One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

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

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:

Universal reissued this film in 1949, the year when the studio concluded its 13-year association with Deanna Durbin. In her departing year, Miss Durbin had no other picture in release.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Tommy Bitters: [Having just had Frost light a cigarette for him only to have it explode in his mouth] When are you going to stop playing these cheap childish tricks on me?
John R. Frost: The day you stop playing them on me.
Tommy Bitters: Well, at least mine are funny, and new!
John R. Frost: Oh, yeah? Well, mine work.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Libiamo ne' lieti calici (Drinking Song)

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.