High School
Cast & Crew
George Nicholls Jr.
Jane Withers
Joe Brown Jr.
Lloyd Corrigan
Claire Du Brey
Lynne Roberts
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Schooled by private tutors and surrounded by cowhands on her wealthy father's ranch, Jane Wallace has grown up to be a high-spirited tomboy. Jane's father James, a widower, decides that life on the ranch without a mother is no way for a teenage girl to mature into adulthood, and so he ships her off, against her will, to the renowned Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas, where his brother, Dr. Henry Wallace, is the school principal. On the day Jane and her cowboy pal, Jeff Jefferson, arrive, the school is preparing to welcome Franklin Jefferson, the ancestor of the school's founder. Through a mixup, Jeff is mistaken for Franklin, and the student escort takes him and Jane to the school. Jane's boastful, country manner alienates the students, especially Cuddles Dixon, and Cuddles arranges for Jane to be humiliated in front of all the students waiting to greet Franklin. Jane bitterly determines to show up her tormentors after experiencing further embarrassments engineered by Cuddles. Henry is frustrated with Jane's arrogance and decides to humble her by promoting her to sophomore classes. His plan backfires, however, when Jane shows off in class by answering a test question asked of star football player "Slats" Roberts, who then flunks the test. Slats is prohibited from playing in the next day's big game because of his grade, and after the game is lost, the entire student body blames Jane, who does not understand their enmity. Their dislike of her is made painfully obvious, however, when Jane is the only candidate not chosen to join a prestigious school club, the Lasso Girls. This latest blow drives Jane to pack her bags to return to the ranch, but Slats's kind sister Carol, who is competing with Cuddles for the attention of ROTC student Tommy Lee, explains about the test and persuades Jane to tutor Slats as a way to redeem herself. Jane tutors Slats, who has a crush on her, and after he passes a makeup exam, he wins the next football game. She does not allow him to tell the other kids that she helped him; however she is soon given another chance to help Slats when she overhears policemen talking with Henry. The police tell Henry that they have found a school pin in an auto repair shop that surreptitiously deals in stolen cars, and, guessing that the pin belongs to Slats, as it was found in the garage where he works, Jane rushes to warn him. The gang running the operation discovers Jane telling Slats about the police, and they capture the youngsters. Jane escapes and goes to the school, where she rounds up Tommy and his ROTC class. The kids return to the garage and fight with the gang until the police arrive. Later, peace is restored, and Tommy and Carol proudly head the ROTC ball as the major and the major's lady. Jane is cheered as she gives a speech about the benefits of teamwork, and she and Slats enjoy a dance together.
Director
George Nicholls Jr.
Cast
Jane Withers
Joe Brown Jr.
Lloyd Corrigan
Claire Du Brey
Lynne Roberts
Paul Harvey
Cliff Edwards
Lillian Porter
John Kellogg
Margaret Brayton
Marvin Stephens
Johnnie Pironne
Mary Mccarty
Emma Dunn
The Brian Sisters
Dorothy Moore
Joan Brodel
Roy Saeger
Maurice Cass
Betty-jean Hainey
Carmencita Johnson
Mary Jo Ellis
Wade Boteler
Luis Alberni
Renie Riano
Sam Garrett
Jackie Hughes
Arnold Parker
Michael Conroy
Iva Stewart
Frank M. Thomas
Tina Marshall
Connie Evans
Grace Hayle
Ray Cooke
Robert Homans
Dave Morris
Harold Goodwin
Fred Kelsey
Heinie Conklin
Bob Rose
Frank Mcgrath
Bill Wilkes
John Sinclair
Jack Woody
Gordon Carveth
Billy Jones
Allen Pomeroy
Corinne Mcalister
Helen Dickson
Clark Morgan
Harry Denny
Crew
William H. Anderson
Lucien Andriot
Luigi Arditi
Sid Bowen
Harry Brand
Otto Brower
Sidney Clare
Richard Day
George Dudley
Robert Ellis
Norman Foster
Jack Jungmeyer
Samuel Kaylin
George Leverett
Thomas Little
Helen Logan
Helen A. Myron
Harry Reynolds
Edith Skouras
John Stone
Harold Tarshis
Sol M. Wurtzel
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was The Texas Kid. After the film's opening credits, a title reads: "The outdoor activities of this story were photographed at the Thomas Jefferson High School of San Antonio, Texas. To the Board of Education, principal, faculty and student body, the producers acknowledge a double debt of gratitude...for the spirit of their famous school as the picture's inspiration, and for their generous personal cooperation." The Motion Picture Herald review noted that the school was well-known "as the home of bands, an ROTC group, and other units of a flavorful and uniformed nature," and a Hollywood Reporter news item stated that executive producer Sol Wurtzel had the picture written after seeing an article about the school in Life. The Motion Picture Herald review also stated that this was the "first in a projected series of Jane Withers pictures to be made against the background of school days." According to Twentieth Century-Fox publicity material, Wurtzel planned the film to coincide with Withers' own entrance into high school. The press releases also state that many of the teenage actors won their roles in the picture after being filmed at Withers' thirteenth birthday party. Sam Garrett, who was a "seven times world's champion rope-spinner" according to the publicity material, taught Jane and the other "Lasso Girls" the art of lasso-twirling. Although the publicity material states that Joe Brown, Jr., who was not related to comedian Joe E. Brown, had previously appeared in the 1928 Pathé film Annapolis, this has not been confirmed (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.0133). According to Hollywood Reporter news items, the picture was partially filmed on location at Torrance, CA, and director George Nicholls, Jr. was relieved by Norman Foster toward the end of production when he was called away by his wife's illness.
