That Brennan Girl (1946)

Director:

Alfred Santell

Writers:

Adela Rogers St. Johns (story)
Doris Anderson (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 December 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

I'm Ziggy Brennan....they call me bad! (original poster)

Plot:

The film begins on Mother's Day, 1938 when 14-year-old Ziggy Brennan buys a gardenia for her mother...

Plot Keywords:

Mother | Custody | Nightclub | Truck | Abandoned Baby

Cast

James Dunn	...	Denny Reagan aka Prof. Who's Its
Mona Freeman	...	Ziggy Brennan
William Marshall	...	CPO Martin J. 'Mart' Neilson
June Duprez	...	Natalie Brennan
Frank Jenks	...	Joe the Cabbie
Dorothy Vaughan	...	Mrs. Reagan, Denny's Mother
Charles Arnt	...	Fred, Natalie's 2nd Husband
Rosalind Ivan	...	Mrs. Merryman the Nosey Landlady
Fay Helm	...	Helen, Ziggy's Neighbor
Bill Kennedy	...	Arthur, Helen's Husband
Connie Leon	...	Miss Jane, Merryman Resident
Edythe Elliott	...	Miss Unity, Jane's Sister
Sarah Padden	...	Mrs. Graves, the Nice Landlady
Jean Stevens	...	Dottie, Natalie's Friend
Lucien Littlefield	...	The Florist

Also Known As:

Tough Girl (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

95 min | USA:60 min (1952 re-release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #11829)

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures

A sweet story about a young girl who, in spite of a bad start, changes her life.

Raised by a flamboyant and irresponsible mother, Ziggy Brennan (played by Mona Freeman) gets involved in hustling men at a young age. She hangs around with a wild crowd and learns gets her "street smarts" first from her mother (who wants everyone to think they are sisters) then from an older man. He starts teaching her his tricks of the trade and she falls right in line with his crooked ways. Then one night she meets a tall, handsome, honest farmer boy who's a soldier and they fall in love. While he's away fighting the war, she discovers she's pregnant.

I won't say more so as not to spoil it. But I found the ethics that this film teaches to be something sorely missing in our films nowadays. Suffice it to say that even though she goes through some heartbreaking experiences, she reforms her ways and there is a happy ending.

Probably not a film that most young people would enjoy. Not any action and some parts drag a bit, but it's Frank Capra type of message left me with a good feeling. Baby-boomers will most likely love it.