Street Girl
Encyclopedia
Street Girl is a musical
comedy
/drama film
directed by Wesley Ruggles and released by RKO Radio Pictures, it's the first official production of RKO but was released soon after Syncopation
the second production of RKO.
ist named Freddie (Betty Compson
), Mike (John Harron
), a jazz
musician and leader of a quartet The Four Seasons, convinces his band members to let afford her room and board. For their act of kindness, Freddie offers to manage the band. After the Four Seasons are fired from their job, Freddie convinces Keppel (Joseph Cawthorn), the owner of a Hungarian cafe, to hire the band which she soon joins. After Prince Nicholaus of Aregon (Ivan Lebedeff
) goes to the cafe to see the band, the Four Season gain a following. Problems arise when both the Prince and Mike fall in love with Freddie.
's Globe Theatre
(now named the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre) and earned over a million dollars for RKO.
by RKO twice. The first film, That Girl from Paris, starred Lily Pons
and Lucille Ball
and was released in 1936. The second, Four Jacks and a Jill, was released in 1942 and starred Ray Bolger
.
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...
comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
/drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Wesley Ruggles and released by RKO Radio Pictures, it's the first official production of RKO but was released soon after Syncopation
Syncopation (1929 film)
Syncopation is the second film produced by RKO Pictures but the first distribution. It is a musical, starring Barbara Bennett, Bobby Watson, and Ian Hunter, and is based on the novel Stepping High by Gene Markey.-Cast:*Barbara Bennett as Fleurette...
the second production of RKO.
Plot summary
After saving a homeless Hungarian violinViolin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist named Freddie (Betty Compson
Betty Compson
Betty Compson was an American actress. Born Eleanor Luicime Compson in Beaver, Utah, she had an extensive film career. Her father died when she was young, and she was forced to drop out of school and earn a living for herself and her mother...
), Mike (John Harron
John Harron
John Harron was an American actor. He appeared in 167 films between 1918 and 1940.Born in New York, New York, he was the brother of actor Robert Harron and of actress Mary Harron...
), a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician and leader of a quartet The Four Seasons, convinces his band members to let afford her room and board. For their act of kindness, Freddie offers to manage the band. After the Four Seasons are fired from their job, Freddie convinces Keppel (Joseph Cawthorn), the owner of a Hungarian cafe, to hire the band which she soon joins. After Prince Nicholaus of Aregon (Ivan Lebedeff
Ivan Lebedeff
Ivan Lebedeff was a Russian film actor. He appeared in 66 films between 1926 and 1953.He was born in Ushpol , Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, on June 18, 1894, and died in Los Angeles, California, from a heart attack.He migrated to the United States in 1925 and in 1930 was recorded at...
) goes to the cafe to see the band, the Four Season gain a following. Problems arise when both the Prince and Mike fall in love with Freddie.
Cast
- Betty CompsonBetty CompsonBetty Compson was an American actress. Born Eleanor Luicime Compson in Beaver, Utah, she had an extensive film career. Her father died when she was young, and she was forced to drop out of school and earn a living for herself and her mother...
as Frederika "Freddy" Joyzelle - John HarronJohn HarronJohn Harron was an American actor. He appeared in 167 films between 1918 and 1940.Born in New York, New York, he was the brother of actor Robert Harron and of actress Mary Harron...
as Mike Fall - Guy Buccola as The Kamen Baker
- Jack OakieJack OakieJack Oakie was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on stage, radio and television.-Early life:...
as Joe Spring - Ned SparksNed SparksNed Sparks was a Canadian character actor. Sparks was well known for his deadpan expression and deep, gravelly voice.-Early life and career:...
as Happy Winter - Joseph CawthornJoseph CawthornJoseph Cawthorn was an American stage and film comic actor....
as Keppel (cafe owner) - Ivan LebedeffIvan LebedeffIvan Lebedeff was a Russian film actor. He appeared in 66 films between 1926 and 1953.He was born in Ushpol , Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, on June 18, 1894, and died in Los Angeles, California, from a heart attack.He migrated to the United States in 1925 and in 1930 was recorded at...
as Prince Nicholaus of Aregon - Gus Arnheim and His Coconut Grove AmbassadorsGus ArnheimGus Arnheim was an early popular band leader. He is noted for writing several songs with his first hit being "I Cried for You" from 1923. He was most popular in the 1920s and 1930s...
as Themselves - Russ ColumboRuss ColumboRuggiero Eugenio di Rodolpho Colombo , known as Russ Columbo, was an American singer, violinist and actor, most famous for his signature tune, "You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love", his compositions "Prisoner of Love" and "Too Beautiful For Words", and the legend surrounding his early...
as Violinist (uncredited) - Cimini Male Chorus as Themselves
Reception
The film opened at New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Globe Theatre
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 205 West 46th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by the architectural firm of Carrere and Hastings, it was built by producer Charles Dillingham and opened as the Globe Theatre, in honor of London's Shakespearean playhouse, on...
(now named the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre) and earned over a million dollars for RKO.
Remakes
Due to its initial success, Street Girl was remadeRemake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
by RKO twice. The first film, That Girl from Paris, starred Lily Pons
Lily Pons
Lily Pons was a French-American operatic soprano and actress who had an active career from the late 1920s through the early 1970s. As an opera singer she specialized in the coloratura soprano repertoire and was particularly associated with the title roles in Léo Delibes' Lakmé and Gaetano...
and Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
and was released in 1936. The second, Four Jacks and a Jill, was released in 1942 and starred Ray Bolger
Ray Bolger
Raymond Wallace "Ray" Bolger was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow and Kansas farmworker Hank in The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
.