''Ever Since Venus'' is a 1944 American comedy directed by

Arthur Dreifuss Arthur Dreifuss (sometimes credited as Dreyfuss; March 25, 1908 – December 31, 1993)Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

, and stars

Ina Ray Hutton Ina Ray Hutton (born Odessa Cowan; March 13, 1916 – February 19, 1984) was an American singer, bandleader, and the elder sister of June Hutton. She led one of the first all-female big bands. Biography A native of Chicago, Hutton began da ...

Hugh Herbert Hugh Herbert (August 10, 1885 – March 12, 1952) was an American motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches. Career Born in Binghamton, New York, Herbert attended Cornell Univers ...

Ann Savage Ann Savage (born Berniece Maxine Lyon, February 19, 1921 – December 25, 2008) was an American film and television actress. She is best remembered as the greedy cigarette-puffing'' femme fatale'' in the critically acclaimed film noir ''Detour ...

, and

Billy Gilbert William Gilbert Barron (September 12, 1894 – September 23, 1971), known professionally as Billy Gilbert, was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects ...

. It was Hutton's first major film role; she had become famous for her

all-female band An all-female band is a musical group in popular music that is exclusively composed of female musicians. This is distinct from a girl group, in which the female members are solely vocalists, though this terminology is not universally followed. While ...

during the 1930s, which had been the inspiration for the band in

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holly ...

's 1959 film, ''

Some Like It Hot ''Some Like It Hot'' is a 1959 American crime comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, with George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee, Grace Lee Whitne ...

''.

Plot

A cosmetics manufacturer, J. Webster Hackett, hires Ina Ray Hutton and her band to headline a promotional beauty show. Hutton offers a thousand dollars reward for anyone who can submit a winning theme song. Not knowing of Hutton's offer, a local short order cook, Tiny Lewis, who is also an aspiring songwriter, gets one of his songs to Hutton. Hutton lets him know that she'll give him an answer within a day. When Lewis gets home, he finds out his roommates, Bradley Miller and Michele, have developed a new lipstick. A local beauty shop manager, Janet Wilson, thinks the product is a winner, as well as becoming enamored with Miller. She encourages them to enter the lipstick in a beauty products contest. Through a series and twists and turns, Lewis' song is chosen, and he and his roommates use the $1000 reward from the song contest to pay the fee needed to showcase their lipstick at the beauty products show. A rival manufacturer to Hackett, P.G. Grimble, backs the product and agrees to produce the lipstick at his factories. As the deal is announced, Brad and Janet end up together.

Cast list

, and Her Orchestra *

as P. G. Grimble *

as Janet Wilson *

as Tiny Lewis *

Glenda Farrell Glenda Farrell (June 30, 1904 – May 1, 1971) was an American actress. Farrell personified the smart and sassy, wisecracking blonde of the Classical Hollywood films. Farrell's career spanned more than 50 years, appearing in numerous Broadwa ...

as Babs Cartwright *

Ross Hunter Ross Hunter (born Martin Terry Fuss; May 6, 1916 or 1920 – March 10, 1996) was an American film and television producer and actor. He is best known for producing light comedies such as '' Pillow Talk'' (1959), and the glamorous melodramas '' ...

as Bradley Miller *

Alan Mowbray Alan Mowbray (born Alfred Ernest Allen; 18 August 1896 – 25 March 1969) was an English stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood. Early life Mowbray was born in London, England. He served with distinction in the British Army in Wo ...

as J. Webster Hackett * Marjorie Gateson as Maude Hackett *

Thurston Hall Ernest Thurston Hall (May 10, 1882 – February 20, 1958) was an American film, stage and television actor.Aylesworth, Thomas G. and Bowman, John S. (1987). ''The World Almanac Who's Who of Film''. World Almanac. . Pp. 186-187. Career Stag ...

as Edgar Pomeroy *

Fritz Feld Fritz Feld (October 15, 1900 – November 18, 1993) was a German-American film character actor who appeared in over 140 films in 72 years, both silent and sound. His trademark was to slap his mouth with the palm of his hand to create a "pop" s ...

as Michele

Production

The original title of this production was ''Beauty For Sale''. In November 1943 it was announced that the film was being scheduled for production at Columbia. Dreifuss left

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

to return to Columbia as part of a deal to write/direct films, where he previously worked in the 1930s. ''Beauty'' was to be his first project on his return, with McElbert Moore assisting in the writing duties. The duo had written the story, and in November were beginning work on the screenplay. Shooting on the movie, whose title had been changed to ''Ever Since Venus'', began the week of May 15, the only film to begin that week at Columbia, and making it one of fifty-five pictures being produced in Hollywood at that time. Also in May it was revealed that picture was to be a musical, produced by Rudolph Flothow, and the cast would contain Ann Savage, Ina Ray Hutton (and her band), Hugh Hubert, and Billy Gilbert. The film was in production from mid-May through the second week of June 1944. After production ended, it was revealed that Alan Mowbray, Ross Hunter, Glenda Farrell, Marjorie Gateson, Fritz Feld, and Bill Shawn were also members of the cast. As of the beginning of August, the film's release date had not been decided on, but by the second week of August it was announced as September 14. The film's success led to Dreifuss being given a long-term contract at Columbia. Months after its release, the

Legion of Decency The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was a Catholic group founded in 1934 by Archbishop of Cincinnati, John T. McNicholas, as an organization dedicated to identifying objectionable content in motion pictu ...

gave the film an "A-2" rating.

Reception

Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...

'' called the story thin and routine, but felt that the comedy overcame it. They particularly highlighted the work of Herbert and Gilbert, as well as enjoying the romantic elements as provided by Hunter and Savage. Meanwhile, ''

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' gave the picture a very positive review, calling it "...a human story packed with laughs." They applauded Dreifuss' direction, rating it "expert", and extolled the virtues of Hutton and her orchestra.

Motion Picture Daily ''Motion Picture Daily'' was an American daily magazine focusing on the film industry. It was published by Quigley Publishing Company, which also published the '' Motion Picture Herald''. The magazine was formed by the merging of three existing Q ...

'' also gave he picture good reviews, stating the Hutton gave the story "zing" and was "fresh and plentiful". They gave good marks to the direction of Dreifuss, and the musical numbers. The film also received positive press from the ''

Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals'' Greenwood Press. p. 242. It was replaced by the ''QP Heral ...

'', saying that the comedy contained "... more than its promise of mirth, music and merriment ...." They singled out Dreifuss' direction, the musical talents of Hutton, and the comedic efforts of Gilbert, Herbert, Mowbray and Feld. ''

Showmen's Trade Review ''Showmen's Trade Review'' was a weekly trade magazine for exhibitors and distributors of motion pictures published by Charles E. "Chick" Lewis (February 6, 1896 - October 22, 1953) out of offices in New York City. History and profile The first ...

'' felt the film was good for top billing in double features, calling it "Excellent music and comedy". They gave high marks to Dreifuss' direction, as well as the comedic acting of Gilbert, Herbert, and Mowbray, and felt the pace of the film alternated nicely between drama, comedy and music. They also applauded Hutton and Savage's performances.

References

External links

* * * {{AFI film, 1944 1944 comedy films 1944 films American comedy films Columbia Pictures films American black-and-white films Films directed by Arthur Dreifuss 1940s American films