Girl Rush (1944)

Two unsuccessful vaudeville entertainers decide to search for gold during the California gold rush in 1849. They come to a town where no woman lives. The dwellers of this town promise them ... See full summary »

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

László Vadnay (story "Petticoat Fever") (as Laszlo Vadnay), Aladar Laszlo (story "Petticoat Fever")

Stars:

Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Frances Langford

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Wally Brown	...	Jerry Miles
Alan Carney	...	Mike Strager
Frances Langford	...	Flo Daniels
Barbara Jo Allen	...	Suzie Banks (as Vera Vague)
Robert Mitchum	...	Jimmy Smith
Paul Hurst	...	Muley
Patti Brill	...	Claire
Sarah Padden	...	Mrs. Emma Mason
Cy Kendall	...	'Honest' Greg Barlan
John Merton	...	Scully

Storyline

Two unsuccessful vaudeville entertainers decide to search for gold during the California gold rush in 1849. They come to a town where no woman lives. The dwellers of this town promise them a lot of gold, when they bring some women to them. So they bring a vaudeville show with lots of girls.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Western | Musical

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Noivas a Varejo

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's earliest documented telecast took place in Altoona Wednesday 16 June 1956 on WFBG (Channel 10); it first aired in Philadelphia Monday 9 July 1956 on WFIL (Channel 6), in New York City Thursday 8 November 1956 on WOR (Channel 9), and in San Francisco 4 December 1956 on KPIX (Channel 5).

---

Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Zombies on Broadway (2017)

---

Soundtracks

Rainbow Valley
(1944) (uncredited)
Music by Lew Pollack
Lyrics by Harry Harris
Played during the opening credits and as background music
Sung by Frances Langford at a campfire

User Reviews

comedy team of Carney and Brown meet Vera Vague--with songs and Robert Mitchum!

The comedy team of Alan Carney and Wally Brown are often referred to as RKO's answer to Abbott and Costello. The difference is that Carney is not as over-the-top as Costello, and Brown is not a pure straight man a la Abbott--he's bumbling himself (it's as if Costello was 1/3 Abbott, and Abbott had 1/3 Costello in him!). Still, their films are enjoyable comic entertainment, and they are best known for the two films they did with Bela Lugosi:ZOMBIES ON Broadway and GENIUS AT WORK. In this film, they are musical comedy performers who keep producing flops, so they go out West to find some success. That starts the plot in motion (which takes them back East again, then back out West).The great Vera Vague (as Suzy) is in much of the film, romantically interested in Carney, which provides comedic sparks throughout. GIRL RUSH also provides an early starring role for Robert Mitchum. Mitchum had made a ton of films in 1943 (check his 1943 IMDb credits!) as he was establishing himself in Hollywood, and he really is the "hero" in this film. In hindsight, it's also clear how different from other actors Mitchum was--he is as different from others as James Dean was in the 1950's. GIRL RUSH is a competently made piece of bottom-of-the-bill, b-movie entertainment that would not make anyone's "favorite" list for 1944, but surely was fun and entertaining to watch while it was playing. Shown on TV today, GIRL RUSH has much the same effect. Carney and Brown are an excellent comedy team and were probably fine all-around entertainers in their day. With Vera Vague and her madcap antics added to the mix, you have a entertaining 80 minutes for a rainy day.