The last of Garland and Rooney’s nine movies as co-stars, Girl Crazy was one of their most popular musicals. The pair appeared only once more together on film, as guest stars in 1948’s Words and Music.
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Produced by the Freed Unit at MGM, it’s based on the stage musical “Girl Crazy,” written by Guy Bolton and Jack McGowan, with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin. Garland’s part, Ginger Gray, was played in the original Broadway production by Ginger Rogers, older than Judy by a decade.
Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell were originally announced to star in the film as follow-up to Broadway Melody of 1940.
Girl Crazy was June Allyson’s film debut.
Production began with Busby Berkeley as director, but he was replaced by vet Norman Taurog.
The film used all six songs from the original stage musical, adding Gershwin song, “Fascinating Rhythm.”
Young playboy Dan Churchill, Jr. is a headache for his concerned tycoon father. In hopes that isolation from girls will help Junior concentrate on his studies, Churchill Sr. takes Danny out of Yale University and sends him off to all-male Cody College of Mines and Agriculture, deep in the American West.
Walking miles from the train depot to the isolated college he meets Ginger Gray, the local postmistress and immediately falls for her. Though he is initially not pleased with what he finds at the school–primitive facilities, rough-riding, and practical-joking fellow students–he eventually settles in.
The couple are devastated when they learn that the college, run by her grandfather, must close due to falling enrollment. Using his father’s name, Danny wheedles his way into seeing the state governor, and extracts a one-month reprieve to boost applications and avoid a shuttering. Danny divines that an Old West show that crowns a “Queen of the Rodeo” will attract not only desired attention but that of the fairer sex.
Tommy Dorsey’s band is engaged, and the event is a success, but Danny crowns the governor’s daughter Queen instead of Ginger.
Applications surge, the school’s future is secured, but he must win back Ginger’s heart, which he does, whereupon a celebration of dance and music highlights their reconciliation.
Jack Donahue choreographed the musical numbers; Charles Walters was responsible for “Embraceable You.” “Bronco Busters,” sung by Garland, Rooney and Nancy Walker, was cut from the final cut.
MGM’s Roger Edens, Freed Unit’s musical arranger and associate producer, and Garland’s mentor, convinced Garland, who was eager to play more adult roles, that one more pairing with Rooney would be a good idea.
Why Was Berkely Fired?
Berkeley had previously directed Rooney and Garland in Babes in Arms (1939), Strike Up the Band (1940) and Babes on Broadway (1941), their biggest hits together, but he was fired. He and Edens conflicted over Berkeley’s staging of I Got Rhythm–Edens complaining later about Berkeley’s “big ensembles and trick cameras, with people cracking whips and guns and cannons going off all over my arrangements and Judy’s voice”.
M-G-M was also unhappy with the money Berkeley spent on the elaborate production number. The final straw was a conflict with Garland, who bridled under Berkeley’s demanding style. “I used to feel as if he had a big black bull whip and he was lashing me with it,” she later wrote. “Sometimes I couldn’t live through the day.
“I Got Rhythm” was Berkeley’s only major contribution to the final film.
Norman Taurog took over for Berkeley in early February, and his style of direction contrasted sharply with Berkeley’s, emphasizing how the musical numbers contribute to the development of the plot and characters.
Girl Crazy was partly shot on location in the desert near Palm Springs, California.
The New York Times wrote: “The immortal Mickey Rooney is an entertainer to his fingertips. And with Judy Garland, who sings and acts like an earthbound angel, to temper his brashness, they can do almost anything they wish, and we’ll like it even in spite of ourselves.”
It was one of 1943’s top box-office hits of 1943, earning $2,608,000 in the US and $1,163,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $1,068,000.
In France alone, where Judy Garland and Rooney were particularly popular, the film recorded 898,335 admissions.
The DVD was released as part of The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection on September 25, 2007. A fifth bonus disc includes one number (“I Got Rhythm”) in stereo, though stereo tracks exist for all the film’s musical numbers.
Recycling:
The 1943 film was the second adaptation of the stage musical, also called Girl Crazy, released by RKO in 1932, and starred Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey and Dorothy Lee. Another version, with Connie Francis and Herman’s Hermits, was released by MGM in 1965 as When the Boys Meet the Girls.
Cast
Judy Garland as Ginger Gray
Mickey Rooney as Danny Churchill, Jr.
Gil Stratton as Bud Livermore
Robert E. Strickland as Henry Lathrop
Rags Ragland as Rags
June Allyson as specialty singer
Nancy Walker as Polly Williams
Guy Kibbee as Dean Phineas Armour
Frances Rafferty as Marjorie Tait
Henry O’Neill as Danny Churchill Sr.
Howard Freeman as Governor Tait
Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra as themselves
Charles Walters as specialty dancer
Credits:
Directed by Norman Taurog; Busby Berkeley (fired)
Screenplay by Fred F. Finklehoffe, Dorothy Kingsley (uncredited), William Ludwig (uncredited), Sid Silvers (uncredited), based on Girl Crazy, 1930 musical by Guy Bolton (book) Jack McGowan (book), George Gershwin (music), Ira Gershwin (lyrcs)
Produced by Arthur Freed
Cinematography William H. Daniels, Robert H. Planck
Edited by Albert Akst
Music by George Gershwin
Production company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by Loew’s Inc.
Release date: November 26, 1943
Running time: 99 minutes
Budget $1,469,000
Box office $3,771,000
Songs
“Treat Me Rough” – June Allyson, Mickey Rooney and chorus with Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra
“Bidin’ My Time” – Judy Garland, The King’s Men
“Could You Use Me?” – Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland
“Happy Birthday Ginger” (written by Roger Edens)
“Embraceable You”–Rags Ragland and chorus, Garland and chorus, Charles Walters (as dancer)
“Fascinating Rhythm” – Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra
“But Not For Me” – Rags Ragland with vocal by Judy Garland
“I Got Rhythm” – Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and chorus with Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra.
