Juke Girl (1942) Online

Surprisingly vigorous programmer showing why Warner Bros. was the blue-collar studio of record. Had the occasional goofy humor and contrived climax been improved this could have been a sleeper. Reagan is lively and likable as the quick thinking ex-farmer-- no wooden soldier here. Whorf and Sheridan are appropriately intense, helping to inject a gritty feel. Reagan's friendship with Whorf is more interesting than the predictable romance with Sheridan. Whorf, an opportunist, splits from his hoboing buddy by siding with the crooked wholesaler (Lockhart) because he sees a lucrative future with a powerful employer. Reagan, on the other hand, is an idealist, willing to risk his future to help the victimized farmer (Tobias). In my book, the dynamic between them makes up the movie's core because it often presents a real-life choice.

A number of nice touches. The bar scenes are atmospheric and staffed beyond programmer expectation. In fact, the settings as a whole from the hobo jungle to the honky-tonk street show genuine care—note even the "Madden" labels in the background of Madden's (Lockhart's) office. I suspect that producer Hal Wallis, a leading Hollywood producer, had a lot to do with this level of detail for what amounts to a very unglamorous production. Note too how the wholesalers collude to cheat the farmers. I expect that resonated with audiences still recovering from the Great Depression. All in all, the movie's much better than its rather misleading title suggests. (In passing—note presence of voluptuous Faye Emerson {Murph} who later achieved New York celebrity by marrying one of the Roosevelt sons and scandalizing early TV with a series of plunging neckline guest-show appearances. Also, for uncompromisingly fierce look at trucking and wholesalers, catch noir classic Thieves' Highway {1949}).

It's funny how one's opinion of a film can change over time. I remember seeing and liking "Escape in the Desert" many years ago, perhaps in the 60s. When I saw it again recently I was really disappointed.

Just the opposite is true of "Juke Girl," which my wife and I just watched this evening on TCM (March, 2009). I had seen the film quite a while back and didn't think much of it. This time, however, I found the film to be quite enjoyable; no prize winner, but interesting from several standpoints. Here are some quite thoughts:

* The acting: As other reviewers have pointed out, it is quite good. The film features the Warner Brothers stock company that appeared in so many films in the late 30s and throughout the 40s. I refer to the likes of Alan Hale, George Tobias, Donald MacBride, etc. Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan are good in the leads.

* Photography: I second the feeling of another reviewer who commented on the film's cinematography. That is especially true of the outdoor scenes, which make up a fair amount of the running time; so many movies from the same year were shot almost entirely on sound stages. It's nice to see what Southern California looked like in the early 1940s (I feel certain that somewhere such as the San Fernando Valley stood in for Florida.)

* Politics: This story almost seems like a second tier version of the "Grapes of Wrath," with its mean, unscrupulous packing house owner and its poor but honest farmers and field workers. It's laid on a bit thick in my view, but it makes for an intriguing storyline.

* One quibble regarding plot: When the mob storms the jail, the sheriff and his deputies, who have threatened to shoot, just stand there and allow themselves to be overcome. Well, I suspect that any self-respecting lawman and his men would have blasted away at that point in their own self-defense if nothing else.

I have no doubt that some will, incorrectly, call this a B movie. Well, with Ann Sheridan as the top billed player, that is of course nonsense. It is indeed an A production, though a bit too predictable in terms of the plot to be considered first-rate. However, if you are a fan of 1940s style Warner Brothers melodramas (and I don't use that term pejoratively), you might indeed enjoy "Juke Girl."

While similar in plot to _They Drive by Night (1940)_ (qv), Juke Girl stands on its own as an enjoyable movie, thanks primarily to its lead actors.

As in their previous films together, _The Angels Wash Their Faces (1939)_ (qv) and _Kings Row (1942)_ (qv), Ronald Reagan (qv) and the wonderful Ann Sheridan (qv) make a nice film couple. Heck, in a perfect world Ann Sheridan would have been First Lady, but that's another story.

Good acting, good characters, and a good story. Toss in a quick song by Miss Sheridan and you have the makings of a pretty good movie. Enjoy.

Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan connected in ways similar to William Powell and Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy and Kathryn Hepburn. Their crowning achievement was to appear as somewhat star crossed lovers in the Hollywood classic "King's Row," undoubtedly Ronald Reagan's best moments on the big screen. Since this film, "Juke Girl" was released the same year, understandably it was basically ignored in favor of the much grander screen adaptation of a popular novel. An other feature of this film that perhaps leads to its virtual neglect today is the title, which sounds like one of the tawdry passion pit flicks of the 1950's.

A possible surprise for today's viewer is the political stance taken by actor Reagan in "Juke Girl" for the migrant workers and small farmers against the corruption of the local business interests, much different that the position taken by President Reagan years later. But then this picture was made many years before Reagan would become enamored of Nancy Davis and make her his second wife. She turned Reagan around in more ways than one.

The story is a good one, though a bit bottom heavy in that much of the excitement and action, including a murder, comes near the end. Steve Talbot (Reagan) and his best buddy, Danny Frazier (Richard Whorf), are hoboing across the country (the Depression was just winding down in 1942 because of World War II) looking for work of any kind with Steve preferring farm labor when they get involved with local labor unrest in a nowhere place called Cat Tail, Florida.

Just before reaching the small, farming community, a girl called Skeeter (Betty Brewer) befriends them and takes a particular liking to Steve. Her place in the story is somewhat vague other than to add a bit of humor and a down-home quality to the film. Steve and Danny hook up with the juke girl of the title, Lola Mears (Sheridan), and her co-entertainer, Murph (Faye Emerson). Steve falls for Lola but Lola puts up a tough, don't tread on me veneer when obviously inside, her heart turns to mush when Steve is near.

Looking for jobs brings them into contact with the local boss, Henry Madden (Gene Lockhart), who virtually runs the town, except surprisingly not the law. Madden's henchman, Cully (Howard Da Silva), takes a dislike to Steve and Danny from the beginning and attempts to bully them around. Danny ultimately throws in with Madden while Steve throws in with a local farmer, Nick Garcos, the Greek (George Tobias), being exploited by Madden. Thus Steve and Danny become rivals and friendly enemies. A foreman for Madden, "Yip" (Alan Hale), befriends both Steve and Danny. Eventually, Lola throws in with Steve and Nick and the fun begins.

The acting is first rate. The two leads give their usual fine performances, with such great character actors as Donald MacBride, Fuzzy Knight, Eddy Waller, aka Nugget Clark, Guy Wilkerson, aka Panhandle Perkins, Glenn Strange, aka the Frankenstein monster, and even William Hopper, aka Paul Drake, helping out in bit parts. Ann Sheridan is given an opportunity to sing and dance which is always a treat. Of special note is the talented comedian, Willie Best, as a street vendor peddling lucky rabbit feet called Jo-Mo.

The crisp black and white photography by Bert Glennon captures the look and feel of the Depression in Florida. A few of the shots are reminiscent of those by Gregg Toland in John Ford's masterpiece, "The Grapes of Wrath," not surprising since Glennon assisted Ford from time to time with his cinematography.

People criticize Ronald Reagan's acting ability - granted, he never gained superstar status, and he was quite limited. However, for what he did, he could be very charming. He also always seemed relaxed in front of the camera.

Reagan costars here with Ann Sheridan in 1942's "Juke Girl," sort of a weaker "Grapes of Wrath," with Gene Lockhart as an unscrupulous businessman who is cheating the local farmers by paying them low prices and making sure they can't sell anywhere else. Reagan and Richard Wharf, as Steve and Danny, are two drifters who arrive in a small town populated by farmers. There Steve meets and falls for Lola (Sheridan) who works in the local bar. As he endeavors to help a local farmer, Nick (George Tobias) who has fought with Madden (Lockhart) and has now seen his crops destroyed, Steve gets more than he bargained for. The result is murder.

