''Cocoanut Grove'' is a 1938 American
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Alfred Santell, and written by
Sy Bartlett
Sidney "Sy" Bartlett (born Sacha Baraniev; July 10, 1900 – May 29, 1978) was a Ukrainian American author and screenwriter/producer of Hollywood films.
Early life
Sy Bartlett was born on July 10, 1900 in the Black Sea seaport of Mykolaiv in th ...
and
Olive Cooper
Olivette "Olive" Cooper (1892–1987 was a prolific American screenwriter known for movies like ''Cocoanut Grove (film), Cocoanut Grove'', ''Bandit King of Texas'', and ''Three Little Sisters''. She wrote many of the screenplays for Roy Rogers a ...
. The film stars
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series, in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...
,
Harriet Hilliard
Harriet Nelson (formerly Hilliard; born Peggy Lou Snyder; July 18, 1909 – October 2, 1994) was an American actress and singer. Nelson is best known for her role on the sitcom ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''.
Early life and career
Ne ...
,
Ben Blue
Ben Blue (born Benjamin Bernstein; September 12, 1901 – March 7, 1975) was a Canadian-American actor and comedian who had a career that spanned nearly 50 years.
Early life
He was born Benjamin Bernstein in Montreal, Quebec on Septem ...
,
Eve Arden
Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades.
Beginning her film career in 1929 ...
,
Rufe Davis,
Billy Lee
Billy Lee is a former Gaelic footballer and former manager of the Limerick county football team. He is from Newcastle West.
Player
Lee played for Limerick. He became a selector when Liam Kearns managed the team between 1999 and 2005, and then ...
and George Walcott. The film was released on May 20, 1938, by
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
.
Plot
Johnny Prentice, a bandleader in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
with a bad temper, alienates some of his musicians and is in danger of losing custody of Half Pint, his son. He hires Linda Rogers to be the boy's tutor.
After being encouraged by Linda to pursue his dream of playing at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, they pack up friend Dixie's new trailer and head west. At a trailer park, they run into Hula Harry and hear a song he's composed. To his amazement, Johnny discovers that not only is Harry very talented, Linda is, too.
The trailer breaks down in Kansas, but the good news is that garage owner Bibb Tucker is a talented fellow as well. He is invited to tag along. When the group reaches L.A., the club date has mistakenly gone to another band. Worse yet, Johnny's apparent flirtation with Hazel De Vore leads to Linda boarding a bus and leaving for home.
Discovering the mistake, Johnny's musicians take matters into their own hands and keep the other band captive, Johnny goes after Linda and gets her back in time for that night's show.
Cast
*
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series, in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...
as Johnny Prentice
*
Harriet Hilliard
Harriet Nelson (formerly Hilliard; born Peggy Lou Snyder; July 18, 1909 – October 2, 1994) was an American actress and singer. Nelson is best known for her role on the sitcom ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''.
Early life and career
Ne ...
as Linda Rogers
*
Ben Blue
Ben Blue (born Benjamin Bernstein; September 12, 1901 – March 7, 1975) was a Canadian-American actor and comedian who had a career that spanned nearly 50 years.
Early life
He was born Benjamin Bernstein in Montreal, Quebec on Septem ...
as Joe De Lemma
*
Eve Arden
Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades.
Beginning her film career in 1929 ...
as Sophie De Lemma
*
Rufe Davis as Bibb Tucker
*
Billy Lee
Billy Lee is a former Gaelic footballer and former manager of the Limerick county football team. He is from Newcastle West.
Player
Lee played for Limerick. He became a selector when Liam Kearns managed the team between 1999 and 2005, and then ...
as Half Pint
*
George Walcott as Tony Wonder
*
Virginia Vale as Hazel De Vore
*Red Stanley as Dixie
*
Harry Owens
Harry Robert Owens (18 April 1902 – 12 December 1986) was an American composer, bandleader and songwriter best known for his song "Sweet Leilani."
Biography
Harry Robert Owens was born April 18, 1902, in O'Neill, Nebraska. He learned t ...
as Hula Harry
*
Ellen Drew as Radio Station Receptionist
*Randy Oness as Band Singer
*Harry Owens and His Royal Hawaiians as Royal Hawaiian Orchestra
*The Yacht Club Boys as Singing Quartette
References
External links
*
1938 films
1930s English-language films
American comedy films
1938 comedy films
Paramount Pictures films
Films directed by Alfred Santell
American black-and-white films
1930s American films
{{1930s-comedy-film-stub