Ginger (1935 film)

Last updated
Ginger
Ginger (1935 film).jpg
Directed by Lewis Seiler
Screenplay by Arthur Kober
Produced by Sol M. Wurtzel
Starring Jane Withers
O. P. Heggie
Jackie Searl
Katharine Alexander
Walter Woolf King
CinematographyBert Glennon
Music by Samuel Kaylin
Production
company
Distributed by 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation
Release date
  • July 5, 1935 (1935-07-05)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Ginger is a 1935 American comedy-drama film [1] directed by Lewis Seiler and written by Arthur Kober. The film stars Jane Withers as her first starting role, O. P. Heggie, Jackie Searl, Katharine Alexander, and Walter Woolf King.

Contents

Plot

Jeanette Tracy, known to her friends as Ginger, is an 8-year-old orphan living in a New York slum apartment with her "Uncle Rex", an aging Shakespearean actor. Their poor but happy existence is framed by lines from famous Shakespearean plays which they recite to each other; their favorite is the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet . One day, a probation officer comes to the apartment and threatens to take Ginger away if she doesn't stop skipping school and Uncle Rex remains unemployed. Uncle Rex says he has found a job at the casting office and Ginger assures the officer that she will be a model student from now on. It turns out that Uncle Rex's new job is as a barker for a movie theater, and he is arrested when he attacks the manager who insults his Shakespearean acting. Unable to pay the $30 fine, he is sent to jail for 30 days.

Ginger steals small metal pieces from stores to come up with money to pay the fine and is caught and brought before a judge. He suggests that the well-to-do Mrs. Parker, who is writing a book about child-raising called Are Children Human? take her into her own home. Mrs. Parker's son, Hamilton, is the product of her ideas: an effeminate, snobbish, harp-playing youth. The contrast between Hamilton and Ginger is stark, as Ginger is a tomboy, speaks slang, and lacks table manners. But Mr. Parker, who disapproves of his wife's child-raising ideas, takes a liking to Ginger and offers to bail out Uncle Rex. When he brings him home to pick up Ginger, Uncle Rex is so overwhelmed by the elegant house and the opportunities that wealth can afford for Ginger's upbringing that he runs out on her. He is struck by a truck and spends several months in a hospital with aphasia.

As the months pass, Ginger becomes more and more cultured while Hamilton becomes more streetwise. When they are taken out for a ride on Thanksgiving day, Ginger spots her old gang and Hamilton gets into a fight with an older boy who has taken Ginger's dog. Hamilton wins the fight. Back home, Ginger overhears Mrs. Parker reading from her book to her ladies' club, describing how uncouth Ginger was when she came to her and asserting that Uncle Rex isn't her real uncle at all, but a friend of her deceased actor-parents. Ginger becomes inconsolable and runs away with Hamilton back to her slum apartment. There they find Uncle Rex, who has found his way home. The Parkers join them there, having made up with one another after Mrs. Parker agrees to be more "human" in her child-raising efforts.

Cast

Production

Development

The film was produced under the working title of Little Annie Rooney . Fox Film Corporation had acquired the rights to that comic strip. [1]

Casting

Publicity photo of Jackie Searl and Jane Withers in Ginger Jackie Searl and Jane Withers in Ginger (cropped).jpg
Publicity photo of Jackie Searl and Jane Withers in Ginger

Ginger was Jane Withers' first starring role. [1] She had come to national attention in December 1934 in the role of a bratty child opposite the angelic Shirley Temple in Bright Eyes (1934). [1] Based on that role, moviegoers had lobbied for her to be paired with Jackie Searl, who was known for his own "impish" characters, [2] and by February 1935 Fox was looking for a vehicle to star both Withers and Searl. [1] Producer Sol M. Wurtzel, who had also produced Bright Eyes, reportedly hand-picked the cast for this film. [3]

