The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Sam Wood

Writer:

Norman Krasna (written by)

Release Date:

11 April 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A tycoon goes undercover to ferret out agitators at a department store, but gets involved in their lives instead.

Plot Keywords:

Department Store | Undercover | Shoe | Union | Salesman

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 15

3:30 AM

TCM

Cast

Jean Arthur	...	Mary Jones
Robert Cummings	...	Joe O'Brien
Charles Coburn	...	John P. Merrick
Edmund Gwenn	...	Hooper
Spring Byington	...	Elizabeth Ellis
S.Z. Sakall	...	George - Merrick's Butler
William Demarest	...	First Detective
Walter Kingsford	...	Mr. Allison - General Manager
Montagu Love	...	Harrison
Richard Carle	...	Oliver
Charles Waldron	...	Needles
Edwin Maxwell	...	Withers
Edward McNamara	...	Police Desk Sergeant
Robert Emmett Keane	...	Tom Higgins
Florence Bates	...	Store Shopper

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #6464) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Company:

Frank Ross-Norma Krasna Inc.

Trivia:

George Watts was in studio records/casting call lists as "Watchman," but he was not seen in the movie. Edward Fielding and Frank O'Connor were listed as cast members in news items, but they also were not seen.

Goofs:

Continuity: The photo in the newspaper shows the storefront and you can clearly see, in two places, the name of the store is Neeley's. Minutes later, on Detective Higgins's note from the store's personnel head has the store name as Neely's.

Quotes:

Second Policeman: When they start recitin' the Constitution, watch out!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Devil and Mr. Jones (1975)

Soundtrack:

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow

Glorious, meaningful farce

It's so full of good, common sense, compassion, wit and joy, that I can barely believe it. How depressing that this masterpiece should never be shown on TV (to my knowledge). It is not the first time that Norman Krasna has drawn my attention. This man is a genius. He writes with a total, unflagging self-assurance and perfection. This movie just cannot be improved upon. There are really no faults in it. The humor is funny without being demeaning, there is not the slightest mistake in taste or judgment. What makes it even more astonishing is that it was made during war time, when patriotism tends to cause people to become sentimental. This movie doesn't spare its country one whit. It does not include some "bad apples" among the workers. On the contrary, it implies that those who are usually referred to as bad apples are in fact the good ones! This movie is very much in the spirit of Frank Capra, and his rooting for the little man, but it outdoes Capra at his own game. There is more Capra in this movie than in all Capra movies put together. Krasna doesn't just root for the underdog, he fights his battles and he WINS! (1990 diary entry).