Girl Crazy (1943 film)
Encyclopedia
Girl Crazy is a 1943 musical film
produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Based on the stage musical of the same name
, Girl Crazy stars Mickey Rooney
and Judy Garland
in their ninth of ten pairings, partly filmed on location near Palm Springs, California
. This was also June Allyson
's feature film debut.
Production began with Busby Berkeley
as director, but Berkeley was fired after continued run-ins with Garland. An elaborate production number set to "I Got Rhythm
" was his only major contribution to the film. Norman Taurog
, who went on to direct Elvis Presley
's rock and roll musicals, took over.
The film used six songs from the original stage musical, plus another Gershwin song, "Fascinating Rhythm".
The musical numbers were recorded in stereophonic sound
but mixed into mono for release to theaters. Rhino Records released a compact disc featuring the original stereo recordings, which include probably the only stereo tracks of Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra.
, is taken out of college by his concerned father, and sent to 'Cody College'. somewhere in the American west, in the hope that he'll stay away from girls and knuckle down to his studies.
Initially not pleased with what he finds, not least the primitive facilities and practical-joking fellow-students, he eventually settles in. He meets Ginger, the local postmistress and toast of all the students and falls for her.
Danny and Ginger are devastated when they learn that the college must close, due to falling enrollments. Using his father's society and business contacts, he approaches the state governor
, and extracts a promise that the college may be reprieved if enrolments improve. Danny decides to put on a show to 'bring back the old west', and persuades the college Dean to buy the first ticket.
Tommy Dorsey's band is engaged, the event is a success, student enrolments roll in, and the future of the college is assured.
five-disc DVD set The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection on September 25, 2007. The set contains Girl Crazy, Babes in Arms
, Babes on Broadway
, and Strike Up the Band
. A fifth bonus disc includes one number ("I Got Rhythm") in stereo, although stereo tracks exist for all the film's musical numbers. MGM technicians transferred the original multi-channel optical film tracks to 1/4" audiotape when ordered to destroy all the elements in the early 1950s; these surviving tracks were released on a stereo CD in 1995.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Based on the stage musical of the same name
Girl Crazy
Girl Crazy is a 1930 musical with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in this musical production....
, Girl Crazy stars Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
and Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
in their ninth of ten pairings, partly filmed on location near Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
. This was also June Allyson
June Allyson
June Allyson was an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was a major MGM contract star. Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in Too Young to Kiss . From 1959–1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own CBS anthology...
's feature film debut.
Production began with Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer. Berkeley was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns...
as director, but Berkeley was fired after continued run-ins with Garland. An elaborate production number set to "I Got Rhythm
I Got Rhythm
"I Got Rhythm" is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the "rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes such as Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's Bebop...
" was his only major contribution to the film. Norman Taurog
Norman Taurog
Norman Rae Taurog was an American film director, and screenwriter.Between 1920 and 1968, Taurog directed over 140 films, and directed Elvis Presley in more movies than any other director...
, who went on to direct Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's rock and roll musicals, took over.
The film used six songs from the original stage musical, plus another Gershwin song, "Fascinating Rhythm".
The musical numbers were recorded in stereophonic sound
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
but mixed into mono for release to theaters. Rhino Records released a compact disc featuring the original stereo recordings, which include probably the only stereo tracks of Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra.
Plot synopsis
Danny Churchill, a young philandering playboyPlayboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, is taken out of college by his concerned father, and sent to 'Cody College'. somewhere in the American west, in the hope that he'll stay away from girls and knuckle down to his studies.
Initially not pleased with what he finds, not least the primitive facilities and practical-joking fellow-students, he eventually settles in. He meets Ginger, the local postmistress and toast of all the students and falls for her.
Danny and Ginger are devastated when they learn that the college must close, due to falling enrollments. Using his father's society and business contacts, he approaches the state governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
, and extracts a promise that the college may be reprieved if enrolments improve. Danny decides to put on a show to 'bring back the old west', and persuades the college Dean to buy the first ticket.
Tommy Dorsey's band is engaged, the event is a success, student enrolments roll in, and the future of the college is assured.
Cast
- Mickey RooneyMickey RooneyMickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
as Danny Churchill, Jr. - Judy GarlandJudy GarlandJudy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
as Ginger Gray - Gil Stratton as Bud Livermore
- Robert E. Strickland as Henry Lathrop
- Rags RaglandRags RaglandRags Ragland was an American comedian and character actor. Ragland first made his reputation in burlesque, where he was one of the house comics for the famed Minsky burlesque shows...
as Rags - June AllysonJune AllysonJune Allyson was an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was a major MGM contract star. Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in Too Young to Kiss . From 1959–1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own CBS anthology...
as Specialty Singer - Nancy WalkerNancy WalkerNancy Walker was an American actress and comedienne of stage, screen, and television. She was also a film and television director...
as Polly Williams - Guy KibbeeGuy KibbeeGuy Bridges Kibbee was an American stage and film actor.Born in El Paso, Texas, Kibbee began his entertainment career on Mississippi riverboats and eventually became a successful Broadway actor...
as Dean Phineas Armour - Frances RaffertyFrances RaffertyFrances Rafferty was an American actress, dancer, World War II pin-up girl and MGM contract star.-Early life:Frances Anne Rafferty was born in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughter of Maxwell Lewis Rafftery, Snr...
as Marjorie Tait - Henry O'NeillHenry O'NeillHenry O'Neill was a film actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles during the 1930s and 1940s.-Life and career:...
as Danny Churchill, Sr. - Howard FreemanHoward FreemanHoward Freeman was an American stage actor of the early 20th century, and film and television actor of the 1940s through the 1960s....
as Governor Tait - Tommy DorseyTommy DorseyThomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
and His Orchestra as themselves
Track list
Source - Hollywood Musicals Year By Year- Treat Me Rough - June Allyson, Mickey Rooney and chorus with Tommy Dorsey's orchestra
- Bidin' My Time - Judy Garland, The King's Men
- Could You Use Me? - Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland
- Happy Birthday Ginger (Roger Edens)
- Embraceable You - Rags Ragland and chorus, Judy Garland and chorus
- Fascinating Rhythm - Tommy Dorsey's orchestra
- But Not For Me - Rags Ragland with vocal by Judy Garland
- I've Got Rhythm - Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and chorus with Tommy Dorsey's orchestra
DVD release
Girl Crazy was released on DVD for the first time as part of Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
five-disc DVD set The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection on September 25, 2007. The set contains Girl Crazy, Babes in Arms
Babes in Arms (film)
Babes in Arms is the 1939 film version of the 1937 Broadway musical of the same name. The film version stars Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Charles Winninger, Guy Kibbee, June Preisser, Grace Hayes and Betty Jaynes.-Production:...
, Babes on Broadway
Babes on Broadway
Babes on Broadway is a 1941 musical film starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland and directed by Busby Berkeley, with Vincente Minnelli directing Garland's big solo numbers. The film, which features Fay Bainter and Virginia Weidler, was the third in the "Backyard Musical" series about kids who put...
, and Strike Up the Band
Strike Up the Band (film)
Strike Up the Band is a 1940 American black and white musical film. It is directed by Busby Berkeley and stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.A very famous, memorable quote from the film is "Take that boy on the street...
. A fifth bonus disc includes one number ("I Got Rhythm") in stereo, although stereo tracks exist for all the film's musical numbers. MGM technicians transferred the original multi-channel optical film tracks to 1/4" audiotape when ordered to destroy all the elements in the early 1950s; these surviving tracks were released on a stereo CD in 1995.