Janie (1944)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Janie |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1944 |
| length | 102 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Michael Curtiz |
| script |
Agnes Christine Johnston Charles Hoffman |
| production | Alex Gottlieb |
| music | Heinz Roemheld |
| camera | Carl Guthrie |
| cut | Owen Marks |
| occupation | |
and without mentioning: John Alvin , Monte Blue , Keefe Brasselle , Sunset Carson , Lane Chandler , Julie London , Virginia Sale and The Williams Brothers | |
Janie is an American film in black and white from the year 1944. Michael Curtiz directed. Agnes Christine Johnston and Charles Hoffman adapted the play of the same name by Josephine Bentham and Herschel V. Williams junior for the script . Joyce Reynolds played the title role.
action
An Army base is to be opened in the small town of Hortonville, where (almost) nothing ever happens. Charles Conway, editor of the local newspaper, has already complained about it in an editorial, pointing out the danger to teenagers. But first he has to deal with his 16-year-old daughter Janie, who annoys him with loud jazz music, but above all with her many phone calls, some of which she makes in a code that he cannot understand. She is preparing a party that she wants to keep a secret from her parents. The party is harmless, but the press turns up and takes photos - including a kiss from Jamie's and her friend Scooper Nolan.
A few weeks later, Charles returns from a business trip to Washington , where he had tried unsuccessfully to get a printing press for his newspaper. The base is up and the city is overcrowded. His friend and business partner John Van Brunt now lives in the guest room of Charles' family's home. Thelma Lawrence, a childhood friend of his wife and bridesmaid at his wedding, will also be staying at his house, as her son Dick is to be stationed at the base. Janie and Dirk are very interested in each other, much to Scooper's annoyance. Janie and Dick as well as Thelma and John go on a trip to a swimming lake. Scooper tries to separate the two of them there too, but fails miserably.
One evening, Charles and his wife Lucille go to a dance with John and Thelma. Janie and Dick want to spend a cozy evening together, but Janie's friends also want to invite soldiers, because they can't do it at home, also because of Charles editorials. Jamie's little sister Elsbeth would be a nuisance on such an evening. Therefore, Dick is supposed to take her to her grandparents, but Elsbeth wants a city tour and takes Dick, who is unfamiliar with the area, on various buses. When Dick meets his former teacher, Professor Reardon, on the bus, he hands him responsibility for Elsbeth.
Due to an organizational mishap, Scooper learned of the meeting and invited more soldiers. They come in large numbers and bring a whole army orchestra with them. When Dick returns, a big party is already going on, which soon leads to complaints from neighbors and the arrival of the military police. Housekeeper April takes care of the military policemen. The soldiers realize that they have already exceeded their exit and leave the party. A jeep damages the house because it has to avoid Jamie's returning parents. Charles is so angry with the arriving police that he is supposed to be arrested. Colonel Lucas, the head of the base, arrives now. Jamie defends the soldiers against him, which earns her his respect. He's taking care of the police. Professor Reardon brings back a satisfied Elsbeth. Among other things, he is responsible for the allocation of printing machines and is also quartered in the Conways house.
production
The play Janie by Josephine Bentham and Herschel V. Williams Jr. was staged 642 times on Broadway from September 10, 1942 to January 16, 1944 . Unsurprisingly, Warner picked the piece when they wanted to make one of the family films popular in the early 1940s. For the filming rights, Warner paid about $ 100,000, of which 40,000 went to competitor Paramount because Paramount had financed the play.
The until then largely unknown Joyce Reynolds was chosen as the main role . In the opening credits they were introduced with "and Presenting", which could be understood as "and Introducing". This would have been wrong, however, since she had already played supporting roles in films such as Our sweet home (1942) or Liebesleid .
Janie was shot between late December 1943 and early March 1944, so recording started while the play was still on Broadway. The locations were Warner's studio in Burbank and Malibou Lake north of Malibu .
music
The song Keep Your Music Dry by Jule Styne (music) and Sammy Cahn (text) plays a prominent role in Janie . It is sung or played by almost all guests during the party. Several actors and singers have vocal parts in it such as Joyce Reynolds, Hattie McDaniel or The Williams Brothers . They're Either Too Young or Too Old by Arthur Schwartz (music) and Frank Loesser (text), sung by Barbara Brown and Robert Benchley , also plays a certain role .
