Cover Girl (1944)

Director:

Charles Vidor

Writers:

Erwin S. Gelsey (story)
Marion Parsonnet (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

30 March 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

A Mirthful, Magical Musical !

Plot:

Rusty Parker wins a contest and becomes a celebrated cover girl; this endangers her romance with dancing mentor Danny.

Plot Keywords:

Cover Girl | Magazine | Contest | Wedding | Dance

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Jan. 12

10:45 AM

TCM

Cast

Rita Hayworth	...	Rusty Parker nicknamed 'Chicken' / Maribelle Hicks (flashback sequence)
Gene Kelly	...	Danny McGuire
Lee Bowman	...	Noel Wheaton
Phil Silvers	...	Genius
Leslie Brooks	...	Maurine, Rusty's blonde friend / rival
Eve Arden	...	Cornelia 'Stonewall' Jackson
Otto Kruger	...	John Coudair
Jess Barker	...	Coudair as a young man
Anita Colby	...	Miss Colby
Curt Bois	...	Chef at Danny McGuire's
Jean Colleran	...	Cover Girl: American Magazine
Francine Counihan	...	Cover Girl: American Home
Helen Mueller	...	Cover Girl: Collier's Magazine
Cecilia Meagher	...	Cover Girl: Coronet
Betty Jane Hess	...	Cover Girl: Cosmopolitan
Dusty Anderson	...	Cover Girl: Farm Journal
Eileen McClory	...	Cover Girl: Glamour
Cornelia B. von Hessert	...	Cover Girl: Harper's Bazaar
Karen X. Gaylord	...	Cover Girl: Liberty
Chery Archibald	...	Cover Girl: Look
Peggy Lloyd	...	Cover Girl: Mademoiselle
Betty Jane Graham	...	Cover Girl: McCalls
Martha Outlaw	...	Cover Girl: Red Book
Susann Shaw	...	Cover Girl: Vogue
Rose May Robson	...	Cover Girl: Woman's Home Companion
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Betty Brewer	...	Autograph Hound (as Ilene Brewer)
Shelley Winters	...	Chorus Girl (unconfirmed)
Grace Albertson	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Eddie Allen	...	Best Man (uncredited)
Lucille Allen	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Eugene Anderson Jr.	...	Busboy (uncredited)
Warren Ashe	...	Interviewer (uncredited)
Sam Ash	...	Assistant Cook (uncredited)
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Florist Delivery Boy (uncredited)
Jack Boyle	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Linda Brent	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Betty Brodel	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Edward Brophy	...	Joe, Oyster Bar's bartender (uncredited)
Sally Cairns	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Sherry Cameron	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Glenn Charles	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Stanley Clements	...	Elevator Boy (uncredited)
Eddie Cutler	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
George Dobbs	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Eddie Dunn	...	Mac the Cop (uncredited)
Jay Eaton	...	'Vanity' Photographer (uncredited)
Fern Emmett	...	Reporter-Photographer (uncredited)
Jinx Falkenburg	...	Herself (uncredited)
Sam Flint	...	Coudair's Butler (uncredited)
Miriam Franklin	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
Virginia Gardner	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Helene Garron	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Marion Graham	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Diane Griffith	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Thurston Hall	...	Tony Pastor (uncredited)
Eloise Hart	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Grace Hayle	...	Food critic dipping soup (uncredited)
Robert F. Hill	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Robert Homans	...	Pop, stage doorman at Danny McGuire's (uncredited)
Milton Kibbee	...	Reporter - asks Danny about flowers (uncredited)
William Kline	...	James - Chauffeur (uncredited)
Miriam LaVelle	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
George Lessey	...	Minister (uncredited)
Johnny Mitchell	...	Pianist (uncredited)
Vin Moore	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Frances Morris	...	Marion - Coudair's Secretary (uncredited)
Muriel Morris	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Al Norman	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Jack Norton	...	Harry, stumbling drunk (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Cook (uncredited)
Kathleen O'Malley	...	Cigarette Girl (uncredited)
Barbara Pepper	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Ralph Peters	...	Truckman (uncredited)
Jack Rice	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Larry Rio	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Patti Sacks	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford	...	Truckman (uncredited)
Gwen Seager	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Jack Shea	...	Serviceman in Audience (uncredited)
Patti Sheldon	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Bill Sloan	...	Naval Officer (uncredited)
Victor Travers	...	Bartender (uncredited)
John Tyrrell	...	Jim - Electrician (uncredited)
Virginia Wilson	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
Rudy Wissler	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Constance Worth	...	Receptionist (uncredited)
Ronald Wyckoff	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Vidor

