''The Girl from Jones Beach'' is a 1949 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Peter Godfrey and written by I. A. L. Diamond. It stars

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

Virginia Mayo Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of popular comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Bros.' biggest box-office draw in the late 1940s. S ...

Eddie Bracken Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) was an American actor. Bracken came to Hollywood prominence for his comedic lead performances in the films '' Hail the Conquering Hero'' and '' The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' b ...

, Dona Drake,

Henry Travers Travers John Heagerty (5 March 1874 – 18 October 1965), known professionally as Henry Travers, was an English film and stage character actor who specialised in portraying slightly bumbling but amiable and likeable older men. His best known ...

and Lois Wilson. The film was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

on July 16, 1949.

Plot

Chuck Donovan is a not so successful agent in New York who is hired by some television producers for a special job. He is to find the real identity of the woman who modeled for commercial sketch artist Bob Randolph as he created the famous "Randolph Girl". No one besides Randolph, not even the artist's secretary, Miss Brooks, has ever met the woman. Desperately, Donovan works to get Randolph to disclose the woman's identity, but the artist refuses. While Donovan is at Bob's studio, a suspicious invoice for the purchase of twelve identical golden bracelets arrive. And things become even more odd when a girl, who admittedly doesn't look like the Randolph girl, comes to the studio to pose. After Donovan puts pressure on him, Randolph confesses that the Randolph Girl is not an individual but a composite, drawn from the body parts of 12 different models. Realizing that he is about to fail in his mission of producing the model, Donovan considers taking his own life. He has tried to do this several times before, and each time left a note to his girlfriend, photographer Connie Martin. When Donovan goes to Jones Beach to drown himself, he notices a swimsuit-clad woman who is the spitting image of the Randolph Girl. Before he has a chance to contact her, she disappears into a dressing room, and he doesn't recognize her amid all the women coming out. He takes a chance on a girl named Ruth Wilson, and follows her to her home. He learns that Ruth is a language teacher for immigrants, living with her mother and brother. Ruth dresses modestly so as not to not attract too much attention to her body, since she wants men to like her for her mind. To get closer to Ruth, Donovan persuades Randolph to pretend to be a Czech immigrant, Robert Benerik, and signs him up for her class. Under his phony identity, and with a fake European accent, Randolph tries to win Ruth over by showing interest in her mind. For her part, the normally straitlaced Ruth finds herself attracted to the handsome newcomer. Soon they form a genuine affection for each other. Due to Donovan's accidental revelation to one of the 12 models that she isn’t the only participant, all the models decide to leave. Additionally, Randolph's real identity is exposed to Ruth, prompting him to admit that he joined the class under false pretenses. Bob and Ruth meet at the beach one day, and Donovan has sent Connie to take a secret photo of Ruth for commercial purposes. They succeed and the picture is published in the papers. Because of this, Ruth is fired from her teaching job, and the headmaster, Emma Shoemaker, claims that it is indecent behavior. Ruth fights the headmaster's decision in court, using Randolph as a witness on her behalf. After Ruth has appeared in court in her bathing suit, she wins the claim and gets her job back. The story ends with plans for a double wedding, with Donovan to marry Connie, and Randolph to marry Ruth.

Cast

as Bob Randolph / Robert Benerik *

as Ruth Wilson *

as Chuck Donovan * Dona Drake as Connie Martin *

as Judge Bullfinch (in his final film role) * Lois Wilson as Mrs. Wilson *

Florence Bates Florence Bates ( Rabe; April 15, 1888 – January 31, 1954) was an American film and stage character actress who often played grande dame characters in supporting roles. Life and career Bates was the second child born to Jewish immigrant p ...

as Miss Emma Shoemaker *

Jerome Cowan Jerome Palmer Cowan (October 6, 1897 – January 24, 1972) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Early years Cowan was born in New York City, the son of William Cowan, a confectioner of Scottish descent, and Julia Cowan, née Pal ...

as Mr. Graves - Ruth's Attorney *

Helen Westcott Helen Westcott (born Myrthas Helen Hickman, January 1, 1928 – March 17, 1998) was an American stage and screen actress. A former child actress, she is best known for her work in '' The Gunfighter'' (1950). Early years Westcott was born on Ne ...

as Miss Brooks *

Paul Harvey Paul Harvey Aurandt (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009) was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast ''News and Comment'' on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous ''The Rest o ...

as Jim Townsend *

Lloyd Corrigan Lloyd Corrigan (October 16, 1900 – November 5, 1969) was an American film and television actor, producer, screenwriter, and director who began working in films in the 1920s. The son of actress Lillian Elliott, Corrigan directed films, usually ...

as Mr. Evergood * Gary Gray as Woody Wilson *

Myrna Dell Myrna Dell (born Marilyn Adele Dunlap; March 5, 1924 – February 11, 2011) was an American actress, model, and writer who appeared in numerous motion pictures and television programs over four decades. A Hollywood glamour girl in the early par ...

as Lorraine Scott *

Joan Vohs Joan Vohs (July 30, 1927 – June 4, 2001) was an American model and film and television actress. Early years Vohs was a native of St. Albans, Queens, in New York City, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs William Vohs, who also had two younger daughters ...

as model (uncredited)

Critical reception

In a contemporary review of the film in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

wrote that "Virginia Mayo upholds the case for the form-fit bathing suit" and "many thanks to the Warners for not putting too much in the way of Miss Mayo's able demonstration of the use of the bathing suit." About Reagan's performance, Crowther noted that he "is a fellow who has a cheerful way of looking at dames" and that he "is thoroughly capable of getting the most that's to be had out of the major comedy encounters that develop in this film." After reporting that "I. A. L. Diamond's script is not of a lofty order. Indeed, it is noticeably low," he concluded with, "As a comedy actress, Miss Mayo is no better than a rather weak script. But as a model for bathing apparel—well, do you or do you not like bathing suits?"

References

External links

*
''The Girl from Jones Beach'' at AllMovie
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Girl from Jones Beach 1949 films 1949 comedy films American black-and-white films American comedy films Films directed by Peter Godfrey Films scored by David Buttolph Films set on Long Island Films set in New York City Films with screenplays by I. A. L. Diamond Warner Bros. films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films English-language comedy films