High School

Jane Withers is wonderful and funny, as always. You never doubt for a moment that she'll wind up being the girl everyone loves. The location for filming is the famous San Antonio High School, voted one of the Most Beautiful High Schools in America back in '30s or '40s. It still exists, and is still beautiful, an architectural marvel!

This is one of my favorite movies. Being a native San Antonian and a Jefferson grad. I love Jane Withers! Jane is a gifted actress I remember her role in Shirley Temples "Bright Eyes" and the epic "Giant". As mentioned by other comments, the movie was filmed at Thomas Jefferson High School. Mrs. Oliphant our English teacher, and Bess Richards the Lasso Sponsor recalled many times that the classroom blinds had to be drawn while filming was going on outside, and occasionally a student would draw them open and the director had to call "cut" and re-shoot the scene. Jane's photo portrait is prominently displayed in the Lasso office. A further note, Thomas Jefferson High School was featured in Life Magazine as the nations first million dollar high school, the architecture is Romansque and features a dome reminiscent of the famous Monticello. The Lassos were also featured on the front page of Life Magazine.

I remember seeing this movie on San Antonio television back in the 1960s. I was particularly interested because my older sister went to Jefferson. As others have said, this is definitely a "B" movie. I think the director missed an opportunity to put in more quality trick roping as trick roper Sam Garrett was an uncredited member of the cast and taught Jane Withers the body loop she does in the beginning of the movie. To anyone interested in Sam Garrett's work with actresses, I'd recommend going to YouTube and viewing Eleanor Powell's western rope dance in "I Dood It". Another person of interest in this movie is Cliff Edwards (aka Ukelele Ike), who plays Jeff. He had a successful recording and "B" movie career in the 1920s through 1940s, was the voice of Jiminy Cricket in the Disney production Pinocchio (1940), and died penniless in 1971. "High School" can be obtained from Ashfault's Classic Movies (on the web).

In actuality, the school interiors and neighborhood scenes were filmed in the Fox back lot. The "stars" never stepped foot in SA during the filming. In 1992, I spoke with Jane Withers, and she verified the information. The scene with the Lassos is obviously a rear screen projection.

Jefferson High School itself has incorrect information in its files, as it states a sequel called "Texas Girl" was released a year later. In fact, both are the SAME film, released under different names, in various areas of the country. I researched this information in the Fox Film Archives.

About ten years ago, the movie was screened at Jefferson High. It is very much a "B" movie. The actual interiors of the school are amazing, unlike the lame sets utilized in the film. An even lamer "B" flick, "Johnny Be Good," was also filmed at the school in the late 80s. It has also been the location for numerous TV commercials.

When the story begins, you learn that Jane (Jane Withers) has been living on her father's ranch in the middle of nowhere. However, as she's a teen, she needs to be around kids and get some civilizing....as she's driven away tutor after tutor. So, her father sends her off to a boarding school in San Antonio. The school is run by Jane's uncle...and the film is about her difficulties and successes in adjusting to this life.

This is an unusual film when seen today. First, in some ways young Jane is a bit like Yosemite Sam....Samantha! She's a rootin', tootin', ropin' fool...a most unusual sort of stereotype. Second, the school...well...I wonder if ANY school has ever been like this one! Weird marching, costumes and a weird semi-school like atmosphere that seems totally bizarre today. You just have to see it to believe it. Subtle?! No way....not in the least!! But on the positive side, this film is unusual because the kids in the film look like teenagers. Most films of the era featured 'teens' who were 24-32 (thereabouts) and I laugh when I see these pictures. But Jane is 14 and the others I checked on were all teens as well...which I appreciated.

So is this any good? Well, it depends on who is watching. If you are cynical and can't stand the thought of a kids' movie...keep looking. On the other hand, it is an agreeable time passer and Jane is nice in the lead. Undemanding and reasonably fun.