Premiere
The first performance of Janie was on August 4, 1944 in New York . The film was distributed by Warner Bros.
reception
Reviews
Contemporary reviews
The reviews in the film magazines Variety , Motion Picture Herald and Film Daily have been consistently positive. The Motion Picture Herald finds the plot "not overwhelming, but its presentation is". Otherwise, the film is rated as good entertainment, fast and fresh in all three reviews. All three praise Joyce Reynolds as a “promising newcomer”, “who fills the title role with skill and shows a fresh personality that will take her a long way”, or “who plays Janie exceptionally well and captures the spirit of the role with complete success ". The other cast members are also recognized, with Film Daily highlighting Clare Foley.
Bosley Crowther, on the other hand, didn't leave the film badly in the New York Times . He found it childish and could not gain any insight. He did not want to criticize the performance of the actors, especially Joyce Reynolds, but emphasized that they had nothing to work with. He particularly criticized the figure of Elsbeth as a "scripted creature that was only there to generate laughter".
Modern reviews
Modern critics find the film naive, annoying, not worth mentioning, nonsense or simply stupid and clearly a product of its time. But it is a pleasant or charming comedy, and the direction is "so fast that most viewers shouldn't be bothered that there is no substance." It is also a "realistic description of the life of teenagers in the 1940s" , mostly because of the costumes and coded slang the teenagers used so their parents couldn't understand them.
Grossing results
Janie grossed $ 6.9 million in the United States over the years. This makes the film 35th in the list of the most economically successful films made in the USA in 1944. In 1944 alone it was nearly $ 2 million.
Awards
At the Academy Awards in 1945 , Owen Marks was nominated for Best Editing , but had a disadvantage against Barbara McLean for Wilson .
aftermath
Originally Janie was planned as the first part of a film series. In fact, shortly after the premiere, a second part was announced under the title Janie Meets the Marines in Variety . Since Joyce Reynolds married and initially did not want to make any more films, the idea of a series was dropped. Because of the film's economic success, there was still the sequel Janie Gets Married in 1946 with almost the same cast. Only Joyce Reynolds was replaced by Joan Leslie .
Web links
- Janie in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Janie. In: Internet Broadway Database . Retrieved March 16, 2018 .
- ^ A b c Mel Neuhaus: Janie (1944). In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 16, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g Janie (1944). In: American Film Institute. Retrieved March 16, 2018 .
- ^ A b William R. Weaver: Janie . In: Motion Picture Herald . July 29, 1944, p. 2017 (English, online at Archive.org [accessed March 16, 2018]).
- ↑ Janie . In: Variety . July 26, 1944, p. 10 (English, online at Archive.org [accessed March 16, 2018]).
- ↑ Janie . In: The Film Daily . July 25, 1944, p. 5 (English, online at Archive.org [accessed March 16, 2018]).
- ^ Bosley Crowther : 'Janie,' a Juvenile Comedy, Starring Joyce Reynolds, Opens at Strand - 'The Falcon in Mexico' at Rialto . In: The New York Times . August 5, 1944, p. 16 (English).
- ↑ a b Leonard Maltin : LEONARD MALTIN MOVIE REVIEW. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 16, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d Emanuel Levy: Oscar Movies: Janie (1944). In: EmanuelLevy.com. February 20, 2012, accessed March 16, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c Hal Erickson : Janie (1944). In: All Movie. Retrieved March 16, 2018 .
- ^ A b c Craig Butler: Janie (1944). In: All Movie. Retrieved March 16, 2018 .
- ↑ 1944 Top Grossing Movies. In: Ultimate Movie Rankings. Retrieved January 16, 2018 .
- ↑ 'Janie' to Meet Marines in Sequel . In: Variety . August 16, 1944, p. 3 (English, online at Archive.org [accessed March 16, 2018]).