Entertaining Warner Brothers effort, perhaps not the most original plot you've ever seen, but you'll keep watching. Ann Sheridan was kind of a poor man's Rita Hayworth - the redhead had that been around the block presence, a low voice, and a toughness, all of which were appealing in any film in which she appeared. Gene Lockhart does a great job as a bully who underneath is terrified, and George Tobias is sympathetic as Nick Garcos, who wants to buck the system. Reagan comes off well as a determined young man who believes in doing the right thing.

If you're a fan of Sheridan's or love the Warner's potboilers, this is worth seeing.

Considering how distant Cesar Chavez and Ronald Reagan were in philosophy, what would have the founder of the United Farm Workers thought of the Gipper starring in a film about migrant workers? I wonder if Chavez ever saw Juke Girl? A title by the way which one would never guess was about agriculture. When I first saw the title on the list of credits for Ronald Reagan, I thought it was some Forties musical with swing dancing.

It's far from that. The title role is played by Ann Sheridan and she works in a roadside bar and dance club favored by the itinerant farm workers in that area of Florida. Two such migrant workers are Ronald Reagan and Richard Whorf who arrive in town. Whorf goes to work for the local wholesaler Gene Lockhart who pretty much sets prices his way as the farmers have nowhere else to sell their produce.

Having lost a farm to the dust bowl in Kansas, Reagan's sympathies go out to farmer George Tobias who is trying to beat Lockhart's monopoly. The two friends become adversaries, but the friendship is strong, how strong everyone in the cast finds out before the film is over.

Juke Girl with its deceptive title is a far cry from The Grapes Of Wrath, both book and film. The Joad family is on the road, not just the male breadwinner. Some of the actions Reagan takes in this film could never have been done by Tom Joad who carried responsibility for the whole Joad clan on the road.

The players perform pretty much according to type. Ann Sheridan has some juicy lines, like the character she played in Torrid Zone had moved from Central America to Florida. Gene Lockhart who specialized in portraying particularly craven individuals is within his element, this may have been the most craven part Lockhart ever played.

Juke Girl is hardly the sociological treatise that The Grapes Of Wrath was. But it's entertaining enough for the fans of the players in the cast.

Randy D wrote an excellent review, saying just about everything that needed saying.

But I want to add a note about Betty Brewer. First, what a personality! Her life seems to have been tragic. Details are shrouded in some mystery, but whenever she pops up in a film, if she doesn't steal the whole movie, she at least sure steals the scenes she's in.

That's why I wish she had made more, and I wish she had stayed active into her adulthood.

The other actors in this enjoyable film mostly did very well for themselves, and for us.

The Reagan-Sheridan team always works magic; Richard Whorf is another of those actors who should have attained more "household-name" status, but he stayed busy in films and television a long time, including directing, apparently right up until his untimely death.

There was a long list of great Warner Brothers actors, including Alan Hale, and others, such as Willie Best, who might not be known as of a particular studio.

Howard da Silva played a bad guy, and every time I see him, I just marvel at his range. His Benjamin Franklin in the movie "1776" was just about perfect.

Ronald Reagan doesn't get much of a break from critics, but in "Juke Girl" he was great. He looked good and his acting was right on.

Ann Sheridan probably could do no wrong.

Together, the actors and the story -- although some of the dialog could have used some work -- create a very good movie.

Don't let the opening credits mislead you. The design of the credits and the corny music may mislead you into thinking this is going to be a second-rate comedy. It's actually a fairly effective melodrama, with a good cast, solid visual elements, and a decent script full of memorable lines.

The story focuses on two migrant laborers who are following the crop season in Florida and hoping for work. Their rough-and-tumble encounter with the local "boss" (Gene Lockhart, who makes a great villain although I always think of him as Bob Cratchit) breaks up their friendship, and emphasizes the tension between the boss and the farmers who depend on him for money. Reagan's attempts to help a troubled farmer just make Lockhart angrier, leading to escalating violence. Of course, in the meantime, a romance is blooming between Reagan and a local "juke girl" (Sheridan). He wants to settle down, but she's not ready.

Nicely choreographed action sequences, snappy dialog, and memorable major and minor characters make this WB feature worth seeking out.

