''Juke Girl'' is a 1942 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Curtis Bernhardt Curtis Bernhardt (15 April 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a Jewish film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt. He trained as an actor in Germany, and performed on the stage, before starting as a film director in 1924, wi ...

, written by

A. I. Bezzerides Albert Isaac "Buzz" Bezzerides ( August 9, 1908 – January 1, 2007) was an American novelist and screenwriter, best known for writing films noir and action motion pictures, especially several of Warners' "social conscience" films of the 1940s. ...

, and starring

Ann Sheridan Clara Lou "Ann" Sheridan (February 21, 1915 – January 21, 1967) was an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in the films ''San Quentin'' (1937) with Humphrey Bogart, ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938) with James Cagne ...

and

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

. The supporting cast includes

Richard Whorf Richard Whorf (June 4, 1906 – December 14, 1966) was an American actor, writer and film director. Life and acting career Whorf was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts to Harry and Sarah (née Lee) Whorf. His older brother was linguist Benjamin Le ...

George Tobias George Tobias (July 14, 1901 – February 27, 1980) was an American theater, film and television actor. He had character parts and supporting roles in several major films of Hollywood's Golden Age. He is also known for his role as Abner K ...

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

Alan Hale Sr. Alan Hale Sr. (born Rufus Edward Mackahan; February 10, 1892 – January 22, 1950) was an American actor and director. He is best remembered for his many character roles, in particular as a frequent sidekick of Errol Flynn, as well as f ...

Howard Da Silva Howard Da Silva (born Howard Silverblatt, May 4, 1909 – February 16, 1986) was an American actor, director and musical performer on stage, film, television and radio. He was cast in dozens of productions on the New York stage, appeared in mo ...

Donald MacBride Donald Hugh MacBride (June 23, 1893 – June 21, 1957) was an American character actor on stage, in films, and on television who launched his career as a teenage singer (making several recordings in 1907) in vaudeville and went on to be an ...

Faye Emerson Faye Margaret Emerson (July 8, 1917 – March 9, 1983) was an American film and stage actress and television interviewer who gained fame as a film actress in the 1940s before transitioning to television in the 1950s and hosting her own talk show ...

Willie Best William Best (May 27, 1913 – February 27, 1962), known professionally as Willie Best or Sleep n' Eat, was an American television and film actor. Best was one of the first African American film actors and comedians to become well kn ...

, and

Fuzzy Knight John Forrest "Fuzzy" Knight (May 9, 1901 – February 23, 1976) was an American film and television actor. He was also a singer, especially in his early career. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1928 and 1967, usually as a cowboy h ...

. The plot focuses on the plight of exploited farmers and farmworkers in the South.

Tagline

"Shapely Ann Sheridan is starred with Ronald Reagan in the story of a dime-a-dance girl who discovers her veneer of hardness is not so solid as she had thought."Staff, "Fox Will Show The 'Juke Girl'", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Friday 12 June 1942, Volume 60, Number 29, page 5.

Plot

Farm workers Steve and Danny seek jobs in the fields of Florida, where a man named Henry Madden runs a packing plant and uses strong-arm tactics while preventing many farmers from selling their crops. Steve meets and falls in love with Lola Mears, a "juke girl" employed at Muckeye John's club. They befriend farmer Nick Garcos, whose attempt to sell his tomatoes in Atlanta is foiled by Madden's henchman Cully. Danny turns against his friend Steve, deciding to work for Madden. In a fight, Nick is killed by Madden, who then attempts to frame Steve and Lola for murder. Madden's crime is uncovered, resulting in Steve and Lola leaving town to begin a new life.

Cast

as Lola Mears *

as Steve Talbot *

as Danny Frazier *

as Nick Garcos *

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

as Henry Madden * Alan Hale as Yippee *

Betty Brewer Virginia Luella Brewer (November 23 or January 17, 1920s – December 2, 2006), known professionally as Betty Brewer, was an American actress. Brewer was born in Joplin, Missouri, however her date of birth is a cause for some dispute with some ...

as Skeeter *

as Cully *

as "Muckeye" John *

Willard Robertson Willard Robertson (January 1, 1886 – April 5, 1948) was an American actor and writer. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1924 and 1948. He was born in Runnels, Texas, and died in Hollywood, California. Biography Robertson first w ...

as Mister Just *

as Violet "Murph" Murphy *

as Jo-Mo

Production

The picture was released the following month after the classic ''

Kings Row ''Kings Row'' is a 1942 film starring Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan and Betty Field that tells a story of young people growing up in a small American town at the turn of the twentieth century. The picture was directed by Sam Wood. ...

'', which also stars Sheridan and Reagan as a couple.

References

External links

''Juke Girl''
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

''Juke Girl''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atl ...

1942 films 1942 drama films American black-and-white films American drama films Films about agriculture Films about the labor movement Films directed by Curtis Bernhardt Films scored by Adolph Deutsch Films set in Florida Warner Bros. films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{1940s-drama-film-stub