The Reformer and the Redhead (1950)

Directors:

Melvin Frank
Norman Panama

Writers:

Robert Carson (story) and
Melvin Frank (writer)

Release Date:

5 May 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Hot-tempered Kathleen Maguire enlists the services of a young attorney to help her zookeeper father...

Plot Keywords:

Lion | Zookeeper | Zoo | Election | Tour Guide

Cast

June Allyson	...	Kathleen 'Kathy' Maguire
Dick Powell	...	Andrew 'Andy' Rockton Hale
David Wayne	...	Arthur 'Artie' Colner Maxwell
Cecil Kellaway	...	Dr. Kevin G. Maguire
Ray Collins	...	Commodore John Balwind Parker
Robert Keith	...	Tim Harveigh
Marvin Kaplan	...	Leon
Kathleen Freeman	...	Lily Rayton Parker
Wally Maher	...	Jerry Nolard Boyle
Alex Gerry	...	James'Jim' I. Michell
Charles S. Evens	...	Mr. Eberle (as Charles Evens)
Paul Maxey	...	Thompson

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #14286) | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Quotes:

Kathleen 'Kathy' Maguire: Darndest thing, that Maguire temper. Always seems to skip a generation. Take my father, for instance. Meek and mild as a lamb. His father was a bruiser. Knocked out Fitzsimmons in Butte, Montana.
Andrew 'Andy' Rockton Hale: Montana.
Kathleen 'Kathy' Maguire: Of course, it wasn't in the ring, it was in a saloon. And he wasn't wearing gloves, he hit him with a cuspidor.

Kindhearted but dated

Just another TCM time-passer. June Allyson brings her usual earnest charm to a movie that just didn't have much to it. The essential weakness is that the screenplay cannot make up its mind whether it wants to be a "look at all those crazy animals" comedy or a political "the honest man will win" film. When the movie finally makes its decision at the end, it just made me wonder why it spent all that time on the other thread. I've also been fairly suspicious of movies that have more than one credited director. Maybe that played a role here too.

The high point for me was the performance of Cecil Kellaway as the father. TCM and IMDb make a great combination for learning about the wonderful character actors of Hollywood history.