My Gal Sal (1942)

Director:

Irving Cummings

Writers:

Theodore Dreiser (story)
Seton I. Miller (writer)

Release Date:

30 April 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Musical

Plot:

Chronicles the early life of gay nineties-era songwriter Paul Dresser as he outgrows his job as carnival...

Plot Keywords:

1890s | Beautiful Woman | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Rita Hayworth	...	Sally Elliott
Victor Mature	...	Paul Dresser
John Sutton	...	Fred Haviland
Carole Landis	...	Mae Collins
James Gleason	...	Pat Hawley
Phil Silvers	...	Wiley
Walter Catlett	...	Col. Truckee
Mona Maris	...	Countess Mariana Rossini
Frank Orth	...	McGuinness
Stanley Andrews	...	Mr. Dreiser
Margaret Moffatt	...	Mrs. Dreiser (as Margaret Moffat)
Libby Taylor	...	Ida, Sally's Maid
John Kelly	...	John L. Sullivan
Curt Bois	...	Monsieur De Rochemont
Hermes Pan	...	Dancing partner

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck originally wanted Carole Landis to play Sally Elliot, but she refused to dye her hair red and declared she'd play it as a blonde. The movie mogul promptly moved her to a secondary role and borrowed Rita Hayworth from Columbia, since Alice Faye, expecting her first daughter, could not take the part.

Quotes:

Paul Dresser: Look. If you don't like my act, why don't you get out of here.
Fred Haviland: Like it? Why, you're the hit of the show.
Sally Elliott: It's one of the funniest acts I ever saw.
Paul Dresser: Funny? What's funny about it?
Sally Elliott: Wasn't it?
Paul Dresser: You know very well it wasn't, nobody else was laughing.
Sally Elliott: But there was two pianos. And that suit. What could you expect?
Paul Dresser: What's wrong with my suit?
Sally Elliott: It's all right if you can stand the noise.

Soundtrack:

MR. VOLUNTEER

A Zanuck bomb

Zanuck made some fine films, of course, but he had a penchant for producing weak musicals. Here is a prime example. The script is extraordinarily weak. Wait until you see how the Indians cleaned up Victor Mature after a tar-and-feathering job administered by angry town folk! Aside from the film's title, the music is utterly forgettable. Wait until you see Victor Mature "playing" two pianos at once! Rita Hayworth is lovely and in her prime; this is the year of "You Were Never Lovelier." But she's given little of interest to do here. Her singing is obviously dubbed. The dancing is only average (Hermes Pan was a partner in one scene). Carol Landis is wasted entirely. No wonder Alice Faye turned down a chance to be in this film. It is a bomb. "My Gal Sal" is generally unavailable to the public. Lucky public.