, choking your popcorn out in laughter, and popping your eyes over the over-the-top Busby-you-can-be-outdone dance numbers. And it has one of the best Rodgers and Hart songs ever, "I Never Knew What Time it Was," sung man to woman, and then, yes, man to man. Postmodern viewers will find some unintended gay laughs.

So show it to your best friends, the only ones who'll understand and not throw a pillow at you.