One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937)

Director:

Henry Koster

Writers:

Hanns Kräly (idea)
Bruce Manning (original screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 September 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Plot:

The daughter of a struggling musician forms a symphony orchestra made up of his unemployed friends and through persistence...

Plot Keywords:

Musician | Concert | Orchestra | Misunderstanding | Singer

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Deanna Durbin	...	Patricia Cardwell
Leopold Stokowski	...	Himself
Adolphe Menjou	...	John Cardwell
Alice Brady	...	Mrs. Frost
Eugene Pallette	...	John R. Frost
Mischa Auer	...	Michael Borodoff
Billy Gilbert	...	Garage Owner
Alma Kruger	...	Mrs. Tyler
J. Scott Smart	...	Marshall - Stage Doorrman (as Jack Smart)
Jed Prouty	...	Tommy Bitters
Jameson Thomas	...	Russell - Stokowski's Manager
Howard C. Hickman	...	Johnson (as Howard Hickman)
Frank Jenks	...	Taxi Driver
Christian Rub	...	Gustave Brandstetter
Gerald Oliver Smith	...	Stevens

Also Known As:

100 Men and a Girl (USA) (review title)

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #3448) | Finland:S

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The one hundred men of the title are actually the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of Patsy's hands when she's crying on the bed.

Quotes:

Himself, Leopold Stokowski: [Patsy has come to apologize for telling a newspaper that Stokowski would be conducting her orchestra of jobless musicians] But why did you do it? You must have had a reason.
Patricia "Patsy" Cardwell: Oh, yes! I had a hundred reasons! Would you like to hear them?
Himself, Leopold Stokowski: I certainly would.
Patricia "Patsy" Cardwell: [Goes to the door of his study and counts:] One! Two! Three! Four!
[And Stokowski suddenly hears "Hungarian Rhapsody" as clear as a bell inside his own house! He and she go out onto his balcony overlooking the entryway. The 100 men are standing on the stairway, playing]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Waltons: The Fledgling (#4.23)" (1976)

Soundtrack:

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C sharp minor: Lento a capriccio

Let's put a symphony orchestra together!

This delightful family picture reflects how the public taste changes over the years. Movies, in general, were kinder to serious music then, something that no studio would even consider in tackling these days. This was a vehicle for Deanna Durbin, who reigned supreme at Universal and who had movies tailor made for her to showcase her talents.

Ms. Durbin was a cute young girl in those years. She was wonderful in the way she projected charm without being obnoxious, or bratty. Her singing voice was amazing and it was always prominently heard in all the movies she made.

The story is something typical of those years. Director Harry Koster was able to present the material in a good fashion. The film follows Ms. Durbin in her quest to help her impoverished father and his musician friends. With the help of the rich Frosts, she is able to bring together the talented unemployed music men into forming an orchestra and convincing the great Leopold Stokowski to make music with them.

The film will not disappoint Ms. Durbin's fans. Adolph Menjou plays her father. The wonderful Alice Brady and Eugene Palette are seen as the generous Frosts, and Mischa Auer plays the family friend Michael.