Why Girls Leave Home (1945)

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(awaiting 5 votes)

Director:

William Berke

Writers:

Fanya Foss (screenplay)
Fanya Foss (story)

Release Date:

9 October 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The VIOLENT, UNVARNISHED TRUTH about the scores of thousands of young girls who recklessly toss away home ties for a life of dangerous thrills!

Plot:

Diana Leslie is rescued from drowning by reporter Chris Williams. The latter believes it is an attempted...

Plot Keywords:

Question In Title

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Lola Lane	...	Irene Mitchell
Sheldon Leonard	...	Chris Williams
Pamela Blake	...	Diana Leslie
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Jimmy Lobo
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Steve Raymond
Constance Worth	...	Flo
Claudia Drake	...	Marianna Mason
Virginia Brissac	...	Mrs. Leslie
Thomas E. Jackson	...	Police Captain Reilly (as Thomas Jackson)
Evelyn Eaton	...	Alice (as Evelynne Eaton)
Peggy Lou Bianco	...	Peggy Leslie
Fred Kohler Jr.	...	Ted Leslie (as Fred Kohler)
Walter Baldwin	...	Wilbur Harris
Robert Emmett Keane	...	Ed Blake

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Producers Releasing Corporation

Trivia:

When Pamela Blake sings "Call Me", the voice we hear is actually that of Claudia Drake who plays a supporting role in the same film.

Soundtrack:

Call Me

Not a lost film!

Why Girls Leave Home does, in fact, exist. It isn't shown much, but it is, assuredly, not lost. I know of (and have seen) a 16mm print of it, currently in the hands of a private collector in Pennsylvania. The print was made shortly after the film's theatrical release, probably for the rental market. Quite likely there are others around as well, and it may also have turned up on early television. As far as the quality of the film itself: It's a tough, pretty well-paced little movie, with above-average production values for this studio. Livingston and Evans's Oscar-nominated song is very entertaining and, not surprisingly, the cast is filled with pros. Pamela Blake is more than adequate (if a shade mature) as the innocent heroine, Virginia Brissac (who played mother roles in, seemingly, thousands of movies) gets one of her biggest parts here, and Sheldon Leonard, Elisha Cook and, especially, Lola Lane are better than good. (Lane has a great scenery-chewing moment in the homestretch.) Too bad that it's so little-seen today, because it's definitely one of the best PRC efforts.