Calendar Girl

The mid-Forties were a time of turn-of-the-century nostalgia by Hollywood studios and the ticket buyers. Provided the actors looked wholesome, the sets were elaborate and the songs appealing, a lot of tickets could be sold by showing an America that was simple, friendly and happy...and far away in time from WWII. Just think of Meet Me in St. Louis, Up in Central Park, The Dolly Sisters, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, The Harvey Girls and Cover Girl. Republic Pictures, a B level studio if there ever was one, sent out Calendar Girl in 1947. It's an A effort from a B studio, but the final product, while looking good, suffers the same fate of so many movies from B studios...actors who look great and can't act.

It's Greenwich Village in 1900, and moving into a brownstone rooming house are two old friends, aspiring composer Johnny Bennett (William Marshall), big, blonde, poor and innocent, and aspiring artist Steve Adams (James Ellison), big, dark, wealthy and charming. The rooming house is filled with other artists and musicians, ranging from the almost perpetually unbilled Gus Schilling as a painter of horses who spends his time eating bananas and mumbling, to that reliable tenor Kenny Baker. The misunderstandings accumulate like single socks when Johnny and Steve both meet Patricia O'Neil (Jane Frazee), aspiring dancer and daughter of the local fire brigade chief played by Victor McLaglen. It's not long before both men find her special, with Johnny writing songs inspired by her and Steve, that devil, painting her portrait, then submitting it in a calendar competition by adding some leg. Spread liberally throughout the movie is the fireman's jamboree, Delmonico's, the brownstone's patio, a convivial beer garden and Steve and Johnny's rooms. They all get songs to sing there written by Jimmy McHugh (music) and Harold Adamson (lyrics). These two were old pros with many hits between them, and they provide songs that are romantic, melodic and bounce along in the style of the period. If none of the songs are especially memorable, they get the job done nicely. Two, "At the Fireman's Ball" and "Calendar Girl" are nice, indeed.

But by the time the movie is half over, we realize that we're not going to learn anything more about the characters or story than we already have, that the songs will be at a level that won't improve, and that there's a long way to go to the end. And this is because of the casting, which was probably the best Republic Pictures could come up with. Jane Frazee gets top billing. She's a proficient light romantic lead who dances well and looks a lot like Vera Ellen. While she looks about 20, however, she sounds about 35. Marshall and Ellison both look like handsome Hollywood hunks, but neither is believable. Ellison, as usual in his movies, comes across as a self-aware actor. Marshall just seems out of his depth, especially when called upon to do a little dancing and sing the songs he's given. Even Gail Patrick, the quintessential selfish society princess, who plays Steve's rich fiancée from Boston, seems adrift. Well, we'll always have the memory of her as Cornelia Bullock, Carole Lombard's older sister in My Man Godfrey. The problem here, I think, is that we're never sure if we're supposed to detest her or warm up to her.

I didn't know that Republic Pictures made a musical until I saw "Calendar Girl" as a second feature of a DVD I bought for another movie. And, what a pleasant surprise. This movie is better than the big studio film on the same DVD. I don't know if B studio, Republic, made any more musicals among its more than 1,100 films, but this sure is a good one. I've seen quite a number of Westerns, war films, and dramas and mysteries that Republic made over the years. Some were quite good, and others not so good.

But "Calendar Girl" is an entertaining and fun comedy musical and romance. The plot is familiar - struggling song writers, musicians and artists going to New York to try to become successful and famous. But, the setting is somewhat unusual, and it provides for much of the humor and some of the warmth of the story. It takes place mostly in and around Lulu Varden's Greenwich Village home for hopeful artists and performers. The comedy, music and antics add up to very good entertainment.

I wasn't familiar with any of the lead actors in this film, but the supporting cast showed that Republic could get some very good casts from around Hollywood. Gail Patrick was a prominent supporting actress in dramas and comedy romances. But two very good comedy actors, and a third from that genre, were very prominent supporting players for many films and studios during the early to mid-20th century. Franklin Pangborn plays a stage show producer, Dilly Dillingsworth; and Gus Schilling plays a sort of scatterbrain handyman for Lulu, Ed Gaskin. Charles Arnt is in the film as Capt. Olsen.

The supporting cast also includes an Academy Award winner in Victor McLaglen. The seasoned actor of drama and comedy won his Oscar in 1935 for his role as Gypo Nolan in "The Informer." But, here, he plays a more familiar comedy role as a brash, tough guy and fireman He's the father of the female lead's character, Patricia O'Neill. Jane Frazee plays Patricia and is one of the five leads with whom I wasn't the least familiar before watching this film. The others are William Marshall as Johnny Bennett, Kenny Baker as Byron Jones, James Ellison as Steve Adams, and Irene Rich as Lulu Varden.

Well, they had varying careers in the film and on stage and all were quite good. Marshall sang for Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians before he had his own band for a time. But the big surprise is Kenny Baker, with his grand tenor voice. He got his start on radio with Jack Benny. He too didn't have a long career, but he made several more musicals and then quit acting for a career as a motivational and spiritual speaker. Irene Rich had been a silent movie leading and supporting actress. She transitioned well into sound, and when somewhat older she had many very good motherly and matronly roles, as she does in this film. She also became very popular on radio and had her own show for a decade, called "Dear John," aka, the Irene Rich Show.

