''Government Girl'' is a 1943 American romantic-

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 ...

, produced and directed by Dudley Nichols and starring

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...

and

Sonny Tufts Bowen Charlton "Sonny" Tufts III (July 16, 1911 – June 4, 1970) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for the films he made as a contract star at Paramount in the 1940s, including ''So Proudly We Hail!''. He a ...

. Based on a story by

Adela Rogers St. Johns Adela Nora Rogers St. Johns (May 20, 1894 – August 10, 1988) was an American journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. She wrote a number of screenplays for silent movies but is best remembered for her groundbreaking exploits as "The World's Grea ...

, and written by Dudley Nichols and Budd Schulberg, the film is about a secretary working in a factory during

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 ...

who helps her boss navigate the complex political machinations of government in an effort to build bomber aircraft for the war effort.

Plot

Automobile engineer Ed Browne (

) comes to Washington to appear in front of the War Construction Board. His mission is to supervise the building of bomber aircraft for the war. But when he arrives at the crowded hotel he is supposed to stay at, there are no rooms available. A friendly clerk at the hotel recognizes him from the paper and offers him room 2A. Ed is unaware that the same room is reserved by Elizabeth "Smokey" Allard (

), for her friend May (

Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel '' Anne of Green Gables'' by L. M. Montgomery. Shirley is featured throughout the classic book series, which revolve around her life and family in 19th and 20th-century Prince Edw ...

) who will marry an army sergeant, Joe Bates ( James Dunn), that very night. The wedding takes place in the hotel lobby, but the groom has lost his ring, and Smokey borrows one from Ed, which leads him to believe that Smokey is the woman getting married. A series of unfortunate events that night leads to Joe being arrested by M.P.s, and he leaves a borrowed motorcycle behind in the hands of Smokey. Smokey tries to find someone who can return the bike, and Ed happens to pass by on his way to the War Construction Board. When Smokey tells him she works at the board, he agrees to drive her there. It turns out Ed is Smokey's new boss. He learns that she is dating a man named Dana McGuire ( Jess Barker), who is an adviser to Senator MacVickers (

Harry Davenport Harry Davenport may refer to: * Harry Davenport (actor) (1866–1949), American film and stage actor * Harry Davenport (footballer) (1900–1984), Australian footballer * Harry J. Davenport (1902–1977), Democratic Party member of the U.S. House ...

). Dana soon proves to be too egoistical and ambitious for Smokey's taste. When Ed announces his plan to make the aircraft factories more effective, producing double the amount of bombers each year, Smokey warns him not to stray too far off government recommendations. He ignores her warning, and goes ahead with his efficiency plan. When six months have passed, Ed has reached his goal, but he has also made enemies. One of them is C. L. Harvester ( Paul Stanton), who has become a thorn in his side because of the way Ed has ignored government procedures, and cutting into Harvester's business earnings. The two men become bitter enemies. Harvester soon teams up with Dana, the senator, and powerful Washington socialite Adele Wright ( Agnes Moorehead), threatening Ed with a Senate investigation. Ed has enough trouble with personal issues, realizing that he has fallen for Smokey, while she has already received a proposal from Dana. Smokey, however, by burning the information Harvester has brought to Dana, saves Ed's career. When her friend May sees this, she claims that Smokey has fallen in love with Ed. The two women then are recruited by the government to expose Count Bodinski (George Givot) as a spy. The mission is successful, with the files that Ed was suspected of stealing being returned to Dana the following day by Smokey. She also testifies on Ed's behalf at the hearing. Ed is off the hook, and follows Smokey home to propose to her.

