Eadie Was a Lady
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Arthur Dreifuss
Ann Miller
Joe Besser
William Wright
Jeff Donnell
Jimmy Little
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Eadie Allen, a newcomer in the chorus line at a seedy burlesque house, is singled out by the show's producer, Tommy Foley, for a larger role. As Tommy hands Eadie her script for the new part, he asks her why she has been so secretive about her life. Unknown to her burlesque colleagues, Eadie lives in a palatial estate in a fashionable district of Boston with her spinster aunt Priscilla, a grande dame who is unaware of her niece's theatrical ambitions and who looks forward to Eadie's marriage to a Back Bay society man. Eadie is enrolled at Glen Moor College, where she is rehearsing a dance number for the school's annual Greek festival. The producers of the festival are Jimmy Tuttle and "Professor" Dingle, two former burlesque performers who have convinced Dean Flint that they are scholars of classical drama. At the conclusion of classes, Eadie hurries to the burlesque theater to prepare for her new role. The next day at school, when Flint tells Eadie that her grades have been slipping, she presses her friend, Pamela Parker, into writing a thesis for her. Back at the burlesque house, Tommy tricks Rose Allure, the lead dancer, into quitting the show, thus opening the spot for Eadie. Eadie is a hit, and to celebrate she and Tommy visit a nightclub where Flint and his wife are dining. There, band leader Hal McIntyre recognizes Eadie and asks her to take a bow. Managing to escape before the dean sees her, Eadie realizes that she can no longer lead a double life and informs Tommy that she is quitting burlesque. The next day, Flint lectures his students about the revolting spectacle that he witnessed at the club. Intrigued, Dingle and Tuttle sneak out to see Eadie at the burlesque, but discover that she has left the show. While at the theater, Tommy recognizes Dingle and Tuttle and they show him a copy of the campus paper featuring a story about their contribution to the festival. Soon after, the burlesque show folds and Tommy is offered a job staging a show at the Plazmore Hotel. Noticing a photo of Eadie in the college paper, Tommy tracks her down and persuades her to perform at the hotel. On opening night, Rose spots Tommy in the hotel corridor and, bent on revenge, notifies the police that an obscene performance is underway. The police raid the hotel, and during the excitement, the zipper on Eadie's dressing gown catches in the coat tails of Flint, who is attending the event. Taken to the police station, Eadie and the dean are recognized by a newswoman, who plasters their pictures across the front page. Thinking that the raid was one of Tommy's publicity stunts, Eadie refuses to see him again. Soon after, Rose appears at Tommy's office and after she admits her part in the raid, Tommy drags her to the college to tell Eadie the truth. At Glen Moor, the board of directors is convening to hear the case against Eadie and the dean when Tommy appears and wins Eadie's forgiveness with Rose's confession. To extricate the dean and Eadie from their predicament, Tommy dons a beard and poses as Professor Nozoros, head of the Athens Art Theater. When he testifies that Eadie appeared in the burlesque on his instructions and was doing confidential research to be incorporated into the Greek festival, Eadie and the dean are exonerated and Aunt Priscilla welcomes Tommy into the family.
Director
Arthur Dreifuss
Cast
Ann Miller
Joe Besser
William Wright
Jeff Donnell
Jimmy Little
Marion Martin
Kathleen Howard
Tom Dugan
Douglas Wood
Hal Mcintyre
Pat Parrish
Sally Bliss
John Tyrrell
Kay Dowd
Gloria Patrice
George Lloyd
Mildred Law
Donna Dax
Toni Eden
Wanda Perry
Bob Hill
Jessie Arnold
Mary Newton
George Meeker
George Lessey
Ernest Hilliard
Edward Earle
Forbes Murray
Ida Moore
John Elliott
Sarah Edwards
Charles C. Wilson
Teddy Mangean
Mary Gordon
Judy Malcolm
Jean Foreman
Betty Hill
Crew
Carl Anderson
Gert Anderson
Ed Bernds
Monte Brice
Nacio Herb Brown
Sammy Cahn
Saul Chaplin
B. G. De Sylva
Louis Diage
Harold Dickinson
George Duning
Howard Gibeling
L. Wolfe Gilbert
Burnett Guffey
Michel Kraike
Phil Moore
Ray Nazarro
Marianne Nussbaum
Ben Oakland
William Randall
Glenn Rominger
Perry Smith
Milton Stiefel
M. W. Stoloff
James Sweeney
Richard A. Whiting
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Sadie Was a Lady. A pre-production Hollywood Reporter news item noted that Alfred E. Green was initially slated to direct the picture. Although a Hollywood Reporter production chart placed Marilyn Johnson in the cast, her appearance in the released film has not been confirmed. This was Michel Kraike's first production for Columbia after leaving Paramount. Modern sources credit Jack Cole with choreography.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States January 23, 1945
Released in United States Winter January 23, 1945
b&w
Released in United States January 23, 1945
Released in United States Winter January 23, 1945
