''Too Many Girls'' is a 1940 American

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 and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

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

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. Early years Abbott was born in Forestville, New Yo ...

, who had also directed the hit Broadway musical on which it was based, which ran for 249 performances."Too Many Girls"

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade assoc ...

The film's screenplay is by

John Twist John Twist (July 14, 1898 – February 11, 1976) was an American screenwriter whose career spanned four decades. Born in Albany, Missouri, Twist began his career in the silent film era, providing the story for such films as ''Breed of Cour ...

, and it stars

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden ...

, Richard Carlson,

Ann Miller Ann Miller (born Johnnie Lucille Collier; April 12, 1923 – January 22, 2004) was an American retired actress and former dancer. She is best remembered for her work in the Classical Hollywood cinema musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Her early ...

Eddie Bracken Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) was an American actor. Bracken became a Hollywood comedy legend with lead performances in the films ''Hail the Conquering Hero'' and ''The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' both from ...

Frances Langford Julia Frances Newbern-Langford (April 4, 1913 – July 11, 2005) was an American singer and actress who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and made film and television appearances for over two decades. She was known as the "GI Nighting ...

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Lov ...

and

Hal Le Roy Hal Le Roy (born John LeRoy Schotte, December 10, 1913 – May 2, 1985) was an American dancer, actor, and singer appearing on stage, in film, and on television. Life and career Le Roy was born John LeRoy Schotte in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Decemb ...

. It was released on October 8, 1940, by

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

. Both Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball credited the production for bringing them together. They married on November 30, 1940, less than two months after the film's release.

Plot

Connie Casey (

), an energetic celebrity heiress, wants to go to Pottawatomie College in Stop Gap, New Mexico, her father's ''alma mater'', to be near her latest beau, British playwright Beverly Waverly ( Douglas Walton). To protect her, and without her knowledge, her tycoon father ( Harry Shannon) sends four Ivy League football players as her bodyguards, Clint Kelly ( Richard Carlson), Jojo Jordan (

), Manuelito (

) and Al Terwilliger (

), who sign a contract with an "anti-romance" clause. The college is in bad financial straits and the bodyguards use their salaries to help the college. They also join the college's terrible football team, which immediately becomes one of the best in the country. Clint falls in love with Connie, but when she discovers he is her bodyguard, she decides to go back East. The bodyguards follow her, leaving the team in the lurch. The people of Stop Gap go after them, and they are brought back just in time for the big game. Connie declares her love for Clint, and he leads the team to victory.

Cast

as Connie Casey * Richard Carlson as Clint Kelly *

as Pepe *

as Jojo Jordan *

as Eileen Eilers *

as Manuelito *

as Al Terwilliger * Libby Bennett as Tallulah Lou * Harry Shannon as Mr. Casey * Douglas Walton as Beverly Waverly *

Chester Clute Chester Lamont Clute (February 18, 1891 – April 2, 1956) was an American actor familiar in scores of Hollywood films from his debut in 1930. Diminutive, bald-pated with a bristling moustache, he appeared in mostly unbilled roles, consi ...

as Lister * Tiny Person as Midge Martin * Ivy Scott as Mrs. Tewksbury * Byron Shores as Sheriff Andaluz *

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

as chorus boy ''(uncredited)'' *

Grady Sutton Grady Harwell Sutton (April 5, 1906 – September 17, 1995) was an American film and television character actor from the 1920s to the 1970s. He appeared in more than 180 films. Early years Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sutton was raised ...

as football coach ''(uncredited)'' Cast notes: *Desi Arnaz, Eddie Bracken, Hal LeRoy, Libby Bennett, Ivy Scott, Byron Shores and Van Johnson all also appeared in the Broadway musical on which the film is based, playing the same characters. It was the Broadway debut for all of them except LeRoy. *During the course of filming, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz fell in love. They eloped on November 30, 1940.

Production

RKO paid $100,000 for the rights to the Broadway musical. Filming on ''Too Many Girls'' began on June 22, 1940.

Songs

The songs in ''Too Many Girls'' were all written by

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

, who composed the music, and

Lorenz Hart Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include " Blue Moon", " The Lady Is a Tramp", "Manhattan", "Bewitched, Both ...

, who wrote the lyrics. The songs are: * "

You're Nearer "You're Nearer" is an American popular song by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart (Rodgers and Hart) from the 1940 film version of the Broadway musical '' Too Many Girls''. It was not in the original Broadway show but was written esp ...

" * "

I Didn't Know What Time It Was "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" is a popular song composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the 1939 musical '' Too Many Girls''. Introduced by Richard Kollmar and Marcy Westcott in the stage musical, early hit versions were rec ...

" * "Spic and Spanish" * "Love Never Went to College" * "'Cause We All Got Cake" * "Heroes in the Fall" * "Pottawatomie". All the songs also appeared in the Broadway musical, except for "You're Nearer". Songs that were used in the stage musical and not used in the film were "Tempt Me Not", "My Prince", "I Like to Recognize the Tune", "The Sweethearts of the Team", "She Could Shake the Maracas", "Too Many Girls", and "Give it Back to the Indians"."Too Many Girls: Songs"

Critical response

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 ...

of ''

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 ...

'' wrote that ''Too Many Girls'' was a "pleasant, light-hearted and wholly ingenuous campus film" but that director George Abbot "has permitted it to sag in the middle, at which point the thin spots baldly show." He complained that some of the dance numbers looked dark and gloomy. "If the intention was to be impressive, it has failed. For 'Too Many Girls' is a simple, conventional rah-rah picture, without any place for pretense. And there is not enough to it, on the whole, for Mr. Abbott to squander dancers recklessly."

References

External links

* * * * {{George Abbott 1940 films 1940 musical comedy films American black-and-white films American football films American musical comedy films Films based on musicals Films directed by George Abbott Films set in universities and colleges RKO Pictures films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films