Gold Rush Maisie (1940)

Maisie Ravier finds herself stranded in an Arizona ghost town with a family of migrant dust bowl refugees. The ghost town, it turns out, may have a gold mine.

Directors:

Edwin L. Marin, J. Walter Ruben (uncredited)

Writers:

Elizabeth Reinhardt (screenplay) (as Betty Reinhardt), Mary C. McCall Jr. (screenplay)

Stars:

Ann Sothern, Lee Bowman, Slim Summerville

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ann Sothern	...	Maisie Ravier
Lee Bowman	...	Bill Anders
Slim Summerville	...	Fred Gubbins
Virginia Weidler	...	Jubie Davis
Mary Nash	...	Sarah Davis
John F. Hamilton	...	Bert Davis
Scotty Beckett	...	Harold Davis
Irving Bacon	...	Harry Gilpin
Louis Mason	...	Elmo Beecher
Victor Kilian Jr.	...	Ned Sullivan (as Victor Killian Jr.)
Wallace Reid Jr.	...	Matt Sullivan
Virginia Sale	...	Mrs. Harry Gilpin
Frank Orth	...	Harris
Kathryn Sheldon	...	Mrs. Sullivan
Eddy Waller	...	Ben Hartley

Storyline

Maisie becomes attached to a dirt-poor farmer and his family as they try to make ends meet joining hundreds of others digging for gold in a previously panned-out ghost town.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | maisie ravier character | nickname as title | three word title | ghost town | 

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Taglines:

IT'S A LAUGH RUSH! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was initially telecast in Los Angeles Thursday 4 July 1957 on KTTV (Channel 11); it first aired in Altoona PA 19 July 1957 on WFBG (Channel 10), in Philadelphia 11 August 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), in Phoenix 15 September 1957 on KPHO (Channel 5), in Chicago 28 September 1957 on WBBM (Channel 2), in Honolulu 2 October 1957 on KHVH (Channel 13), in Akron 23 January 1958 on WAKR (Channel 49), in Baltimore 4 February 1958 on WJZ (Channel 13), in Peoria 11 February 1958 on WTVH (Channel 19), in New Haven 22 February 1958 on WNHC (Channel 8), in Seattle 10 May 1958 on KING (Channel 5), and in San Francisco 6 September 1958 on KGO (Channel 7); the Gold Rush finally took Maisie to New York City 16 August 1960 on WCBS (Channel 2).

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Goofs

Early in the movie when Maisie is frightened and gives out a yell; she gets a loud echo. The only mountains in the area are far off in the distance. There is nothing in the area that would cause an echo.

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Quotes

Maisie Ravier: Every man knows somethin' about a car.

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Connections

Followed by Maisie Gets Her Man (1942)

User Reviews

Listless

These Maisie B-programmers were all based on a tough-as-nails (yet tea-totaling) 30-ish Brooklyn dame who finds herself in some oddball situation where she's broke &/or stranded and manages to get herself out of the jam and help &/or enlighten nearly everyone she comes into contact with (usually landing a $25/week job in the process). Here she's finds herself STRANDED in the middle of Arizona in a broken down Model A (the thing's just 9 years old and had the snot beat out of it) 100-miles late for a singing job in some dive. She meets an anti-social Lee Bowman and his inexplicable sidekick Slim Summerville (imagine Tom Poston's role on Newhart without the humor) and encounters a family of displaced Arkansas sharecroppers traveling to a gold strike (imagine Grapes of Wrath) after her job falls through. The gold strike is back near Bowman's property. This is one of the most meandering and dull Maisies ever made (remember the production was plagued by a change in directors). Absolutely no drama--- the only mildly curious aspect is why Bowman is the way he is (did he discover gold and is hidin' it?). Whatever buildup there is in the plot is deflated at the end, except for the 'Gold is where you find it' theme. It's also got the tragic Scotty Beckett in the role of the sharecropper's kid. Ann's still quite cute and makes with the snappy comebacks, but this entry amounts to nothing much more worthy than a rainy day time waster. Yawn...

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

La dorada ilusión

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:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1