Filming

Filming took place from April 12 to mid-May 1935. [1] Filming began on Withers' ninth birthday, and she received two bouquets of flowers on the set. One was from W. C. Fields, who wrote: "To my little friend, Jane, one swell girl. Knock 'em dead, kid, you're going to be great. Your pen pal and fan, W.C." [4] The second was from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who wrote: "To my little friend, Jane, God bless you, I know you are going to be one of our greatest stars in America. Your friend, Franklin Delano Roosevelt". [4] [5] Roosevelt had been following Withers' career after seeing her do an impersonation of him in a newsreel. [5] Withers had also impersonated Fields on her radio program in Atlanta. [6]

In one scene in the film, Withers performs impersonations of ZaSu Pitts and Greta Garbo. Withers was imitating a recording she had heard by British impersonator Florence Desmond. Unaware of this fact beforehand, the Fox legal department scrambled to obtain permission from Desmond after Withers had filmed the scene. [1]

Release

The film was released on July 5, 1935. [1] [7]

Critical reception

Critical reviews widely praised Withers' starring turn and predicted a rosy future for her. [3] Calling Withers a "child prodigy", The Cincinnati Enquirer listed the ways she differed from Shirley Temple, being older and playing a tomboy. It then compared Withers to child actor Mitzi Green, stating: "She has the same precociousness, same daredevil atmosphere, and is adept at impersonations. Furthermore, Jane does show some acting talent". [8] The Salt Lake Tribune noted Withers' "versatility" in the film, explaining: "She goes from a street fight into Juliet's balcony scene with the ease of a veteran player. She is a hearty and refreshing new type". [9] The Brooklyn Daily Eagle elaborated:

The body of the narrative Miss Withers carries almost by herself. She is ever before the camera and runs the gamut of childlike emotions as well as some that aren't so childlike. She is alternately hoydenish and lovable, gagging and demure; she burlesques Greta Garbo and Zasu Pitts and enacts the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet without making it ridiculous. ... Miss Withers' scenes are of three kinds, those in which she is precocious and amusing because possessed of a sophistication beyond her years; those in which she is a child and charming for her childish ways and those where she really acts. She acts, I am glad to report, a great deal and with much vitality and her comic sense is a keen and lively one. [10]

The New York Times praised the film as "a fresh, human and warm photoplay, rich in natural values, sensitively directed by Lewis Seiler (who used to teach school in Brooklyn and should know children) and played for all it is worth by an excellent cast". [2] Though the review said the script borders on a Cinderella fable, it called the dialogue "bright" and the plot elements "cleverly selected for their comic or sentimental values". [2] The New York Daily News agreed that the film had a Cinderella-like storyline, but reported that the theater audience heartily enjoyed hearing the stream of slang issue from the mouth of the "charming" Withers, who "refers to people as guys, muggs and lugs" and "calls her Park Ave. benefactress 'sourpuss' and her stiff-necked friends 'a bunch of frozen pans'". This review also described Searl's comedic performance as "excellent". [11] The Akron Beacon Journal took a less complimentary view of the script, calling it "a story of extreme improbabilities and sentimental frills". [12]

Critical praise was also reserved for O. P. Heggie's performance, which The Salt Lake Tribune described as a "mellow portrayal" that is "one of the picture's highlights". [9]

The New York Daily News pointed out an error in rear-projection for a scene in which Mr. Parker is taking Uncle Rex to his house in a car during a rainstorm. The scene seen through the car's rear window shows a sunny day and people walking about without coats. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penny Fuller</span> American actress (b. 1940)

Penny Fuller is an American actress. She received two Tony Award nominations for her performances on Broadway stage: for Applause (1970), and The Dinner Party (2001). For her television performances, Fuller received six Emmy Award nominations, winning once, in 1982 for playing Madge Kendal in The Elephant Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iris Adrian</span> American actress (1912–1994)

Iris Adrian Hostetter was an American stage and film actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Withers</span> American actress and hostess (1926–2021)

Jane Withers was an American actress and children's radio show hostess. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for box-office gross in 1937 and 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comet (cleanser)</span> American brand of household cleaning products

Comet is an American brand of scouring powders and other household cleaning products manufactured by KIK Custom Products Inc. The brand was introduced in 1956 by Procter & Gamble (P&G) and sold to Prestige Brands in 2001. In 2018, Prestige Brands sold the Comet brand to KIK Custom Products Inc. P&G retained the rights to market the brand in Europe and to the professional market (non-home-consumer) in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Roberts</span> American actress (1860s–1940)

Florence Roberts (March 16, 1861/1864 – June 6, 1940 was an American actress of the stage and in motion pictures.

