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Juke Girl

1942, Movie, NR, 90 mins

Juke Girl: Review

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Reagan and Sheridan had just come off the superb KINGS ROW and went from the sublime to the ridiculous with this one. Lots of action and a terrific acting job by Sheridan who almost, but not quite, takes this turkey out of the oven. Reagan and Whorf (who was so good as Sam Harris in YANKEE DOODLE DANDY before becoming an excellent film and TV director) are Florida drifters who toil in the tomato fields. Lockhart owns the packing plant and is embroiled in a battle with Tobias who owns a small farm. Reagan sides with the growers, Whorf takes up the cudgel of the packers, and their friendship falls apart at the seams. Sheridan is the hostess in a juke joint. She loves Reagan and aids him, but gets fired for her efforts. Reagan and Sheridan help Tobias sell his crop for better money to another buyer, and, when Tobias is murdered, they are framed for the killing which was actually done by Lockhart. Just before Reagan and Sheridan are the guests of honor at a necktie party, Whorf saves the day by getting Lockhart to come clean, and the film ends happily. It was shot, of course, in California, and the nights were freezing, so all the actors had to rub glycerine and other goop on their faces to simulate perspiration. The air was so frigid that the actors were all asked to smoke cigarettes in order to justify the vapor that came from their mouths. There is one huge fight scene with management scabs wrecking tons of tomatoes owned by independent farmers who had them waiting to be shipped to waiting markets. Tomatoes were smashed again and again as the crew went for the long shots and the various close-ups. By the end of the scene, the smell of tomatoes was darn near permanently soaked in everyone's skin. It's the Florida version of GRAPES OF WRATH but nowhere near as good as that film. Alan Hale and Howard da Silva have small but telling roles. The title is a misnomer, and many in the audience thought they were coming to see a musical, not a melodrama. Jerry Wald and Jack Saper were the associate producers, which means, in essence, they did the "line" producing. Wallis was usually busy with more important 1942 films like CASABLANCA; AIR FORCE; and WATCH ON THE RHINE. leave a comment
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