Writing credits
Erwin S. Gelsey		(story) (as Erwin Gelsey)
Marion Parsonnet		(adaptation) &
Paul Gangelin		(adaptation)
Virginia Van Upp		(writer)
John H. Kafka		uncredited

Produced by
Arthur Schwartz	....	producer

Original Music by
Saul Chaplin		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Allen M. Davey
Rudolph Maté

Film Editing by
Viola Lawrence

Art Direction by
Lionel Banks
Cary Odell

Set Decoration by
Fay Babcock

Costume Design by
Travis Banton		(gowns)
Muriel King		(gowns)
Gwen Wakeling		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Clay Campbell	....	makeup artist
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Budd Boetticher	....	assistant director (as Oscar Boetticher Jr.)
Jack Voglin	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Lambert E. Day	....	sound (uncredited)
John P. Livadary	....	sound mixer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Burnett Guffey	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Richard H. Kline	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Homer Plannette	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Ned Scott	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
John Hoffman	....	montage

Music Department
Carmen Dragon	....	orchestrator
Philip Faulkner Jr.	....	music recordist (as P.J. Faulkner)
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director (as M.W. Stoloff)
Martha Mears	....	singing voice: Rita Hayworth (uncredited)
Paul Weston	....	music arranger (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Coburn	....	magazine cover photographer
Anita Colby	....	technical advisor
Harry Conover	....	technical advisor
Norman Deming	....	assistant to producer
Seymour Felix	....	choreographer
John Hoffman	....	magazine cover photographer
Kenneth Hopkins	....	hat maker (as Keneth Hopkins)
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Morgan Padelford	....	associate technicolor color director
Val Raset	....	choreographer
Stanley Donen	....	choreographer (uncredited)
Fred Kelly	....	additional choreographer (uncredited)
Gene Kelly	....	choreographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1944) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Columbia Film-Verleih (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1947) (France) (theatrical) (35 and 16 mm)
• Columbia (194?) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Compagnia Edizioni Internazionali Artistiche Distribuzione (CEIAD) (194?) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Státní Pujcovna Filmu (194?) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• 4 Front Video (2002) (UK) (VHS)
• Columbia Home Video (video)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS) (collection: Columbia Classics)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Hoffman & Coburn  magazine covers created by

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:Approved | France:U | West Germany:12 | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Columbia Pictures gave Gene Kelly almost complete control over the making of this film, and many of his ideas contributed to its lasting success. He removed several of the sound stage walls so that he, Rita Hayworth, and Phil Silvers could dance along an entire street in one take. He also used trick photography so that he could dance with himself in one sequence.

Goofs:

Continuity: Maurine pins the VANITY cover photo of Rusty on the call board in a wide shot, but it is a different picture from the next cut- a close-up of Rita Hayworth's face. When they cut back and forth to the wide shot, the difference is so startling that it does not look like Rita Hayworth at all. The faces even tilt in opposite directions.

Quotes:

Danny McGuire: If I'm sorry nothing came of it, I'm a liar. If I'm glad, I'm a heel. Where do we go from here?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Rita Hayworth: The Columbia Lady (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Gene Kelly's pivotal role and Rita Hayworth's most glamorous.

Cover Girl's importance lies not in its originality as a book (it's a standard backstage Cinderella story), as much as it does in what happened to each of its stars. Gene Kelly was "loaned out" to do it when MGM boss L.B. Mayer didn't have much use for him at his own studio. His performance in this film, coupled with the ground-breaking 'Alter Ego' dance solo (duo?) was so successful that it made MGM take him seriously at last (he was never loaned out again) and allowed him to flourish with the soon-to-come hits of "Anchors Aweigh," "On The Town," and "An American In Paris." Likewise for Rita Hayworth; Columbia had been grooming her for years, but she had done mostly B-level films. CG showed her off as a lead in glorious Technicolor, and paved the way for GILDA, her signature (and much more adult) role. Here she and Kelly make a sweet couple, and dance well in "Put Me To The Test" and the fresh, energetic "Make Way For Tomorrow." They are at their most poignant in "Long Ago And Far Away," but the number (played on piano by Phil Silvers and sung as they both stack up nightclub chairs) seems to beg for a dance number, then doesn't have one. Another good number is the title tune, which pays tribute to the famous American magazines/cover girl models of the day. Hayworth appears as the last model, running down a curved runway in a gold dress with her flaming mane flying behind her. A dream in Technicolor!!