''Janie'' is a 1944 film directed by

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...

based on a 1942 Broadway play by Josephine Bentham and Herschel V. Williams Jr. The play was adapted from Benthams's 1940 novel by the same name.

Plot

Janie is a free-spirited teenage girl living in a small town.

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

brings the establishment of an army camp nearby, which is opposed by her father, the local newspaper publisher. Janie and her bobby soxer friends have their hearts set afire by the prospect of so many young soldiers so close. She enjoys dating an Army man, which makes her younger local boyfriend jealous.

Cast

* Joyce Reynolds as Janie Conway * Robert Hutton as Pfc. Dick Lawrence * Edward Arnold as Charles Conway *

Ann Harding Ann Harding (born Dorothy Walton Gatley; August 7, 1902 – September 1, 1981) was an American theatre, motion picture, radio, and television actress. A regular player on Broadway and in regional theater in the 1920s, in the 1930s Harding was ...

as Lucille Conway * Alan Hale as Professor Reardon *

Robert Benchley Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. From his beginnings at ''The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, thro ...

as John Van Brunt * Clare Foley as Elsbeth Conway * Barbara Brown as Thelma Lawrence *

Hattie McDaniel Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first African ...

as April *

Richard Erdman Richard Erdman ( John Richard Erdmann; June 1, 1925 – March 16, 2019) was an American character actor and occasional film and television director. He appeared in more than 160 films and television productions between 1944 and 2017, mostly in ...

as Scooper Nolan *

Jackie Moran Jackie Moran (January 26, 1923 – September 20, 1990) was an American movie actor who, between 1936 and 1946, appeared in over thirty films, primarily in teenage roles. Early life and Hollywood career A native of Mattoon, Illinois, Jo ...

as Mickey the Sailor *

Ann Gillis Alma Mabel Conner (February 12, 1927 – January 31, 2018), known professionally as Ann Gillis, was an American actress, best known for her film roles as a child actress. She performed the voice of Faline in the 1942 Disney animated film ' ...

as Paula Rainey *

Russell Hicks Edward Russell Hicks (June 4, 1895 – June 1, 1957) was an American film character actor. Hicks was born in 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. During World War I, he served in the U.S. Army in France. He later became a lieutenant Colonel in the Cali ...

as Colonel Lucas * Ruth Tobey as Bernadine Dodd *

Virginia Patton Virginia Ann Marie Patton Moss (June 25, 1925 – August 18, 2022) was an American actress. After appearing in several films in the early 1940s, she was cast in her most well-known role as Ruth Dakin Bailey in Frank Capra's ''It's a Wonderful Li ...

as Carrie Lou *

Colleen Townsend Colleen Townsend, Mrs. Louis Evans (born December 21, 1928) is an American actress, author and humanitarian. Early years Townsend was born in Glendale, California. She attended Brigham Young University, leaving during her sophomore year to pu ...

as Hortense Bennett *

William Frambes The Bowery Boys are fictional New York City characters, portrayed by a company of New York actors, who were the subject of 48 feature films released by Monogram Pictures and its successor Allied Artists Pictures Corporation from 1946 through 1 ...

as Private Hackett Unbilled players include

Keefe Brasselle Keefe Brasselle (born Henry Keefe Brasselle February 7, 1923 – July 7, 1981) was an American film actor, television actor/producer and author. He is best remembered for the starring role in ''The Eddie Cantor Story'' (1953). Early years an ...

Jimmie Dodd James Wesley Dodd (March 28, 1910 – November 10, 1964) was an American actor, singer and songwriter best known as the master of ceremonies for the popular 1950s Walt Disney television series ''The Mickey Mouse Club,'' as well as the write ...

Sunset Carson Sunset Carson (born Winifred Maurice Harrison or Michael Harrison; November 12, 1920 – May 1, 1990) was an American B-western star of the 1940s. Early life, acting Carson was born on November 12, 1920, at Gracemont, Oklahoma, as either ...

Julie London Julie London (née Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her sultry, languid contralto vocals, London recorded over thirty albums ...

Virginia Sale Virginia Sale (May 20, 1899 – August 23, 1992) was an American character actress whose career spanned six decades, during most of which she played older women, even when she was in her twenties. Over the 46 years she was active as an actr ...

The Williams Brothers The Williams Brothers featuring Andy Williams were a singing quartet formed in the mid 1930s. They initially entertained on radio stations and later appeared in four musical films in the 1940s. After recording with Bing Crosby led to a nightc ...

with

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

Reception

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 his ...

, critic for ''

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 ...

'', panned the film, writing, "The authors of 'Janie', play and picture, have simply cut a theatrical farce with some kids. And the bluntness with which they have done so provides very little warm appeal"; and: "The performance of Joyce Reynolds in the title role is completely surface and pretentious; she had nothing with which to work". The film was followed two years later by a sequel, ''

Janie Gets Married ''Janie Gets Married'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Vincent Sherman, and written by Agnes Christine Johnston. The film stars Joan Leslie, Robert Hutton, Edward Arnold, Ann Harding, Robert Benchley, and Dorothy Malone. The film was ...

''.

References

External links

* * * * 1944 films 1944 romantic comedy films American black-and-white films American romantic comedy films American films based on plays Films directed by Michael Curtiz Films set on the home front during World War II Warner Bros. films Films scored by Heinz Roemheld 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{romantic-comedy-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links