A studio publicist discovers a Minnesota skating teacher and takes her to Hollywood. She goes back to Minnesota but he follows her.
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Title: Second Fiddle (1939)
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Nominated for
1
Oscar.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Sonja Henie | ... | Trudi Hovland | |
| Tyrone Power | ... | Jimmy Sutton | |
| Rudy Vallee | ... | Roger Maxwell | |
| Edna May Oliver | ... | Aunt Phoebe | |
| Mary Healy | ... | Jean Varick | |
| Lyle Talbot | ... | Willie Hogger | |
| Alan Dinehart | ... | George 'Whit' Whitney | |
| Minna Gombell | ... | Jenny | |
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Stewart Reburn | ... | Trudi's Skating Partner |
| Spencer Charters | ... | Joe Clayton | |
| Charles Brokaw | ... | Assistant Director | |
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The Brian Sisters | ... | Schoolroom Vocal Trio |
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John Hiestand | ... | Radio Announcer |
| George Chandler | ... | Taxi Driver | |
| Irving Bacon | ... | Justice of the Peace Harvey Vaughan | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Jimmy Sutton, tricky publicist for Consolidated Pictures, fetches teacher Trudi Hovland from snowy Minnesota to sunny Hollywood to test for the film of the best-seller "Girl of the North" - having come 436th in a competition several years earlier she is now next choice as leading lady. She gets the part, but despite his own growing attraction for her Jimmy deviously manufactures a romance between her and Roger Maxwell, a new star who desperately needs to pep-up his image. Written by J-26
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The show that licked the World's Fair!Parents Guide:
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Aunt Phoebe: Don't know yet... started making a doily, and it got away from me!
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Written by Irving Berlin
Sung by Rudy Vallee and ensemble
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The plot of this movie, in which a Hollywood studio searches for an actress to play the lead role in the movie version of a best-selling novel, was inspired by the famous "Search for Scarlett O'Hara." From 1937-39, over 1400 actresses were interviewed by MGM, and production was delayed for two years, before Vivien Leigh was cast in the lead role in Gone with the Wind (1939). See more »Quotes
Jimmy Sutton: What are you making, Phoebe?Aunt Phoebe: Don't know yet... started making a doily, and it got away from me!
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Soundtracks
An Old Fashioned Tune Is Always NewWritten by Irving Berlin
Sung by Rudy Vallee and ensemble
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
30 June 1939 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Second Fiddle See more »Filming Locations:
20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USACompany Credits
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IMDbPro »
This is the first Sonja Henie movie that I've seen in my entire life and I love her ever since. This excellent movie portraits the 1930's Hollywood film-making system having Tyrone Power as a "Consolidated Pictures" agent who discovers skating teacher Henie and makes her a "Hollywood Star". Excellent musical and well-acted movie. Lots of musicals and skating numbers performed by Rudy Vallee, Mary Healy and Sonja Henie.