G.I. Jane (1951 film)
| G.I. Jane | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Reginald Le Borg |
| Written by | Henry Blankfort (as Jan Jeffries) Murray Lerner (story) |
| Produced by | Murray Lerner |
| Starring | Jean Porter Tom Neal Iris Adrian Jimmie Dodd Bobby Watson |
| Cinematography | Jack Greenhalgh |
| Edited by | William Austin |
| Music by | Walter Greene |
Production company | Murray Productions |
| Distributed by | Lippert Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 69 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
G.I. Jane is a 1951 American musical comedy film directed by Reginald Le Borg and released by Lippert Pictures.
Plot
[edit]Television producer Tim Rawlings is staging a musical show with the Women's Army Corps (WACs) when he is drafted into the army. Sgt. Rawlings tangles with an angry male lieutenant who transfers him to Alaska, where the commanding officer has requisitioned a platoon of WACs. Rawlings furtively tampers with the travel orders so the lieutenant goes to Alaska, and the WACs go to his own post in the American desert. The no-nonsense WAC lieutenant forbids her WACs to fraternize with the male soldiers, so the blossoming romances among the troops must be carried on in secret.
Background
[edit]Producer Robert L. Lippert was a former exhibitor who felt there was a national market for low-priced feature films that other exhibitors could afford to show. Beginning in 1945 he began making his own movies, and by the late 1940s he was firmly established as an independent producer. Other studios had cut back on production, particularly with low-budget features, leaving dozens of actors underemployed. Lippert took advantage of their availability by signing up "name" talent for flat fees, giving his films more marquee value. Most of the G. I. Jane cast members were veterans of other companies.
Lippert seldom spent more than $100,000 on a feature film, and G. I. Jane is a standard-issue Lippert picture with serviceable but economical settings. Screenwriter Henry Blankfort was then blacklisted from working in pictures during the McCarthy-era anti-Communist hearings. Blankfort wrote G. I. Jane under a pseudonym, "Jan Jeffries".[1]
Reception
[edit]G.I. Jane was designed to serve as a topical companion film on double-feature programs. Some theaters played it as part of a Lippert double bill with the science-fiction film Lost Continent (1951). Reviewers had special praise for the original songs by seven composers, including Jimmie Dodd, later of TV's Mickey Mouse Club. Variety said, "This is a pleasant, unpretentious musical programmer that will fit nicely into lower-case bookings in the secondary situations... Eight tunes are spotted and are better than would be expected in such a budget offering."[2] The Exhibitor agreed, rating it as a "pleasing entry for the lower half, made on a modest budget and including a lot of songs. Neal, Porter, and Adrian head a cast sufficient for what demands the script makes. The title will be an asset in some areas."[3] The Los Angeles Times said it "offers some pleasing numbers".[4] Boxoffice reported that the film was topical and "well qualified to deliver a diverting hour of entertainment... the picture's musical moments are exceptionally praiseworthy as they are filled by nothing but catchy new songs written expressly for the film."[5]
Cast
[edit]- Jean Porter as Jan Smith
- Tom Neal as Tim Rawlings
- Iris Adrian as Lt. Adrian
- Jimmie Dodd as Pvt. Tennessee Jones
- Jeanne Mahoney as Hilda Beck
- Jimmy Lloyd as Lt. Bradford
- Mara Lynn as Pilsnick
- Bobby Watson as Colonel
- Michael Whalen as Major
- James Parnell as Sergeant
- Phil Arnold as Mousey
Notes
[edit]- ^ Wheeler W. Dixon, The Films of Reginald LeBorg: Interviews, Essays, and Filmography, Scarecrow Press, 1992, p. 146. ISBN 0-8108-2550-3
- ^ Variety, Aug. 8, 1951, p. 18.
- ^ The Exhibitor, July 4, 1951, p. 3101.
- ^ Edwin Schallert, Los Angeles Times, Sept. 13, 1951, p. A10.
- ^ Boxoffice, Aug. 18, 1951, p. 1287.