''Pin Up Girl'' is a 1944 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

starring

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics * John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician * John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture ...

Martha Raye Martha Raye (born Margy Reed; August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994), nicknamed The Big Mouth, was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including Broadway. She was honored ...

, and Joe E. Brown.

Directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

by H. Bruce Humberstone and produced by

William LeBaron William LeBaron (February 16, 1883February 9, 1958) was an American film producer. LeBaron's film credits included '' Cimarron'', which won the Academy Award for Outstanding Production at the 4th Academy Awards ceremony for 1930/1931. LeBaron a ...

, the

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

was adapted by Robert Ellis,

Helen Logan Helen Logan (December 13, 1906 – January 15, 1989) was an American screenwriter active from 1935 to 1950. Biography Helen Logan was born in Los Angeles, California, to William Edson Logan and Ida Jane Busick. She attended the University of C ...

and

Earl Baldwin Earl Baldwin (January 11, 1901 in Newark, New Jersey – October 9, 1970 in Hollywood, California, age 69) was an American screenwriter. During his career he wrote more than 50 produced screenplays, including ''Wild Boys of the Road'', '' Broth ...

based on a short story titled ''Imagine Us!'' (1942) by Libbie Block. ''Pin Up Girl'' capitalized on Grable's iconic

pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...

status during World War II, even using her famous swimsuit photo in portions of the movie.

Plot

Lorry Jones (

) is working as a hostess at the local USO canteen in "Missoula, Missouri," where she performs as a singer and signs photographs of herself for adoring soldiers. It is her job to keep them happy and routinely accept every marriage proposal. One of her suitors, Marine Sergeant George Davis (

Roger Clark Roger Albert Clark, MBE (5 August 1939 – 12 January 1998) was a British rally driver during the 1960s and '70s, and the first competitor from his country to win a World Rally Championship (WRC) event when he triumphed at the 1976 RAC Rally. ...

), does not realize she has no real intention of marrying him. Meanwhile, Lorry and her best friend, Kay Pritchett ( Dorothea Kent), have accepted jobs as stenographers in Washington, D.C., but they tell the soldiers that they are going on a USO tour. The night before leaving for Washington, D.C., they go out partying in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Upon arriving in the city by train, they are welcomed by Navy hero Tommy Dooley (

), who fought at the

Battle of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the ...

. That night, they try to get into the Club Chartreuse, but are not allowed to go in without escorts. Lorry does not want to leave and tells the lie that she is meeting Tommy and his friend, Dud Miller ( Dave Willock), in the club. She is not aware that Tommy is the best friend of Eddie Hall ( Joe E. Brown), the club's owner. When Eddie is told that Lorry and Kay are escorts of Tommy, he lavishes them with champagne. When Tommy and Dud arrive, Tommy thinks Eddie has set them up in blind dates with the girls. Dud believes the two women are actresses. Before Tommy can prove Dud wrong, Kay drunkenly tells them she and Lorry are in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical ''Remember Me''. Molly McKay (

), star singer at the club, does not believe Kay, until Lorry, telling everyone her name is Laura Lorraine, performs a song without trouble. Lorry and Kay eventually spend their night dancing with Tommy and Dud and leave for Washington the next morning. The men lose the women's address by accident. Two weeks later, Lorry and Kay are insulted with not having heard from their beaus. Meanwhile, Lorry is bored with her life as a stenographer, until Tommy and Dud surprisingly show up in Washington. Lorry is assigned as his stenographer, but does not want him to find out her real career. She decides to disguise herself, so he will not recognize her as Laura. Lorry sets up a date between Tommy and "Laura." At their date, Tommy tells her he loves dating an actress. She is hurt and tells him she is going to give up her stage life. Tommy responds by offering her a job at Eddie's club. Molly is jealous when she finds out, but sees an opportunity to get rid of her when George comes to town and recognizes her as Lorry. She introduces George to Tommy, who is insulted when he hears the truth. When Lorry finds out what has happened, she tells George she has no intention of marrying him. Laura then dresses as stenographer Lorry and visits Tommy to beg him to give "Laura" another chance. Things do not go her way, however, so she reveals that she is both Lorry and Laura. Tommy eventually forgives her.

