Cover Girl (1944)

Rusty Parker wins a contest and becomes a celebrated cover girl; this endangers her romance with dancing mentor Danny.

Director:

Charles Vidor

Writers:

Virginia Van Upp (screenplay), Marion Parsonnet (adaptation)

Stars:

Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Lee Bowman

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rita Hayworth	...	Rusty Parker / Maribelle Hicks
Gene Kelly	...	Danny McGuire
Lee Bowman	...	Noel Wheaton
Phil Silvers	...	Genius
Jinx Falkenburg	...	Jinx Falkenburg
Leslie Brooks	...	Maurine Martin
Eve Arden	...	Cornelia Jackson
Otto Kruger	...	John Coudair
Jess Barker	...	John Coudair as a Young Man
Anita Colby	...	Miss Colby
Curt Bois	...	Chef at Danny McGuire's
Jean Colleran	...	Cover Girl: American Magazine
Francine Counihan	...	Cover Girl: American Home
Helen Mueller	...	Cover Girl: Collier's Magazine
Cecilia Meagher	...	Cover Girl: Coronet

Storyline

Rusty Parker, a red-headed leggy dancer at Danny McGuire's Night Club in Brooklyn, wants to be a successful Broadway star. She enters a contest to be a 'Cover Girl' as a stepping-stone in her career. She reminds the publisher, John Coudair, of his lost love, showgirl Maribelle Hicks. He was engaged to Maribelle, although his wealthy society mother made fun of her. Maribelle left John at the altar when she saw the piano at her wedding. It reminded her of the piano-player she truly loved. Rusty is Maribelle's granddaughter and there are musical sequences with Maribelle dancing to songs from the beginning of the 20th century. Rusty lands on the cover of her grandmother's former fiancé's magazine (as a bride). She is pursued by Coudair's pal, the wealthy theatrical producer, Noel Wheaton. He produces a lavish musical to star Rusty, surrounded by real cover girls of the mid 1940's. Rusty runs down a huge spiral into the arms of dozens of men who seem clumsy next to her ethereal dancing. ...

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Plot Keywords:

stage show | alter ego | fashion magazine | guilty feelings | pearl in an oyster | 

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Taglines:

A Mirthful, Magical Musical !

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Las modelos

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gene Kelly reprised his role as Danny McGuire in Xanadu (1980), his last movie role. The 36-year gap between films, from 1944 to 1980, is the longest gap in film history for a movie character played in two separate films by the same actor.

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Goofs

When Rusty's face appears on the cover of a top fashion magazine, someone rips the cover off and there is no ad on the reverse side - traditionally (along with the back cover) one of the most sought-after pages for magazine advertisers.

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Quotes

Danny McGuire: You've been meeting so many people lately, I guess you forgot what I look like. I'm the man with the whip, remember?

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Connections

Featured in Private Screenings: Stanley Donen (2006)

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Soundtracks

ALTER-EGO DANCE
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Danced by Gene Kelly

User Reviews

OK Musical

Chorus girl Rusty Parker (Rita Hayworth) wins a magazine's contest to pick a new cover girl. This is thanks to the magazine's editor (Otto Kruger), who was in love with Rusty's grandmother. Apparently Rusty is the spitting image of Grandma. Anyway, as things usually go in musicals, she must decide between success and love with nightclub owner Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly). Rita is gorgeous, of course, and that's only enhanced by the Technicolor. Her dancing is excellent as well. Kelly is fine in the acting department but the dancing is where he shines. This was the musical that put him on the map and from this point on he was allowed to choreograph his dance routines in films. The movie has comedy backup from Phil Silvers and Eve Arden. Arden is great but Silvers is like everybody's unfunny uncle. The musical numbers are mostly just OK. The highlight songwise is "Long Ago and Far Away." The best dance number is Kelly's solo "Alter Ego" dance. It's not a bad musical but it's not one of my favorites.