Juke Girl (1942)

Director:

Curtis Bernhardt

Writers:

Theodore Pratt (story)
Kenneth Gamet (adaptation)

Release Date:

30 May 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

a good girl -- to let alone!

Plot:

Danny and Steve are migrant farm workers who wind up in Cat Tail, Florida. Cat Tail is run by Madden...

Plot Keywords:

Tomato | Farmer | Florida | Atlanta Georgia | Dancing

Cast

Ann Sheridan	...	Lola Mears
Ronald Reagan	...	Steve Talbot
Richard Whorf	...	Danny Frazier
George Tobias	...	Nick Garcos, the Greek
Gene Lockhart	...	Henry Madden
Alan Hale	...	Yippee 'Yip'
Betty Brewer	...	Skeeter
Howard Da Silva	...	Cully
Donald MacBride	...	'Muckeye' John
Willard Robertson	...	Mister Just
Faye Emerson	...	Violet 'Murph' Murphy
Willie Best	...	Jo-Mo
Fuzzy Knight	...	Ike Harper
Spencer Charters	...	Mr. Keeno, Gas Station Owner
William B. Davidson	...	Paley

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7823)

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Many actors listed in studio records and in casting call lists were not seen in the movie. These were Farmers Hank Mann, Don Turner, 'Paul Panzer' and Frank Darien, and Jack Gardner, Fred Kelsey, Frank Pharr, Ray Teal, William 'Bill' Phillips and Victor Zimmerman.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Steve Steve looks at Lola in rear view mirror of his truck, her image is not reversed (signs on building behind her don't read backward).

Quotes:

Lola Mears: Look bud, every time a freight train shakes itself fleas like you come hopping out.

Soundtrack:

I Hates Love

The Dark Saga of Beans and Tomatoes

Surprisingly vigorous programmer showing why Warner Bros. was the blue-collar studio of record. Had the occasional goofy humor and contrived climax been improved this could have been a sleeper. Reagan is lively and likable as the quick thinking ex-farmer-- no wooden soldier here. Whorf and Sheridan are appropriately intense, helping to inject a gritty feel. Reagan's friendship with Whorf is more interesting than the predictable romance with Sheridan. Whorf, an opportunist, splits from his hoboing buddy by siding with the crooked wholesaler (Lockhart) because he sees a lucrative future with a powerful employer. Reagan, on the other hand, is an idealist, willing to risk his future to help the victimized farmer (Tobias). In my book, the dynamic between them makes up the movie's core because it often presents a real-life choice.

A number of nice touches. The bar scenes are atmospheric and staffed beyond programmer expectation. In fact, the settings as a whole from the hobo jungle to the honky-tonk street show genuine care—note even the "Madden" labels in the background of Madden's (Lockhart's) office. I suspect that producer Hal Wallis, a leading Hollywood producer, had a lot to do with this level of detail for what amounts to a very unglamorous production. Note too how the wholesalers collude to cheat the farmers. I expect that resonated with audiences still recovering from the Great Depression. All in all, the movie's much better than its rather misleading title suggests. (In passing—note presence of voluptuous Faye Emerson {Murph} who later achieved New York celebrity by marrying one of the Roosevelt sons and scandalizing early TV with a series of plunging neckline guest-show appearances. Also, for uncompromisingly fierce look at trucking and wholesalers, catch noir classic Thieves' Highway {1949}).