The plot is very good, with all kinds of talented artists living in Lulu Varden's large home and the adjoining Greenwich Village lodgings for would-be artists. Some of the tunes are familiar, and those who like musicals should enjoy this film.

Here are some favorite lines from this film.

Lulu Varden, "Girls may be attractive to boys, but only ladies attract gentlemen, and only gentlemen are rich."

Johnny Bennett, "Hey, you know, you're pretty intelligent." Byron Jones, "Oh, not only that, but I'm smart too."

Steve Adams, on the phone, "You're the most wonderful girl I've ever known." Olivia "Lily" Radford, "I'd rather be the only one."

Matthew O'Neill, "I save lives." Dilly Dillingsworth, "And we, in the theater, save souls."

Steve Adams, "Love to have you along, John boy, but you know the old adage - Two's company and three isn't even a quartet."

Steve Adams, "Why didn't you let me know you were coming?" Lily Radford, "I prefer to steal up on my prey and catch the critter dead to rights." Steve," Whadda you mean, Lily?" Lily, "I think you know what I mean."

Patricia O'Neill, "It was very nice of you to take me instead, though." Johnny Bennett, "Oh, I didn't want to. I fought against the whole thing. Steve, I said, now why should I take out the most beautiful, the most wonderful girl in New York? When I can be alone in the attic playing dominoes? But I finally gave in."

Lily Radford, "Steve, I've changed my mind. We're going to Delmonicos." Steve, "Oh, but we can't just walk out.. on the mayor." Lily, "He isn't the mayor of Boston. Goodnight." Johnny Bennett," Good night, Lily."

Matthew, to Lulu, "Well, you've sprung your trap, and I'm not in it." Lulu, after he leaves, "Then, I'll just have to set my trap again."

Lulu, "Two people can live as cheaply as one, IF they're in love. And, IF they live in my house."

Lulu, "My dear boy, I may not always be right, but I'm never wrong."

Johnny Bennett, to Lulu, "Good night, Cupid." Lulu, glancing at her shoulder, "Darn it. Is that bow and arrow showing again?"

Johnny, "Look, Steve, uh, don't ever do anything to hurt her." Steve Adams, "I never hurt 'em, kid. I just stun 'em."

Lulu, "Women do have legs, you know. And they're very beautiful." Matt O'Neill, "Woman, you're depraved." Lulu, "And you're blind. You don't know beauty when you see it."

This is not a well known musical but includes several excellent songs written by Jimmy McHugh. The principal vocalists include Bill Marshall, Jane Frazee, Janet Martin and specially Kenny Baker. The latter's tenor is shown off to good effect and he is capably joined in duets with Janet Martin, one of the several young players under contract to Republic who disappeared with the decline in the studio system. It is a multi-star cast including Victor McLaglen as a Fire Chief, Irene Rich as a Boarding House owner, Gail Patrick as a wealthy Bostononian and James Ellison. The story involves the trials of young hopefuls in the music/dance world, Martin, Frazee, Marshall, etc. and Ellison, a wealthy young artist from Boston. Martin plays a predatory female after Baker a young song plugger while there is a triangular mixup between Frazee and two potential suitors, Marshall and Ellison and Patrick. Highly recommended as a much better than average small musical from Hollywood just before television started to cut into the profits of the movie studios.

For me the main reason to see this film is Allan Dwan's wonderful direction. He has the good sense to park it and point it when the action dictates, e.g. in the musical sequences, but he also takes the opportunity to explore every inch of a very complicated set with the camera: up and down the stairs, out the back from low and high, in and out the front door, all around the top studio apartment, and towards the end an enormous crane shot of the house fronts.

And he gets good performances out of the cast. I don't agree with the other comments about the acting. The women are all excellent (Jane Frazee in the lead, Irene Rich as the landlady) and Gail Patrick is downright sensational as the cousin from Boston. Victor McLaglen and James Ellison as the Boston sleaze-bag are both excellent; Kenny Baker works hard at it; Franklin Pangborn always a delight: only William Marshall as the composer is a bit wooden, but then he is the designated sap in the script.

All in all a very nice ensemble piece with good music too. The firemen's ball number is hilarious.

Overcrowded and generally undistinguished Republic musical. Nonetheless, it does have its moments, like the opening hook with Frazee frazzling the boys, or McLaglen's feisty fireman spicing up the screen. Too bad the rather frantic musical scenes don't reach highlight status; after all, the flick has its hopes as a musical. And what's with the many distracting characters just popping in and out without any set-up -- I wish we got to know some better. Then too, what's the big deal between Boston and New York that takes up too much dialogue time. After all, there are many other states sitting among audiences then and now.

The plot itself turns on which guy Frazee will end up with, Ellison or Marshall. Frazee is aptly lively and sweet, but her two suitors are on the forgettably bland side. (Good thing Ellison went on to matinee cowboy movies.) And get a look at the fully-clothed calendar girl so scandalous for 1900; a Playboy version it ain't, but then styles and mores do change.

Anyway, I think the screenplay could have used a lot of sorting-out and a better musical score, if that were possible given scheduling demands. As is, the flick's overall obscurity is not surprsing. All in all, it's not surprising that Republic specialized in cheap cowboy flicks during this same period. So, "Hi-Yo, Silver"!