''Girls on Probation'' is a 1938 American crime film directed by William C. McGann and written by

Crane Wilbur Crane Wilbur (November 17, 1886 – October 18, 1973) was an American writer, actor and director for stage, radio and screen. He was born in Athens, New York. Wilbur is best remembered for playing Harry Marvin in '' The Perils of Pauline''. He ...

. The film stars

Jane Bryan Jane Bryan (born Jane O'Brien, June 11, 1918 – April 8, 2009) was an American actress groomed by Warner Bros. to become one of its leading ladies but she chose to retire from acting in 1940 at age 22, after which she became a philanthropist an ...

, Ronald Reagan, Anthony Averill,

Sheila Bromley Sheila Bromley (born Sheila LeGay; October 31, 1911 – July 23, 2003), (The reference work ''Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003'' gave her birth date as October 31, 1907). sometimes billed as Sheila LeGay, Sheila Manners, Sheila Manno ...

, Henry O'Neill and

Elisabeth Risdon Elisabeth Risdon (born Daisy Cartwright Risdon; 26 April 1887 – 20 December 1958) was an English film actress. She appeared in more than 140 films between 1913 and 1952. A beauty in her youth, she usually played in society parts. In later ...

. The film was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

on August 22, 1938.

Plot

Innocent young Connie Heath (

) is persuaded to borrow a party dress from her friend, "fast girl" Hilda Engstrom (

), who has actually misappropriated it from the dry cleaner where she works. After the real owner of the dress, witchy Gloria Adams ( Susan Hayward), spots Connie out in the dress (which is subsequently torn in a car door), Connie is falsely accused of theft and prosecuted as Hilda flees town and leaves her to take the blame. Though Gloria withdraws her charge, the insurance company continues to persecute poor Connie, resulting in a charge of grand larceny. Championing her cause is crusading attorney Neil Dillon ( Ronald Reagan)- coincidentally, also Connie's date on the evening in question- who gets Connie off with probation. Connie leaves town after being mistreated by her unsympathetic father (

Sig Ruman Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann (October 11, 1884 – February 14, 1967), billed as Sig Ruman and Sig Rumann, was a German-American character actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypically Teutonic officials or villains i ...

) and gets a job in order to pay for the damaged dress. One day she spots Hilda waiting in a parked car on the street and begins to argue with her in the car when Hilda's boyfriend emerges from a bank he has just robbed, fleeing the scene with Connie in tow. She is arrested and convicted while refusing to give her real name or full story for fear of humiliating her family. Eventually the truth begins to emerge, and Connie is given probation, returns home, and becomes engaged to Dillon. When Hilda is given probation, she returns to town as well, to make even more trouble for Connie, especially after her boyfriend escapes prison.

Cast

as Connie Heath * Ronald Reagan as Neil Dillon * Anthony Averill as Tony Rand *

as Hilda Engstrom * Henry O'Neill as Judge *

as Kate Heath *

as Roger Heath *

Dorothy Peterson Bergetta "Dorothy" Peterson (25 December 1897 - 3 October 1979) was an American actress. She began her acting career on Broadway before appearing in more than eighty Hollywood films. Early years Peterson was born in Hector, Minnesota, the dau ...

as Jane Lennox * Susan Hayward as Gloria Adams * Larry Williams as Terry Mason, Hilda's Date *

Arthur Hoyt Arthur Hoyt (March 19, 1874 – January 4, 1953) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 275 films in his 34-year film career, about a third of them silent films. Career Born in Georgetown, Colorado, in 1874, Hoyt mad ...

as Mr. Engstrom *

Emory Parnell Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career. Early years Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Parnell trained as a musician at Morningside ...

as Officer Craig *

Peggy Shannon Peggy Shannon (born Winona Sammon; January 10, 1907 – May 11, 1941) was an American actress. She appeared on the stage and screen of the 1920s and 1930s. Shannon began her career as a Ziegfeld girl in 1923 before moving on to Broadway product ...

, uncredited inmate

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Girls On Probation 1938 films 1938 crime films American crime films American black-and-white films Films directed by William C. McGann Warner Bros. films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links