Maisie (1939)

A showgirl stranded in a Wyoming town ends up being hired as a maid at a ranch.

Director:

Edwin L. Marin

Writers:

Mary C. McCall Jr. (screenplay), Wilson Collison (novel)

Stars:

Robert Young, Ann Sothern, Ruth Hussey

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Young	...	'Slim' Martin
Ann Sothern	...	Maisie Ravier
Ruth Hussey	...	Sybil Ames
Ian Hunter	...	Clifford Ames
Cliff Edwards	...	'Shorty' Miller
John Hubbard	...	Richard Raymond (as Anthony Allan)
Art Mix	...	'Red' Donnen
George Tobias	...	Rico
Richard Carle	...	Roger Bannerman
Minor Watson	...	Prosecuting Attorney
Harlan Briggs	...	Deputy Sheriff Cal Hoskins
Paul Everton	...	Judge
Joseph Crehan	...	Wilcox - Defense Attorney
Frank Puglia	...	Ernie
Willie Fung	...	Lee

Storyline

Stranded, penniless in a small Wyoming town, Maisie Ravier flirts with Slim, the manager of Clifford Ames' ranch. Disgusted by Maisie's flirtation, Slim orders her to leave town. Maisie meets up with Ames and his adulterous wife, Sybil, and gets hired as their maid. When Ames is in an auto accident, Maisie finds Sybil with lover, Richard. That night, Slim and Maisie declare their love for each other. Ames discovers Sybil's infidelity and kills himself. Sybils revenges on Maisie, telling Slim that Ames and Maisie were lovers. An argument erupts between Slim and Maisie, resulting in Maisie leaving town. Maisie soon discovers that Slim is on trial for Ames' murder.

---

Plot Keywords:

character name as title | forename as title | maisie ravier character | ranch | maid | 

---

Taglines:

HERE'S OUR GUARANTEE! "Maisie is the surprise picture of the season!" It is one of the things that happen in Hollywood...the once in a "blue moon" mixture of happy players, a good story, a clever director...and the answer is...EXCELLENT ENTERTAINMENT! A GRAND GAL...Everybody's crazy about...! "MAISIE"

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's first telecast took place in Chicago Thursday 4 July 1957 on WBBM (Channel 2); it first aired in Minneapolis 4 August 1957 on KMGM (Channel 9), in Philadelphia 6 August 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), in Hartford CT 21 August 1957 on WHCT (Channel 18), in Honolulu 28 August 1957 on KHVH (Channel 13), in Phoenix 2 September 1957 on KPHO (Channel 5), in Norfolk VA 25 September 1957 on WTAR (Channel 3), in Los Angeles 30 September 1957 on KTTV (Channel 11), in Seattle 7 January 1958 on KING (Channel 5), in Tampa 22 January 1958 on WFLA (Channel 8), and in New York City 1 May 1958 on WCBS (Channel 2); Maisie finally landed in San Francisco 23 October 1958 on KGO (Channel 7).

---

Goofs

When Slim Martin shoots out the flames in the arcade, he fires one too many times. We hear the shots fired one by one, and we see the flames going out, one for each shot. Then the scene cuts away with just one flame left, but we hear two more rifle shots.

---

Quotes

Maisie Ravier: I like him, and I don't lie to people I like.

---

Connections

Followed by Undercover Maisie (1947)

---

Soundtracks

Little Joe the Wrangler
Music by Friedrich Hollaender
Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Played on guitar by Cliff Edwards and on harmonica by Art Mix and sung by the ranch hands

User Reviews

That spunky Maisie

The irrepressible Ann Sothern embarks on one of her signature roles, her defining one until she switched over to TV and Private Secretary, and she a bright and breezy delight. Originally intended as an A picture for the reigning blonde queen of the studio Jean Harlow until her untimely death kicked it around the studio before landing in the lower budget B unit. Still an MGM B picture was a higher quality production than some of the lower rung studios top grade films having as they did the cream of the Hollywood talent pool at their disposal.

So appealing is Ann it's no wonder this was the start of a highly successful series chronicling her exploits in ever more exotic locations. No matter the pickle she finds herself in her pluck and ingenuity carry her though. Robert Young, a man born to wear dinner jackets, is rather preposterously cast as a ranch hand, in the best pressed dude clothes you've ever seen, but his facile charm carries him over any rough spots. Ian Hunter is all warm dignity in his part but the biggest surprise casting is finding Ruth Hussey, usually the wry, wise upstanding lady, playing a rapacious unfaithful gold-digger. This was one of half a dozen films she made the year before her big splash in The Philadelphia Story and Metro hadn't found her niche just yet.

A delightful comedy with a dark turn here and there Ann effortlessly drives the film with her star presence. How she never made it to the top rung of stardom is a mystery.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Broadway to Wyoming

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1