20th Century Fox kicks off their new Marquee Musicals collection with a film from one of their biggest stars of the 1940s, Betty Grable, though they have chosen what is probably her weakest vehicle,
Pin-Up Girl.
Grable stars as Lorry Jones, a young woman who entertains at the USO center in her hometown of Missoula, where she is so popular that at least five hundred servicemen have asked her to marry them--and she says yes to all of them, believing that none of them are really serious. Despite her hometown popularity and the work she's already doing for the war effort, Lorry wants nothing more than to get out of Missoula and go to the big city -- so she and her friend Kay (Dorothea Kent) secure jobs in the steno pool at the war office in Washington. But not wanting to disappoint her many admirers among the servicemen by telling them the truth about leaving to do office work, Lorry tells them that she is going out east to join the USO show, which intends to feature her in a cross-country tour.
Lorry and Kay set off by train for Washington, both of them expected to report for work on Monday morning. But with the weekend ahead of them, the adventuresome Lorry decides that she and Kay should stop off in New York for some excitement before settling into the office rut. Their first encounter happens in the train station, where they stumble into a crowd of hundreds of fans who are waiting to see the arrival of Tommy Dooley (John Harvey), a sailor whose heroism at Guadalcanal has made him a national celebrity, along with his pal Dud Miller (Dave Willcock). Lorry and Kay get to witness the arrival, an event is brought to an abortive end when local celebrity Molly McKay (Martha Raye) shoves herself to the forefront of the crowd and spirits the boys away for her own.
Still looking for new experiences, later in the evening the girls try to enter a swank club, but are turned away by a surly maitre d.' The always resourceful Lorry tells him to let her date, Tommy Dooley, know that they were turned away when he arrives. The invocation of Dooley's name causes an instant sensation, and club owner Eddie Hall (Joe E. Brown) swoops down on the girls and gives them the best table in the house, along with champagne and gifts. While Kay is sweating out Lorry's lies, Lorry takes the whole thing in her stride, figuring that the club can't prove that they don't know Dooley, and there really isn't any way for them to get into trouble. In this she's quickly proved wrong: Dooley and Dud actually show up at the club because it just happens to be where Molly is performing, and are ushered to the table, where they are delighted to find the girls, assuming that the club has provided them with with escorts. Unable to curb her penchant for spinning tales, Lorry tells Tommy that she's a Broadway performer whose show has just closed, and about her plans to join the USO. She thinks little of this, believing that she'll never see Tommy again. But what she doesn't realize is that he's already become enamored with her: so much so that after Molly has performed her first number, she joins the table and is openly annoyed to find that Tommy only has eyes for Lorry.
When the girls finally catch their train to Washington, leaving the obviously smitten Dooley and equally smitten Dud behind, they take up their mundane posts as stenographers and attempt to settle down to work. But Lorry is stunned when Dooley shows up at the office, and she is assigned to him to take down all he knows about the "Jap tactics" he's learned about while fighting. Not wanting him to know that she's a lowly steno, Lorry quickly dowdies herself up (or down, depending on how you look at it) and pretends to be Miss Jones (apparently, all the distinctive Lorry has to do to look completely different is cross her eyes). Despite the importance of his work, Tommy finds it impossible to carry on because he is so love-sick for Lorry. The resourceful "Miss Jones" takes it upon herself to re-unite the pair—and clean up some of Lorry's lies..
Betty Grable's musicals were never meant to be more than an entertaining froth to entertain a war-weary public, but
Pin-Up Girl is like a beer that's been poured incorrectly, leaving a glassful of foam. Everything seems bloated about the film, with musical numbers stretched to the breaking point: particularly egregious is the "Red Red Robin and Bob Bob White" number, which includes an interminable roller skating ballet (performed by the "Skating Vanities"), which seems as if it's been lifted from another film. Matters are made worse by a screenplay that is surprisingly poor, especially given that it was meant for one of Fox's major stars. For example, the secondary characters of Kay and Dud, who are constant onscreen companions to the leads through the first half of the film, disappear halfway through the film without explanation.
Despite its faults,
Pin-Up Girl is carried quite a way on Grable's star power. It is a delight just to see her, even if you're aware that she could've done better. John Harvey is so fresh-faced and guileless that it is entirely believable that he would fall in love with someone over dinner. And it's always a pleasure to see Joe E. Brown, whose scenes with Raye provide some of the film's funniest moments.
Warner Bros.' new DVD has been transferred from source material that is in excellent condition, despite a couple of spots where the source has faded. The audio is in splendid condition, with a rich, full tone and strong bass. Dialogue and vocals are perfectly clear. The disc includes an audio commentary by film historian Richard Schickel, a deleted scene, still photo gallery, original theatrical trailer, and collectible lobby cards.
For more information about
Pin Up Girl, visit
Fox Home Entertainment. To order
Pin Up Girl, go to
TCM Shopping.
by Fred Hunter
