The Girl from Jones Beach (1949)

Glamour artist Bob Randolph is world famous for his paintings of a stunning beauty dubbed "The Randolph Girl". What the world doesn't know is that his pin-up creation is really a composite ... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Godfrey

Writers:

Allen Boretz (story), I.A.L. Diamond

Stars:

Ronald Reagan, Virginia Mayo, Eddie Bracken

Cast

Credited cast:
Ronald Reagan	...	Bob Randolph - Robert Benerik
Virginia Mayo	...	Ruth Wilson
Eddie Bracken	...	Chuck Donovan
Dona Drake	...	Connie Martin
Henry Travers	...	Judge Bullfinch
Lois Wilson	...	Mrs. Wilson
Florence Bates	...	Miss Emma Shoemaker
Jerome Cowan	...	Mr. Graves - Ruth's Attorney
Helen Westcott	...	Miss Brooks
Paul Harvey	...	Jim Townsend
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Mr. Evergood
Gary Gray	...	Woody Wilson
Myrna Dell	...	Lorraine Scott
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dolores Castle	...	Member of Samba Team
Henrietta Taylor	...	Board Member

Storyline

Glamour artist Bob Randolph is world famous for his paintings of a stunning beauty dubbed "The Randolph Girl". What the world doesn't know is that his pin-up creation is really a composite of parts of the anatomy of 12 different models. In an effort to find one girl who possesses all the proper physical attributes, Randolph and PR man Chuck Donovan pursue Ruth Wilson, a beauteous schoolteacher who prefers to be admired for her brain rather than her curves. Ruth changes her tune, however, when a published photo of her in a swimsuit causes her to be fired by the uptight schoolboard. She sues for reinstatement and in the process learns that swimsuits and sex appeal do have a place in her world, after all.

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Plot Keywords:

schoolteacher | model | bathing suit | bare chested male | beach | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Venus am Strand

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lauren Bacall turned down the role as Ruth Wilson because it called for her to appear in a bathing suit. She said: "I'm not a bathing beauty... I'll be embarrassed."

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Goofs

Bob is in a boat and spots Ruth through binoculars. The shots of the boat show that it is rolling in very heavy waves. When the camera switches to show Ruth as seen through the binoculars, the rolling motion completely disappears.

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Quotes

Chuck Donovan: Night school. You've just gotten off the boat and you want to become a citizen so you enroll in her class.
Bob Randolph: I already am a citizen.
Chuck Donovan: So, you'll vote twice.

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Connections

Referenced in Lily for President? (1982)

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Soundtracks

"The Girl from Jones Beach"
(uncredited)
Written by Eddie Seiler and Sol Marcus
Sung by a chorus during the opening credits and occasionally throughout the picture

User Reviews

A breezy comedy with (innocent) sexual overtones

I've already written a plot summary of "The Girl from Jones Beach," which you'll find on this page.

Upon re-watching the film, I am ever more convinced that it is sexy without being sexist, and as close to hilarious a film as Ronald Reagan ever made (though "She's Working her Way through College" also comes close).

Though Reagan and Virginia Mayo are the principal stars, most of the comedy bits involve Eddie Bracken, as Reagan's best friend. The plot is "sneaky good," meaning it's better than you would expect in a lightweight romantic comedy.

Briefly: Reagan plays Bob Randolph, a famous glamour artist who paints pictures of beautiful women. What his models don't know is that none of them is the "complete" Randolph girl. He paints the eyes of one, the knees of another, the hair of a third, and so on, completing the portrait of an impossibly unattainable Dream Girl. Then he meets the Virginia Mayo character, and all bets are off.