Cast

as Lorry Jones/Laura Lorraine *

as Tommy Dooley *

as Molly McKay * Joe E. Brown as Eddie Hall *

Eugene Pallette Eugene William Pallette (July 8, 1889 – September 3, 1954) was an American actor who worked in both the silent and sound eras, performing in more than 240 productions between 1913 and 1946. After an early career as a slender leading man, ...

as Barney Briggs * Dorothea Kent as Kay Pritchett * Dave Willock as Dud Miller *

Charlie Spivak Charlie Spivak (February 17, 1907 – March 1, 1982) was an American trumpeter and bandleader, best known for his big band in the 1940s. Early life The details of Spivak's birth are unclear. Some sources place it in Ukraine in 1907, and that h ...

as Himself (bandleader) *

as Marine Sgt. George Davis (uncredited) *

Nat 'King' Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

as Canteen Pianist * Hermes Pan as Apache Dancer *

Adele Jergens Adele Jergens (November 26, 1917 – November 22, 2002) was an American actress. Early life and career Born in Brooklyn, New York, as Adele Louisa Jurgens (some sources say Jurgenson), she rose to prominence in the late 1930s when she was named ...

as Canteen Worker *

Bess Flowers Bess Flowers (November 23, 1898 – July 28, 1984) was an American actress best known for her work as an extra in hundreds of films. She was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in more than 350 feature films and numerou ...

as Arriving Club Diplomacy Patron *

June Hutton June Hutton (born June Marvel Cowan; August 11, 1919 – May 2, 1973) was an American actress and vocalist, popular with big bands during the 1940s. She was the younger sister of vocalist Ina Ray Hutton. Early years Hutton was born in Blooming ...

as June Hutton - Singer with Spivak Band *

Reed Hadley Reed Hadley (born Reed Herring, June 25, 1911 – December 11, 1974) was an American film, television and radio actor. Early life Hadley was born in Petrolia, Texas, to Bert Herring, an oil well driller, and his wife Minnie. Hadley had one ...

as Radio Announcer (voice) *

Lillian Porter Lillian Porter (February 24, 1917, Alameda County, California – February 1, 1997, San Bernardino, California) was an American film and television actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The ac ...

as Cigarette Girl

Production and release

In October 1942,

Linda Darnell Linda Darnell (born Monetta Eloyse Darnell; October 16, 1923 – April 10, 1965) was an American actress. Darnell progressed from modeling as a child to acting in theater and film. At the encouragement of her mother, she made her first film in ...

and

Don Ameche Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which ...

were set to star. However, it was decided the movie would be made as a musical, thereby replacing Darnell by musical actress

. She was seven months pregnant when the movie was completed. When ''Pin Up Girl'' was released, it received mixed reviews from critics. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote: "This is one of those escapist filmusicals which makes no pretenses at ultra-realism, and if you get into the mood fast that it's something to occupy your attention for an hour and a half. It's all very pleasing and pleasant." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' criticized the script, stating it was a "spiritless blob of a musical." However, it praised Grable.''The New York Times''
"Pin Up Girl at Roxy, Show Business at Palace -- Hour Before Dawn Comes to Victoria."

Soundtracks

* ''You're My Little Pin Up Girl'' ** Music by James V. Monaco ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Sung by chorus, uncredited players, and

** Danced by the Condos Brothers * ''Time Alone Will Tell'' ** Music by James V. Monaco ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Sung by

and

The Stardusters The Stardusters were American jazz vocalists. History The Stardusters were founded as a male trio in the mid 1930s. Glen Galyon, Curt Purnell, and Dick Wylder had already established themselves in 1936 as the Stardusters, and in 1939, were fea ...

with

and His Orchestra * ''Red Robins, Bobwhites and Bluebirds'' ** Music by James V. Monaco ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Performed by

** Danced by Gloria Nord and the Skating Vanities * ''Don't Carry Tales out of School'' ** Music by James V. Monaco ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Performed by Betty Grable and chorus with Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra * ''Yankee Doodle Hayride'' ** Music by James V. Monaco ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Performed by Martha Raye with Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra ** Danced by the Condos Brothers * ''Once Too Often'' ** Music by James V. Monaco ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Sung by Betty Grable ** Danced by Betty Grable, Hermes Pan and Angela Blue with Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra * ''The Story of the Very Merry Widow'' ** Music by James V. Monaco ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Performed by Betty Grable with chorus * ''The Caisson Song'' ** Music by Edmund L. Gruber ** Played briefly during the opening credits * ''Anchors Aweigh'' ** Music by Charles A. Zimmerman ** Played briefly during the opening credits * ''The Marine Hymn'' ** Music by

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ' ...

from ''

Geneviève de Brabant ''Geneviève de Brabant'' is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach, first performed in Paris in 1859. The plot is based on the medieval legend of Genevieve of Brabant. For the 1867 version two additional characters, men-at-arms, ...

'' ** Played briefly during the opening credits * ''You'll Never Know'' ** Music by Harry Warren ** Played on the trumpet after the "Yankee Doodle Hayride" number * ''The Army Air Corps Song'' ** Music by Robert Crawford ** Played briefly during the opening credits * ''Minnie's in the Money'' ** Music by Harry Warren ** Played when the protest proclamation is read to Lorry * ''Goin' to the County Fair'' ** Music by Harry Warren ** Played when Eddie Hall stops by Lorry and Kay's table

References

External links

* * * * {{H. Bruce Humberstone 1944 films 1940s romantic musical films 1944 romantic comedy films 20th Century Fox films Films directed by H. Bruce Humberstone Films based on short fiction American musical comedy films American romantic musical films American romantic comedy films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films