My Best Gal
Cast & Crew
Anthony Mann
Jane Withers
Jimmy Lydon
Frank Craven
Fortunio Bonanova
George Cleveland
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Former vaudevillian Danny O'Hara is disappointed that his vivacious granddaughter Kitty is disinclined to follow family tradition and pursue a career as a performer, but Kitty insists that show business is too unstable. Danny and Kitty work at the Greenway Drugstore in New York City, which is the hangout for hopeful playwright Johnny McCloud and his lively bunch of entertainer friends. Johnny has written a musical revue to showcase his friends, and Kitty, who is sweet on Johnny, conspires with him to bring the script to the attention of eccentric Broadway producer Ralph Hodges. Hodges, who has a passion for astrology, is not interested in Johnny's work, but his sympathetic secretary, Miss Simpson, promises to slip him the script somehow. Later, while Kitty is preparing for her first date with Johnny, Danny convinces Johnny to help him trick Kitty into auditioning for influential radio producer Harry Gage. Kitty discovers Danny and Gage hiding while she sings a romantic ballad to Johnny, however, and disappears before Gage can offer her a job. Later that night, Johnny and Danny apologize to Kitty, and Johnny reveals that he has received his induction notice and will be joining the Army in two days. Kitty quickly forgives the earnest young man and determines to bring him to Hodges' attention. The next day, Kitty and Danny send Mr. Porter, the drugstore's prickly manager, off on a wild goose chase, then lure Hodges to the store with the promise that his favorite astrolger, Professor Trumball, will be there. The "professor" is actually Danny disguised by a fake beard, and although Hodges is delighted to meet him, he is annoyed by Johnny's singing and dancing friends. The plan fails when Danny's beard falls off and the angry Hodges storms off. Danny and Kitty are then fired by Porter, and a melancholy Kitty is being comforted by Johnny that evening when Simpson arrives and informs them that she got Hodges to read the play by changing Johnny's last name to "Jupiter" on the title page. Hoping to impress Hodges with their show, the kids throw themselves into an all-night rehearsal, and although Danny is thrilled to see Kitty performing, the exertion causes him to suffer a heart attack. Not wishing to alarm Kitty, the doctor tells only Johnny about the severity of Danny's condition, and Johnny, desperate for money to send Danny to a specialist, agrees to sell his play to Hodges, even though the producer refuses to cast Johnny's friends. The kids believe that Johnny has double-crossed them, and even Kitty is heartbroken. Kitty leads the kids to Hodges' office and, when they threaten to sue him for not using them in Johnny's play, which is based on their lives, he reluctantly agrees to cast them, but for one performance only. When Kitty then learns that Johnny signed his check over to Danny's heart specialist, she understands what he has done and rushes to the train station. Kitty finds Johnny before he departs and assures him that both Danny and the show are alive and well. Johnny's only regret is that he will not be able to see the show, but Kitty, determined as ever, arranges for the revue to be performed at the Army camp where Johnny is stationed. With Private Johnny McCloud conducting the music and Kitty in the starring role, the show is a big success, and Johnny and Kitty close it with an embrace.
Director
Anthony Mann
Cast
Jane Withers
Jimmy Lydon
Frank Craven
Fortunio Bonanova
George Cleveland
Franklin Pangborn
Mary Newton
Jack Boyle
Lynne Sterling
Fern Gey
Aileen Morris
Barbara Williams
Jean Richey
Gus Glassmire
Pierre Watkin
Nolan Leary
Charles Irwin
Cy Ring
Clarence Straight
Tom Quinn
Donald Kerr
Hugh Massagli
Arthur Loft
Weldon Heyburn
Crew
Adele
Richard Brooks
Gano Chittenden
Olive Cooper
Ralph Dixon
Earl Felton
Kim Gannon
Dave Gould
Harry Grey
Walter Kent
Russell Kimball
Eddie Leonard
Jack Marta
Eddie Munson
Morton Scott
Art Siteman
Fred Stahl
Earl Woodin
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Rhythm Revelry. According to a Hollywood Reporter news item, the film's production numbers were shot at the PRC Studios, due to lack of available space at Republic.
