Jukebox-Fieber

Steve (Ronald Reagan) and Danny (Richard Whorf) are friends who are out of work. When they arrive at a crappy town in Florida, both move in different directions. Danny turns out to be a rather amoral guy and sees that his best bet is working for the local strong-man, Madden (Gene Lockhart). Steve doesn't understand this, as Madden is underhanded and treats the local farmers like dirt. One farmer in particular, Nick (George Tobias), has gotten on Madden's bad side and Madden has decided to ruin him. Can nice-guy Nick manage to defeat Madden and his forces of evil? And, can Steve manage to win the heart of a local juke-girl (a lady who works in a bar and whose job it is to dance with customers and get them to drink)?

This is an interesting film because in many ways it's like a 1940s western...yes, western. While there are no cowboys, the idea of a local boss-man ruining people and using his gang of thugs is very, very common in westerns. It's also interesting to see Reagan playing such a populist sort of role, though it was very much in line with the Reagan of the 1940s (a union man through and through).

So is it any good? Well, for the first 90% of the film, I'd say yes. However, the ending has quite a few problems. Seeing the town inexplicably turn into a lynch mob made little sense--especially when one of Madden's goons is clearly egging them to action. Additionally, Madden's behavior at the very end made little sense--he was evil through all the film--so why would he suddenly do the right thing?! All I know is that it's frustrating to see a good film that folds up at the end of the movie. Worth seeing but it should have been better.

Randy D wrote an excellent review, saying just about everything that needed saying.

But I want to add a note about Betty Brewer. First, what a personality! Her life seems to have been tragic. Details are shrouded in some mystery, but whenever she pops up in a film, if she doesn't steal the whole movie, she at least sure steals the scenes she's in.

That's why I wish she had made more, and I wish she had stayed active into her adulthood.

The other actors in this enjoyable film mostly did very well for themselves, and for us.

The Reagan-Sheridan team always works magic; Richard Whorf is another of those actors who should have attained more "household-name" status, but he stayed busy in films and television a long time, including directing, apparently right up until his untimely death.

There was a long list of great Warner Brothers actors, including Alan Hale, and others, such as Willie Best, who might not be known as of a particular studio.

Howard da Silva played a bad guy, and every time I see him, I just marvel at his range. His Benjamin Franklin in the movie "1776" was just about perfect.

Ronald Reagan doesn't get much of a break from critics, but in "Juke Girl" he was great. He looked good and his acting was right on.

Ann Sheridan probably could do no wrong.

Together, the actors and the story -- although some of the dialog could have used some work -- create a very good movie.

Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan connected in ways similar to William Powell and Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy and Kathryn Hepburn. Their crowning achievement was to appear as somewhat star crossed lovers in the Hollywood classic "King's Row," undoubtedly Ronald Reagan's best moments on the big screen. Since this film, "Juke Girl" was released the same year, understandably it was basically ignored in favor of the much grander screen adaptation of a popular novel. An other feature of this film that perhaps leads to its virtual neglect today is the title, which sounds like one of the tawdry passion pit flicks of the 1950's.

A possible surprise for today's viewer is the political stance taken by actor Reagan in "Juke Girl" for the migrant workers and small farmers against the corruption of the local business interests, much different that the position taken by President Reagan years later. But then this picture was made many years before Reagan would become enamored of Nancy Davis and make her his second wife. She turned Reagan around in more ways than one.

The story is a good one, though a bit bottom heavy in that much of the excitement and action, including a murder, comes near the end. Steve Talbot (Reagan) and his best buddy, Danny Frazier (Richard Whorf), are hoboing across the country (the Depression was just winding down in 1942 because of World War II) looking for work of any kind with Steve preferring farm labor when they get involved with local labor unrest in a nowhere place called Cat Tail, Florida.

Just before reaching the small, farming community, a girl called Skeeter (Betty Brewer) befriends them and takes a particular liking to Steve. Her place in the story is somewhat vague other than to add a bit of humor and a down-home quality to the film. Steve and Danny hook up with the juke girl of the title, Lola Mears (Sheridan), and her co-entertainer, Murph (Faye Emerson). Steve falls for Lola but Lola puts up a tough, don't tread on me veneer when obviously inside, her heart turns to mush when Steve is near.

Looking for jobs brings them into contact with the local boss, Henry Madden (Gene Lockhart), who virtually runs the town, except surprisingly not the law. Madden's henchman, Cully (Howard Da Silva), takes a dislike to Steve and Danny from the beginning and attempts to bully them around. Danny ultimately throws in with Madden while Steve throws in with a local farmer, Nick Garcos, the Greek (George Tobias), being exploited by Madden. Thus Steve and Danny become rivals and friendly enemies. A foreman for Madden, "Yip" (Alan Hale), befriends both Steve and Danny. Eventually, Lola throws in with Steve and Nick and the fun begins.

The acting is first rate. The two leads give their usual fine performances, with such great character actors as Donald MacBride, Fuzzy Knight, Eddy Waller, aka Nugget Clark, Guy Wilkerson, aka Panhandle Perkins, Glenn Strange, aka the Frankenstein monster, and even William Hopper, aka Paul Drake, helping out in bit parts. Ann Sheridan is given an opportunity to sing and dance which is always a treat. Of special note is the talented comedian, Willie Best, as a street vendor peddling lucky rabbit feet called Jo-Mo.

The crisp black and white photography by Bert Glennon captures the look and feel of the Depression in Florida. A few of the shots are reminiscent of those by Gregg Toland in John Ford's masterpiece, "The Grapes of Wrath," not surprising since Glennon assisted Ford from time to time with his cinematography.

Why was Ronald Reagan so cute? I guess not everyone thinks so; my mom compared him to Andy Griffith. But a random woman I met at the ballet agreed with me that he was extremely handsome. I'll always have a soft spot for him, since (in the 1940s) he looked like my high school sweetie pie - and do we ever really get over that one?

Juke Girl is a knock-off of The Grapes of Wrath, but without the old folks. In my opinion, Jane Darwell and Charley Grapewin were the only good parts to that movie. Both focus on the struggles of migrant farmers and the poor, common man. Both have handsome leading men who aren't very good actors. But for my money, I'll take Juke Girl. And not just because Reagan has great hair and a lovely smile. Although, that doesn't hurt.

Even though he wasn't a good actor, Reagan seemed to give his best performances when he was paired with Ann Sheridan. I hope they got along; they certainly had good chemistry together. This was made the same year as Kings Row, and it'd make a great double feature. Even though the title implies a silly movie about a dance hall romance, it actually turns dark in the second half. It's a solid drama with a strange title. Yes, Ann Sheridan plays a hardened dance hall girl who captures the heart of an idealistic farmer, but there's a lot more to it than that. Reagan stands up for George Tobias, a Greek farmer who gets pushed around, and that sets off a series of dramatic events. Gene Lockhart plays a real bad guy, coming off another villainous role in Hangmen Never Die. I don't know why he played bad guys so often, except for the reason that he's extremely good at it! Juke Girl might not be Gone With the Wind, but it's definitely one of the better Reagan movies.

While similar in plot to _They Drive by Night (1940)_ (qv), Juke Girl stands on its own as an enjoyable movie, thanks primarily to its lead actors.

As in their previous films together, _The Angels Wash Their Faces (1939)_ (qv) and _Kings Row (1942)_ (qv), Ronald Reagan (qv) and the wonderful Ann Sheridan (qv) make a nice film couple. Heck, in a perfect world Ann Sheridan would have been First Lady, but that's another story.

Good acting, good characters, and a good story. Toss in a quick song by Miss Sheridan and you have the makings of a pretty good movie. Enjoy.