Steve (Ronald Reagan) and Danny (Richard Whorf) are friends who are out of work. When they arrive at a crappy town in Florida, both move in different directions. Danny turns out to be a rather amoral guy and sees that his best bet is working for the local strong-man, Madden (Gene Lockhart). Steve doesn't understand this, as Madden is underhanded and treats the local farmers like dirt. One farmer in particular, Nick (George Tobias), has gotten on Madden's bad side and Madden has decided to ruin him. Can nice-guy Nick manage to defeat Madden and his forces of evil? And, can Steve manage to win the heart of a local juke-girl (a lady who works in a bar and whose job it is to dance with customers and get them to drink)?

This is an interesting film because in many ways it's like a 1940s western...yes, western. While there are no cowboys, the idea of a local boss-man ruining people and using his gang of thugs is very, very common in westerns. It's also interesting to see Reagan playing such a populist sort of role, though it was very much in line with the Reagan of the 1940s (a union man through and through).

So is it any good? Well, for the first 90% of the film, I'd say yes. However, the ending has quite a few problems. Seeing the town inexplicably turn into a lynch mob made little sense--especially when one of Madden's goons is clearly egging them to action. Additionally, Madden's behavior at the very end made little sense--he was evil through all the film--so why would he suddenly do the right thing?! All I know is that it's frustrating to see a good film that folds up at the end of the movie. Worth seeing but it should have been better.

"Juke Girl" is a film from "Warner Bros" which quickly faded into obscurity not long after its release in 1942. The leads, Ann Sheridan and Ronald Reagan were in a far better film that came out the same year, "King's Row." The plot is very confusing and it's hard to keep up with what is going on from one scene to the next. A good supporting cast is largely wasted and Alan Hale in particular, has nothing to do. A few punch up scenes and location photography can't compensate for a poor story. This is only for hardened fans of the old days of Hollywood.

Sometimes one viewing is all it takes, I'm moving this title immediately to my list of best films no one's ever heard of. Not so much for the story itself, but for the dialog and terrific nighttime street scenes of downtown Cat-tail with all those great marquees. I'll get to them in a minute. There's also some great era touches that you have to pay attention for, and if you do you'll be rewarded with a hefty dose of reality on how things were during a time gone by.

One of those took place early in the story. Did you catch the gas station guy lamenting the fact of all those vehicles passing him by to get to Cat-tail, stopping only if they needed a bit of fuel to make it the rest of the way? One of the customers bought a PINT of gas for 6 CENTS!!! Even con-girl Skeeter (Betty Brewer) filled up her gas can for a wallet busting twelve cents so her folks could make it the rest of the way. Usually we don't see the good old days portrayed this way.

Staying another minute at that gas station - how about Danny's response to Lola (Ann Sheridan) when she turns down his offer to wash the car - he's willing then to touch up her bumpers! You've got to wonder how the film makers got that one past the Code enforcers.

Well there's a whole bunch of stuff like this going on, so much so it took me almost twice as long to watch the movie compared to it's hour and a half run time, what with all the re-winds and stopping to take notes for this review. There's one scene I actually had to replay four times to see if I got it right. It's toward the end of the picture when Steve Talbot (Ronald Reagan) tucks in the drunken Nick Garcos (George Tobias) for the night. After leaving the room and locking the door, Nick calls Steve's name, and when Steve turns to answer, they're in the same room together again! Check it out.

Oh yeah, about the main drag in Cat-tail. Seeing as how they put this together, someone was pretty creative in naming the joints up and down the strip. You had places going by The Goons, Little Zombie, Jook Alley, Shook Shack, Muckeye's and Horsies Hot Shot. Sheridan's character did her 'juke girl' gig at Muckeye's, where it looked like a fair number of fellas were willing to touch up her bumpers. The fact that future President Reagan got to close out the story in a smooch with the 'oomph' girl shouldn't have come as a surprise considering all that went before.

It surprises me then that the film doesn't score a bit higher on this board. Okay, it is a bit formulaic, and if presented as a Western it would probably classify as run of the mill. But with all the cool stuff going on, I guess it just struck me in a way that a lot of films coming out of the era fail to do. Or maybe it had to do with one of those good luck Jo-Mo's Willie Best was peddling. It sure did the trick for me.

