Hit pirates
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Hit pirates |
| Original title | The Girl Can't Help It |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1956 |
| length | 93 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Frank Tashlin |
| script | Frank Tashlin Herbert Baker |
| production | Frank Tashlin |
| music | Bobby Troup |
| camera | Leon Shamroy |
| cut | James B. Clark |
| occupation | |
| |
Schlagerpiraten (Original title: The Girl Can't Help It ) is an American feature film from 1956.
action
Fatso Murdock was once the king of slot machines. But that time is long gone. Now he wants to marry the attractive blonde Jerri Jordan, the daughter of an old friend. But a Fatso Murdock doesn't want an insignificant wife. She is supposed to be a star. He hires the abandoned artist agent Tom Miller to turn her into a singing star of the new rock 'n' roll scene within six weeks .
First Tom and Jerri go through various clubs and Jerri attracts the interest of the club owners. There is only one problem: Jerri cannot sing at all. She would also much rather be a normal woman and have absolutely no interest in becoming a star, let alone marrying Fatso. But Fatso continues to put the two under pressure. Not only does he want to see his future wife on every jukebox in the United States, but he even gives the title to be recorded with one of his songs written in prison, Rock Around The Rockpile .
Tom records the song with Ray Anthony and his band. Due to Jerris' inadequate singing skills, she only sets the accents with a siren-like scream during the recording. In the meantime, Jerrie and Tom fall in love. Chronically jealous, Murdock has his assistant shadow Tom and Jerri and even tap the phone. When Mousie notices that something is actually developing between the two, he manipulates the tape used for eavesdropping so as not to raise suspicions.
The jukebox king Wheeler does not want to include the song in his jukeboxes, however, since Fatso Murdock, once fierce competitor, is the author of the song. Wheeler and Murdock had once fought in the slot machine business and Wheeler was even shot in the knee by Fatso.
Fatso then decides to get into the jukebox business himself. With his well-known Mafia methods he throws Wheeler out of business city after city. Through Murdock's jukebox business, Jerri's song became a huge hit across the country.
Jerri will also perform at a concert evening with numerous rock 'n' roll stars. However, Fatso has now realized that although Jerri is now a star, he is actually unmusical. As a great music lover, he no longer wants her to be a wife. Thereupon Mousie admits the manipulation of the tape, which is then happily surprised not to have to cancel the already planned wedding, but to hand over the bride to Tom.
Because of his losses, Wheeler and his men threaten Murdock on the concert evening, but Tom saves him by knocking Wheeler down and sending Fatso on stage to sing his own song. In front of the audience, Wheeler avoids another attack. Instead, he recognizes the enthusiasm of the young people present and prefers to produce Fatso than to shoot him. This becomes Fatso's own breakthrough singing star. Tom eventually marries Jerri and Fatso becomes best man.
background
The comedy became a cult film of the 1950s thanks to the numerous stars of rock 'n' roll who appear in the film . In addition to Ray Anthony, the following artists appear in this film: Johnny Olenn , Little Richard , Eddie Fontaine , The Chuckles , Abbey Lincoln , Julie London , Gene Vincent , Eddie Cochran , The Treniers , Fats Domino and The Platters . Jayne Mansfield also sings the song Ev'rytime . In 1982 the original version of the film was released again in German cinemas. The DVD , which was released in 2005, features the new dubbing made in 1990 for ZDF .
Reviews
“Satire on the American hit business in the 50s, hung on the story of a young woman who is to be made a star. Visually and acoustically imaginative noisy comedy in comic strip style with time-critical accents. "
"Frank Tashlin's inventive comedy from 1956, which was previously shown in our cinemas under the title" Schlagerpiraten ", still impresses with its surrealistic gags, its satirical precision and the exemplary modesty of its music presentation."
"With Jane Mansfield, Fox presents its Marilyn Monroe replacement, and in comparison with the Byzantine wealth of shapes of the Mansfield, the model shrinks to a thin Audrey-Hepburn appearance. In addition, the harmless comedy relies on the revelation of the close relationships between the American jukebox and the gangster industry as well as on a monotonous potpourri of the latest rock'n roll numbers. "
Awards
Jayne Mansfield received the Golden Globe Award for Best Young Actress for her performance as Jerri Jordan .
Web links
- The Girl in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Schlagerpiraten in the online film database
- Schlagerpiraten at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Overview: The Girl Can't Help It. In: Lexicon of international films . Film service , accessed April 17, 2020 .
- ↑ hit pirates . In: synchronkartei.de. German dubbing file , accessed on April 17, 2020 .
- ↑ hit pirates . In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed February 1, 2017 .
- ↑ Film tips . In: Die Zeit , No. 26/1974