<i>The Penguin Pool Murder</i> 1932 film

The Penguin Pool Murder is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy/mystery film starring Edna May Oliver as Hildegarde Withers, a witness in a murder case at the New York Aquarium, with James Gleason as the police inspector in charge of the case, who investigates with her unwanted help, and Robert Armstrong as an attorney representing Mae Clarke, the wife of the victim. Oliver's appearance was the first film appearance of the character of Hildegarde Withers, the schoolteacher and sleuth based on the character from the 1931 novel The Penguin Pool Murder by Stuart Palmer. It is the first in a trilogy including Murder on the Blackboard, and Murder on a Honeymoon, in which Oliver and Gleason team up for the lead roles.

<i>Murder on the Blackboard</i> 1934 film by George Archainbaud

Murder on the Blackboard is a 1934 American pre-Code mystery/comedy film starring Edna May Oliver as schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers and James Gleason as Police Inspector Oscar Piper. Together, they investigate a murder at Withers' school. It was based on the novel of the same name by Stuart Palmer. It features popular actor Bruce Cabot in one of his first post-King Kong roles, as well as Gertrude Michael, Regis Toomey, and Edgar Kennedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Donnelly</span> American actress (1896–1982)

Ruth Donnelly was an American film and stage actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Peterson</span> American actress

Bergetta "Dorothy" Peterson was an American actress. She began her acting career on Broadway before appearing in more than eighty Hollywood films.

<i>The Old Maid</i> (play) 1935 play adapted by Zoë Akins from Edith Whartons 1924 novella

The Old Maid is a 1934 play by American playwright Zoë Akins, adapted from Edith Wharton's 1924 novella of the same name. The play as published has six "episodes", covering twenty-one years of time. It has a large cast, and three settings; one is used for the last four episodes (scenes). The story concerns two women, cousins, who allow rancor over a lost love to become a struggle for the illegitimate daughter of one.

<i>Never Say Goodbye</i> (1946 film) 1946 film by James V. Kern

Never Say Goodbye is a 1946 American romantic comedy film directed by James V. Kern and starring Errol Flynn, Eleanor Parker, and Lucile Watson. Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers, it is about a divorced couple and the daughter who works to bring them back together. It was Errol Flynn's first purely comedic role since Footsteps in the Dark.

First Lady is a 1935 play written by Katharine Dayton and George S. Kaufman. It is a three-act comedy, with three settings and a large cast. There are four scenes, which occur at monthly intervals starting with the December prior to a presidential election year. The story concerns a Washington, D.C. socialite who almost lets her rivalry with another social maven impede her husband's political future. The title is a play on the usual term accorded to a President's wife, suggesting it really belongs to the leading society hostess in the capitol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Fellows</span> American actress

Edith Marilyn Fellows was an American actress who became a child star in the 1930s. Best known for playing orphans and street urchins, Fellows was an expressive actress with a good singing voice. She made her screen debut at the age of five in Charley Chase's film short Movie Night (1929). Her first credited role in a feature film was The Rider of Death Valley (1932). By 1935, she had appeared in over twenty films. Her performance opposite Claudette Colbert and Melvyn Douglas in She Married Her Boss (1935) won her a seven-year contract with Columbia Pictures, the first such contract offered to a child.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Beecher</span> American stage and screen actress

Janet Beecher was an American stage and screen actress.

<i>A Kentucky Cinderella</i> 1917 American drama film directed by Rupert Julian

A Kentucky Cinderella is a 1917 American silent drama directed by Rupert Julian and featured Rupert Julian and Ruth Clifford, and a cast including child actress Zoe Rae. It was released June 25, 1917 by Bluebird Photoplays, a subsidiary of Universal Studios.

