Rosie, the Riveter
Cast & Crew
Joseph Santley
Jane Frazee
Frank Albertson
Vera Vague
Frank Jenks
Lloyd Corrigan
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Airplane factory workers Rosaland "Rosie" Warren, Vera Watson, Charlie Doran and Kelly Kennedy meet one day when they all answer a room-to-let ad in the home of an eccentric family headed by Grandma Quill. Desperate for lodgings, the foursome agree to share the room, as the men work the night shift and the women work during the day. While they unpack, Rosie confides in Vera that she is nervous about how her conservative fiancé, Wayne Calhoun, who is the factory's personnel manager, will react to the unorthodox arrangement. Rosie is determined to aid the war effort, however, and Vera agrees to help her deceive Wayne. Soon everyone is settled into their new home, which is shared by Grandma Quill's energetic, teenaged grandchildren, Mabel and Buzz, and her flighty daughter, Stella Prouty, who is in the midst of one of her frequent separations from her husband Clem. One evening, Wayne escorts Rosie home from a date and insists on giving her a painting as a present. Vera rushes up to the room and hides Charlie and Kelly, thereby avoiding a confrontation. Wayne then leaves town on a business trip, and Rosie carries on with her factory work. Later, Rosie overhears Clem plead with Stella for money to open a restaurant opposite the airplane factory. Believing Clem's speech about what a good investment the eatery would be, Rosie pawns her engagement ring to lend him the money. Soon Clem's Friendly Tavern opens, and after Rosie sings there on opening night, she is asked by the factory's recreational director to perform at an upcoming employee show. Meanwhile, Charlie, who has developed a crush on Rosie, finds the pawn ticket for her ring and assumes that she is broke. Knowing that Wayne will return soon, Charlie decides to help Rosie by winning enough money in a poker game to redeem her ring. Complications ensue, however, when Stella insists on moving back and forth between her home and Grandma Quill's house, displacing Rosie and Vera from their room, and Charlie and Kelly refuse to let them back in. To retaliate, Rosie calls the police and has Charlie arrested during his poker game. Later that same evening, Rosie and Vera return from the factory show and leave their gowns in their car to avoid damage from the rain. While wearing only their slips, the girls are locked out of the house, and passing policemen question them. Charlie denies any knowledge of Rosie's identity, prompting her to tell the police that he is her husband and is playing a cruel joke on her. The couple are brought before a night court judge, who instructs them to kiss and make up. Their reluctant kiss is captured by a newspaper photographer, and the resulting story infuriates Wayne. A recalcitrant Charlie not only retrieves Rosie's ring, but explains to Wayne that the situation was completely innocent. Wayne, who had argued with Rosie over the incident, attempts to apologize to her, but she breaks off their engagement. Soon after, Kelly gives Rosie a letter from Charlie, in which he apologizes for the trouble he caused and confesses his love for her. Rosie finally realizes that she loves Charlie, but fears that she has lost him. Her anxiety proves groundless, for at a celebration during which the factory receives an award of merit, Charlie appears and the couple reconciles. As Rosie sings, she embraces Charlie, and Vera and Kelly also share a romantic moment.
Director
Joseph Santley
Cast
Jane Frazee
Frank Albertson
Vera Vague
Frank Jenks
Lloyd Corrigan
Frank Fenton
Maude Eburne
Carl "alfalfa" Switzer
Louise Erickson
Ellen Lowe
Arthur Loft
Tom Kennedy
Stanley Andrews
Robert Strange
Tom Chatterton
Jack Kirk
Victor Robbins
Jack Gardner
Fred Santley
Charles Williams
Lynton Brent
Frank O'connor
Roy Barcroft
Kirby Grant
Victor Jay
Maxine Doyle
Ralph Peters
Joe Mcguinness
Crew
Adele
Harry Akst
Jerry Browne
Earl Crain Sr.
Ralph Dixon
Redd Evans
Dave Gould
Kenneth Holmes
Russell Kimball
Reggie Lanning
Aleen Leslie
John Jacob Loeb
Herb Magidson
Sol Meyer
Armand Schaefer
Morton Scott
Jule Styne
Charles Thompson
Jack Townley
Frank De Vol
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Room for Two. The title Rosie, the Riveter was taken from a popular World War II phrase describing women defense plant workers. The experiences of women workers during World War II was detailed in the 1980 documentary The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter, which was produced and directed by Connie Field.
