The Girl Can't Help It (1956)

A gangster hires a down-and-out press agent to make his airheaded girlfriend a singing star.

Director:

Frank Tashlin

Writers:

Frank Tashlin (screenplay), Herbert Baker (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Ewell, Jayne Mansfield, Edmond O'Brien

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Ewell	...	Tom Miller
Jayne Mansfield	...	Jerri Jordan
Edmond O'Brien	...	Marty 'Fats' Murdock
Julie London	...	Herself
Ray Anthony	...	Himself
Barry Gordon	...	Barry the Paperboy
Henry Jones	...	Mousie
John Emery	...	Wheeler
Juanita Moore	...	Hilda
Fats Domino	...	Himself
The Platters	...	Themselves
Little Richard and His Band	...	Themselves (as Little Richard and his Band)
Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps	...	Themselves (as Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps)
The Treniers	...	Themselves
Eddie Fontaine	...	Himself

Storyline

A down-and-out gangster hires an alcoholic press agent to make his blonde bombshell girlfriend a recording star in 6 weeks. But what is he going to do when he finds out that she has no talent? And what is going to happen when the two fall in love?

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Plot Keywords:

singer | based on novel | psychotronic film | star | gangster | 

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Taglines:

BABY, IT'S THE GREATEST! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 December 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Schlagerpiraten

Filming Locations:

Westward Beach - Westward Beach Road, Malibu, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Color by Deluxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In this film, Eddie Cochran performs "Twenty Flight Rock". That song's influence was so great across the Atlantic in Liverpool, England, that Paul McCartney's ability to memorize the words and perform the song impressed John Lennon enough to ask him to join his group, then known as "The Quarrymen", which later became The Beatles.

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Goofs

In Toby Miller's commentary in the 2006 DVD release of "The Girl Can't Help It", he erroneously says that Little Richard is singing the song "The Girl Can't Help It" in his appearance with his band *in the nightclub scene*. Little Richard is actually singing his hit titled "Ready Teddy" in that scene.

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Quotes

Barry the paperboy: [runs in with newspaper] Mr. Miller, look, you're in Earl Wilson and Louis Sobol.
Tom Miller: Made it, eh?
[reads from gossip column]
Tom Miller: "At the Trianon, Tom Miller pubbed it with a new find. Her name's a secret, but the rest of her isn't."
Barry the paperboy: Saw her yesterday; she's something!
Tom Miller: She's a girl, Barry. Just a girl.
Barry the paperboy: If she's a girl, then I don't know what my sister is!

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Alternate Versions

A black and white print of the film has also been shown on television.

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Connections

Featured in Keith Richards: The Origin of the Species (2016)

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Soundtracks

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate
(uncredited)
Written by A.J. Piron
Performed by Betty Grable in a clip from Wabash Avenue (1950)

User Reviews

1950's anthropology

Kids these days are not familiar with the problem we had in the fifties. We heard singers but to see them was rare- Little Richard didn't make it onto American Bandstand. So the big thrill of this film then was to actually see Little Richard, Fats Domino , Gene Vincent doing their gigs! the storyline was farcical and little more than a cover for the music but planting the music scenes in the movie was ingenious. Jayne Mansfield was luscious, even doing a caricature of a vamp. What else can one say? The new release DVD captures the wonderful color of the fifties- mauves and pink pastels everywhere. And Eddy Cochrane does his Elvis imitation and showing why Elvis was the King (and Little Richard the Queen) of Rock and Roll. Worth it for the history lesson- 1950's anthropology.