OK, I'm pretty far down on the list of previous reviewers, but I just saw this last night (April 12, 2016) on TCM as the second of a Ronald Reagan-Ann Sheridan double-bill following their pairing in "King's Row." So, by now readers already know the plot about the adversarial relationship between farmers and exploitive fat-cat (in Cat-Tail) vegetable buyer. The credit roll inside a jukebox rendering and jazzy musical score is wildly misleading. (Don't change channels; keep watching.) This movie is a surprisingly gritty story. I'm not going to summarize the storyline. If you're reading the reviews, you know the story by now. Here's what I want to point out: THE SET. When characters walk along the honky-tonk, "good times" strip to relieve the harsh realities of their dreary existence, check the names of the saloons. Somebody at Warner Bros. has a lot of fun naming these places: Muckeye's, Little Zombie, Goons, etc. All in all, an enjoyable film. The best dialogue is (surprisingly) between Sheridan and multi-talented Richard Whorf. Yes,credibility is stretched very far in the plot.

***SPOILER ALERT*** Reagan steals a very nice truck and never held accountable.(Come on, he would have been locked up in the Cat-Tail jail on the spot.) Later, however, he IS arrested for a murder with the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence. This leads me to my biggest criticism: The characters act in a way that only serves the screenwriter's purpose - not their own characters.

Ann Sheridan is usually in more Comedy films. This is a rare one where she is doing drama and romance with Reagan. The main plot of the movie is about the struggle farmers were having getting enough for their produce from middle men. The tension leads to undesirable results.

The film tries to paint the middle man as being way to lean on the amount he is paying the farmers. In the meantime Alan Hale Sr. as Yippee gets too confrontational with Henry Madden (Gene Lockhart). Steve Talbot (Reagan) befriends Yippee and tries to control his wild behavior and tries to be a peace make with all the conflict going. Of course things go awry and Yippee gets murdered. Reagan gets accused of it and Sheridan (Lola Mars) gets accused with him.

All of this spirals out of control with Henry creating a mob problem that is much like a Western, only this one is set in a more modern day (1942) setting. Actually it is a fair film though the ending is a bit muddled. It does not measure up to King's Row, but it is good enough for a viewing as the support cast here is really good, and Reagan and Sheridan act very well together. Reagan is happily married to Jane Wyman at this point and it seems like there is a little spark between him and Sheridan, but it also feels like it is an arms length type of thing too.

***SPOILERS*** It's when Kansas farm boy Steve Talbot played by future US President of the United States and leader of the Free World Ronald "Dutch" Reagan hooked up with feisty redhead Florida Juke girl Lola Mears, Ann Sheridan, that things started to get hot and heavy in the little town of Cat's-Tail Florida where they both resided. It's there that big time produce mogul Henry "The Man" Madden, Gene Lockhart, had an iron grip on the farmers in exporting their tomato's beans and cabbage to the markets all over the state. In champion of the working class Steve seeing the pain and suffering that Madden is putting the local farmers through he gets involved with maverick tomato farmer Nick Garcos, George Tobias, in standing up to Madden's bulling and greedy, in him getting all the lettuce (money) and the farmers getting peanuts, tactics.

It's when Nick & Steve are about to bring their crop of green beans to market up in Atlanta Georgia, out of Madden's reach, that Madden sends his goons lead by the violent but simple minded Cully, Howard De Silva, to stop his shipment of beans from getting there. With Steve preventing Madden and his goons from stopping the shipment he together with his partner Nick end up selling the prized green beans at a record price of $4.50 a crate resulting in something like a $15,000.00 profit. As for Steve's girlfriend Lola, a hot tomato herself, she in fact dumps him in order to get back to her true love being a Juke Girl at a local Atlanta saloon. But not after receiving her share of the cut, in the sale of green beans, of $3,800.00 from a grateful Nick.