Cast

As appearing in ''Government Girl'', (main roles and screen credits identified):"Credits: Government Girl (1943)."
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: August 27, 2013. *

as Elizabeth "Smokey" Allard *

as E.H. "Ed" Browne *

as May Harness Blake * Jess Barker as Dana McGuire * James Dunn as Sergeant Joe Bates * Paul Stewart as Branch Owens * Agnes Moorehead as Adele, Mrs. Delancey Wright *

as Senator MacVickers * Una O'Connor as Mrs. Harris * Sig Ruman as Ambassador * Paul Stanton as C.L. Harvester *

George Givot George David Givot (February 18, 1903 – June 7, 1984) was a Russian Empire-born American comedian and actor on Broadway and in vaudeville, movies, television and radio. He was known for speaking in a comedic fake Greek dialect and was styled th ...

as Count Bodinsky

Production

While in pre-production, ''Government Girl'' went through numerous changes in casting and production personnel. Joseph Cotten was originally slated for the male lead, with Gladys George to play "Mrs. Wright." Both

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

and Ginger Rogers turned down the role of Elizabeth, and

was cast. David Hempstead was initially scheduled to produce the film, but when he had to bow out because of scheduling conflicts, Dudley Nichols stepped in, in his first film where he was both director and producer."Notes: Government Girl (1944)."
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: August 27, 2013. Sonny Tufts, borrowed from

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

to star, was paired with Olivia de Havilland, who had run into studio politics at

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

on her last feature, ''

Princess O'Rourke ''Princess O'Rourke'' is a 1943 American romantic comedy film directed and written by Norman Krasna (in Krasna's directorial debut), and starring Olivia de Havilland, Robert Cummings and Charles Coburn. Krasna won the 1944 Oscar for Best Origina ...

'' (1943) that had resulted in first, her suspension, and subsequent "assignment" by studio boss

Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's career spanned some ...

to producer

David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca'' (1940), both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Picture. E ...

in return for

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary ''Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is often ...

, whom Warner cast in ''

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

'' (1942). Selznick, in turn, loaned de Havilland to RKO. Considering her ongoing lawsuit against her studio was the reason for her being punished with her assignment to ''Government Girl'', she was vociferous that she did not enjoy the experience.DeWelles, Orson
"Princess O’Rourke (1943)."
''Classic Film Freak,'' October 4, 2012. Retrieved: August 27, 2013. Principal photography on ''Government Girl'' took place between mid-June to August 4, 1943, with retakes on August 11–18.
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: August 27, 2013. Although the film was basically a studio production, second unit director Russell Metty filmed backgrounds in Washington, D.C.

Reception

Despite reservations by de Havilland, ''Government Girl'' was a moderate success, making a profit of $700,000.Jewell and Harbin 1982, p. 189.Jewell 2016 Critical reviews, however, were quick to point out that other wartime Washington-themed films were better. Bosley Crowther in ''

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 ...

'' praised Nichols as a "first-class screen-writer" but as a director, "In some spots, his film is amusing. In long stretches, it is hopelessly dull." He also found, "the plot takes such sudden twists and sideslips, the pace is so uneven, the styles are so jumbled and the story, by and large, is so topically stale that the film has the look of an effort of a directorial amateur."Crowther, Bosley
"Movie Review: Government Girl."
''The New York Times'', January 7, 1944.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Bubbeo, Daniel. ''The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies.'' Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. Inc. Publishers, 2001. . * Jewell, Richard B. ''Slow Fade to Black: The Decline of RKO Radio Pictures''. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2016. . * Jewell, Richard and Vernon Harbin. ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. . * Koppes, Clayton R. and Gregory D. Black. ''Hollywood Goes to War: How Politics, Profits and Propaganda Shaped World War II Movies.'' New York: The Free Press, 1987. . * Maltin, Leonard. ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia''. New York: Dutton, 1994. . * Sperling, Cass Warner, Cork Millner and Jack Warner.'' Hollywood be Thy Name: The Warner Brothers Story''. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 1998. .

External links

* * * * {{Dudley Nichols 1943 films 1943 directorial debut films 1943 romantic comedy films American aviation films American black-and-white films American romantic comedy films Films based on short fiction Films based on works by Adela Rogers St. Johns Films directed by Dudley Nichols Films set in Washington, D.C. Films set on the home front during World War II Films with screenplays by Dudley Nichols RKO Pictures films World War II films made in wartime Films scored by Leigh Harline 1940s English-language films