<i>Johnny Doughboy</i> 1942 film by John H. Auer

Johnny Doughboy is a 1942 American black-and-white musical comedy film directed by John H. Auer for Republic Pictures. It stars Jane Withers in a dual role as a 16-year-old actress who is sick of playing juvenile roles, and her lookalike fan who is persuaded by a group of "has-been" child stars to perform with them in a U.S. troop show. The film features cameos by ex-child stars Bobby Breen, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, George "Spanky" McFarland, Baby Sandy, and others. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Musical Score.

<i>Paddy ODay</i> 1936 US comedy-drama film by Lewis Seiler

Paddy O'Day is a 1936 American comedy drama film directed by Lewis Seiler and released by 20th Century Fox. It stars Jane Withers, Pinky Tomlin, and Rita Hayworth. The story follows the adventures of a plucky Irish girl who arrives at Ellis Island only to discover that her mother, a cook in a wealthy Long Island home, has died. Hiding from the immigration officers who want to deport her, she charms everyone she meets, including the service staff and reclusive young master of the house. She goes to live with a family of Russian dancers that she met on the ship, and performs with them in their nightclub. Withers uses a heavy Irish brogue for her character and sings one song with an Irish accent and another song with a Russian accent. She also dances in several numbers, while Hayworth performs a traditional Russian dance in a nightclub revue.

<i>Gentle Julia</i> (1936 film) 1936 film by John G. Blystone

Gentle Julia is a 1936 American drama film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Jane Withers, Tom Brown and Marsha Hunt. It is an adaptation of the 1922 novel of the same title by Booth Tarkington.

<i>High School</i> (1940 film) 1940 American film

High School is a 1940 American teen comedy film directed by George Nicholls, Jr. and written by Jack Jungmeyer, Edith Skouras, and Harold Tarshis. The film stars Jane Withers as a spirited 13-year-old tomboy who is sent from her widowed father's ranch to learn at Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas, where she alienates her fellow students with her arrogant and know-it-all personality. The script draws from the real-life activities of the high school's JROTC, band, and "Lassos" girls pep squad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernadette Withers</span> American actress (1946–2019)

Bernadette Withers was an actress best known for playing Ginger on Bachelor Father, Janis on Karen, and Valerie in The Trouble with Angels. Some sources claim that actress Jane Withers was her aunt, but since Jane Withers had no siblings she did not have any nieces.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Ginger (1935)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute. 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 F.S.N. (July 19, 1935). "THE SCREEN; ' Ginger,' at the Radio City Music Hall, Presents a New Star, Mistress Jane Withers of Atlanta". The New York Times . Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "'Ginger' Marks Start Of Starlet's Career". Brooklyn Times-Union . July 31, 1935. p. 7 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. 1 2 Verswijver 2003, p. 204.
  5. 1 2 "Jane Withers (b. 1926)". New Georgia Encyclopedia . 2020.
  6. Windeler, Robert (June 10, 1974). "Jane Withers Is Cleaning Up". People . Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  7. Solomon 2014, p. 356.
  8. Bernfeld, Herman J. (June 30, 1935). "'The Scoundrel Introduces Two Newcomers To Screen—'Ginger' At Albee". The Cincinnati Enquirer . p. 49 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  9. 1 2 "Heart Interests, Laughs in Film At Paramount". The Salt Lake Tribune . July 19, 1935. p. 9 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  10. Burdett, Winston (July 20, 1935). "The Screen". Brooklyn Daily Eagle . p. 5 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  11. Walker, Danton (July 19, 1935). "Sidewalk Cinderella Stars Jane Withers". New York Daily News . p. 140 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  12. Gloss, Edward E. (October 9, 1935). "Four Talkies Arrive As Programs Change In First Run Houses". Akron Beacon Journal . p. 11 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  13. Skolsky, Sidney (August 29, 1935). "Movie Boners". New York Daily News . p. 49 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg

Sources