***SPOILERS*** Just when you think the movie is about to end on the up side things rally get wild with a drunken Nick trying to get back in the good graces, or bury the hatchet, with Madden that he gets into a drunken spat with him ending up getting his brains beat in, in self defense, by an outraged and terrified , in him getting killed himself, Madden. With all the evidence leading straight to both Steve & Lola a lynch mob is incited by the bird brained Cully to drag both Steve & Lola out of the county jail and hang them on the nearest tree. It's only when Steve's friends Danny & Yippee, Richard Whorf & Alan Hale, get Madden to confess his crime to the lynch mob that they not bothering to have him stand trail, and finding out his killing Nick was in self defense but not murder, lynched the terrified and defenseless man on the spot. Making Cully & Co. far worse criminals as well as murderers then the late Henry Madden ever was!

Surprisingly angry melodrama from Warner Bros. about migrant worker Ronald Reagan versus local fat cat Gene Lockhart. I've seen movies similar to this from WB and other studios before. But this one is just dripping with anger from the start, even before Lockhart does anything that bad. As a matter of fact, while I understand the bare bones black & white morality of the story and sympathize with the plight of the "heroes," it was hard to really root for them. I'm trying to put my finger on why. I think it's because most of the time in these types of movies the good guys start out trying to be reasonable and law-abiding but are forced to take action when the law isn't on their side. But here the good guys are jerks from the start who break the law, as well as their word, with little to no provocation. It just felt like an extreme position to take early on. It was almost as if they took for granted the audience's sympathies and didn't feel the need to earn them. I suppose this could be true of the time it came out but many other similarly-themed films of the period didn't handle it this way.

Of note mostly today for Ronald Reagan, icon of conservative Republicans, playing a sort of leftist character. Reagan does fine. It's not one of his stronger roles. Ann Sheridan does better and is probably the standout of the picture. She had perfected her "world-weary working class girl" character by this time. Gene Lockhart and Howard Da Silva play the heavies. These are shallow roles both men could play in their sleep. Alan Hale provides comic relief. George Tobias is annoying and one of the primary reasons it was hard for me to root for the good guys. All in all, it's an OK time-passer but ultimately forgettable.

A depression story that while it entertains fails in the long haul. A too good looking Ronald Reagan plays a Tom Joad character by the name of Steve Talbot. All he wants to do farm but the local boss Madden , played against type by Gene Lockhart, doesn't want to see the farmers organize and who is aided by Steve's best friend Danny, Richard Whorf, and Madden's top henchman Cully, Howard Da Silva. And of course there is Steve's love interest Lola, Ann Sheridan. What hurts the story are the good looks of the leads. These are not the worn out physically depleted characters seen in The Grapes of Wrath. This cast looks like they just stepped right out of the latest pages of a Hollywood Magazine or Vogue.

Apparently staring in this picture had no impact on the young Ronald Reagan who as president had little to none of Steve Madden but lots of Henry Madden. I guess if nothing else this film proves Reagan a good actor who was able to read the lines not live them.

Immediately when you see Ronald Reagan you know you've got a pretty "B" film comin. He was never gonna be an A-list actor wanted by the studios to do the stuff Gable or Cagney was doing. Ann Sheridan is in this but this a really minor effort.

The story in this isn't bad but it's sorta...well...dumb. Basics are 2 guys come into a town that grows produce 9 months out of the year. We learn the only place you can sell your stuff is to 1 guy who short changes everyone to the point of almost poverty. Ronald Reagan steps in and...saves the day.

There are good performances in this but all are by the supporting cast. Alan Hales is his typical self but shines like he always did. George Tobias plays the guy who gets screwed over for the last time with crop pricing. He plays a Greek fella and does it well. Ann Sheridan is her typical pretty self but is pretty generic.

I think a lot of my rating is due to the title itself...Juke Girl. Ann Sheridan plays the Juke Girl but she's not even close to the focus of this film. It should have been called..."Big Bean Rip-Off." They gave this film the title to obviously cash in on her looks and fame at the time. It's sorta obvious.

A fairly decent film. It reminded me a lot of Phenix City Story. Mainly the corruption part but isn't near as effective as that film. Just keep looking at Ann Sheridan and watch Ronald Reagan act himself to a hero's end.