Girl Crazy (1943)

Directors:

Norman Taurog
Busby Berkeley

Writers:

Guy Bolton (musical play) and
Jack McGowan (musical play) ...

Release Date:

26 November 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

LOVE OR LUNACY? It's the wild cry of a "girl-crazy" cowboy...but one clear-eyed daughter of the west ropes and ties him!

Plot:

Rich kid Danny Churchill (Rooney) has a taste for wine, women and song, but not for higher education...

Plot Keywords:

College | Dean | Male Female Relationship | Party | Radio Broadcasting

Cast

Mickey Rooney	...	Danny Churchill, Jr.
Judy Garland	...	Ginger Gray
Gil Stratton	...	Bud Livermore
Robert E. Strickland	...	Henry Lathrop
Rags Ragland	...	'Rags' (as 'Rags' Ragland)
June Allyson	...	Specialty Singer
Nancy Walker	...	Polly Williams
Guy Kibbee	...	Dean Phineas Armour
Frances Rafferty	...	Marjorie Tait
Henry O'Neill	...	Mr. Danny Churchill, Sr.
Howard Freeman	...	Governor Tait
Tommy Dorsey	...	Himself - Bandleader Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	...	Themselves - Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra
Six Hits and a Miss	...	Themselves - Vocalists
The Music Maids	...	Themselves - Vocalists

Also Known As:

When the Girls Meet the Boys (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #9139) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

In the finale of the movie, a musical scene entitled "I Got Rhythm" Ginger Gray (played by Judy Garland) and Danny Churchill Jr. (played by Mickey Rooney) are lifted by a group of cowboys, while guns were going off around them. Garland was terribly afraid to do this shot, and Rooney had to coax her into it.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Ginger arrives at the college and sees Danny get put onto a horse by some of the students to ride off to a campfire, there seems to be a trainer squatted behind an abandoned carriage cuing the horses.

Quotes:

Polly Williams: Hi ya Church, hows your steeple?
Danny Churchill, Jr.: So long Polly, watch your crackers!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Main Street Today (1944)

Soundtrack:

Sam and Delilah

Mickey and Judy's best!

Mickey Rooney is hilarious, Judy Garland charms your socks off with her incredible talent, Busby Berkely adds his genius, Norman Taurog is in top form, and Tommy Dorsey swings the joint with his big band in this exceptional MGM wartime Musical. Top it off with a superb Gershwin's score, Rags Ragland, Nancy Walker and June Allyson in solid supporting roles and you have one helluva entertaining songfest.

What more can you ask for? If this one doesn't make you laugh and tap your toes nothing will. Sure it's fluff but oh what good fluff! Escapist fun in 1943 and just as good now. Judy and Mickey were always great together and made some decent musicals, but this is the best I've seen. A thorough delight from start to finish.

What talent Hollywood once had that is gone forever. There's more entertainment value in the first 25 minutes of this picture than in most current films I've seen lately combined.

See it. It's a gem.