''Me and My Gal'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

and

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film starring

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

and

Joan Bennett Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She came from a show-business family, one of three acting sisters. Beginning her career on the stage, Bennett appeared in more t ...

, directed by

Raoul Walsh Raoul Walsh (born Albert Edward Walsh; March 11, 1887December 31, 1980) was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh. He wa ...

, and released by the

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...

. The film tells the story of jaunty young policeman Danny Dolan (Tracy), who falls in love with waterfront cafe waitress Helen Riley (Bennett). The picture flopped, setting an all-time low attendance record at the Roxy Theatre in New York City. The film is revered as a classic today, featuring one of Tracy's most energetic and complex performances.

Plot

In this wisecracking comedy, Danny Dolan (Spencer Tracy) is a cop whose beat is the New York waterfront. Danny has a soft spot for Helen Riley (Joan Bennett), a sharp-tongued waitress at a cheap diner, while her scatter-brained sister Kate (Marion Burns) is in love with Duke (George Walsh), a sleazy low-level mobster. While Duke makes a play for Kate, both Helen and Dan know that he's bad news, and Danny wants to put Duke behind bars before he can break Kate's heart.

Cast

as Danny Dolan *

as Helen Riley * Marion Burns as Kate Riley *

George Walsh George Frederick Walsh (March 16, 1889 – June 13, 1981) was an American actor. An all-around athlete, who became an actor and later returned to sport, he enjoyed 40 years of fame and was a performer with dual appeal, with women loving hi ...

as Duke *

J. Farrell MacDonald John Farrell MacDonald (June 6, 1875 – August 2, 1952) was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a four-decade career from 1911 to 1951, and directed fort ...

as Pop Riley *

Noel Madison Noel Madison (born Noel Nathaniel Moscovitch; April 30, 1897 – January 6, 1975) was an American character actor in the 1930s and 1940s and appeared in 75 films, often as a gangster. Born in New York City, Madison was the son of actor Ma ...

as Baby Face *

Henry B. Walthall Henry Brazeale Walthall (March 16, 1878 – June 17, 1936) was an American stage and film actor. He appeared as the Little Colonel in D. W. Griffith's ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915). Early life Henry B. Walthall was born March 16, 1878 on a ...

as Sarge *Bert Hanlon as Jake * Adrian Morris as Allen *

George Chandler George Chandler (June 30, 1898 – June 10, 1985) was an American actor who starred in over 140 feature films, usually in smaller supporting roles, and he is perhaps best known for playing the character of Uncle Petrie Martin on the televi ...

as Eddie Collins *Emmett Corrigan as Police Captain *

Jesse De Vorska Jesse De Vorska (July 13, 1898 – December 27, 1999) was a Russian-born American film actor.Neibaur p. 38 Selected filmography * '' The Unknown Soldier'' (1926) * ''Rose of the Tenements'' (1926) * ''Jake the Plumber'' (1927) * ''Around the C ...

as Jake *Lemist Esler as Doctor *

Hank Mann Hank Mann (born David William Lieberman, May 28, 1887 – November 25, 1971) was a Russian Empire-born and American comedian and silent screen star who was a member of the Keystone Cops. According to fellow actor and original member of the ...

as Hank *

Frank Moran Francis Charles Moran (18 March 1887 – 14 December 1967) was an American boxer and film actor who fought twice for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, and appeared in over 135 movies in a 25-year film career. Sports career Born ...

as Drunk's Foil * Will Stanton as Drunk

Production

Development

Bennett and Tracy made '' She Wanted a Millionaire'' that same year, with their billing reversed (Bennett billed over Tracy), and also played a married couple two decades later in '' Father of the Bride'' and '' Father's Little Dividend''. ''Me and My Gal'' was directed by Raoul Walsh, one of the greatest directors of the studio system, having directed '' Regeneration'' (1915), ''

The Big Trail ''The Big Trail'' is a 1930 American pre-Code Western early widescreen film shot on location across the American West starring 23-year-old John Wayne in his first leading role and directed by Raoul Walsh. In 2006, the United States Libra ...

'' (1930), ''

White Heat ''White Heat'' is a 1949 American film noir directed by Raoul Walsh and starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly and Steve Cochran. Written by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, ''White Heat'' is based on a story by ...

'' (1949). He was also the brother of

, who plays the villain. It was remade as a

B film A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

in 1940 by Fox as ''

Pier 13 ''Pier 13'' is a 1940 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Lynn Bari, Lloyd Nolan and Joan Valerie.Schlossheimer p.330 It is a remake of the 1932 film '' Me and My Gal'' with Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett in which a wat ...

'', directed by Eugene Forde.

Preservation status

A copy is held in the U.S. Library of Congress collection.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collections and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress'', (<-book title) p.114 c.1978 by The American Film Institute

References

External links

* 1893-1993 *
''Me and My Gal''
at the TCM Movie Database
''Me and My Gal''
at

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cul ...

* 1932 films American black-and-white films Films directed by Raoul Walsh Fox Film films 1930s romantic comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films 1932 comedy films 1932 drama films 1930s American films Silent romantic comedy films Silent romantic drama films {{1930s-comedy-drama-film-stub