Joan of Ozark
Cast & Crew
Joseph Stanley
Judy Canova
Joe E. Brown
Eddie Foy Jr.
Jerome Cowan
Alexander Granach
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
When Ozarks hillbilly Judy Hull shoots a carrier pigeon while hunting quail, she inadvertently causes the arrest of several members of an Axis spy ring. Judy is dubbed the "Hillbilly Mata Hari" and "Public Patriot No. 1," much to the consternation of Phillip Munson, the spy ring's leader. Munson, who runs a New York City nightclub as a front for his espionage activities, then consults with his cohorts, Otto, Hans, Kurt, Guido and Yamatako. Although Munson wants to dispose of Judy as a warning to other American patriots who try to interfere with Axis agents, he realizes that it would be too dangerous for any of them to approach her directly. When theatrical agents Cliff Little and Eddie McCabe push their way into Munson's office, Munson decides to use them to get Judy. Munson promises the unsuspecting pair a fat contract if they bring Judy to New York, and so Cliff goes to the Ozarks. Upon seeing Judy decline offers from other agents, Cliff realizes that he needs a novel approach to get her attention. Telling her that he is an inspector with the Department of Justice, Cliff convinces her to sign on as a "G-Woman" and come to New York to investigate a nightclub suspected of harboring spies. Munson sends Yamatako to kill the pair when they arrive in the city, but bumbling Judy captures him and adds to her reputation. Munson considers closing the club but decides to keep it open and use Judy's fame to deflect suspicion. To capitalize on her publicity, Judy's opening night is scheduled for the Fourth of July, although she almost quits when her bodyguards, Jones and Chandler, reveal that Cliff is not an FBI agent. Cliff convinces Judy that he is working undercover, and to keep her interested, comes to her opening night "disguised" as a German spy. While Judy investigates Cliff, the real spies mistake him for a Gestapo agent and take him to their hideout to escape Judy. There they reveal their plan to kill Judy by planting a liquid explosive in the champagne bottle she will use the following morning to christen a new bomber. After Judy leaves for the airport, Munson discovers Cliff's identity and holds him and Eddie captive. They are rescued by Jones and Chandler, after which they rush off to the airport, where they see the bomber take off without Judy having smashed the champagne bottle. When Cliff explains that the bottle will cause the plane to explode when it lands, Judy accompanies him in a biplane to get the bottle. She succeeds in grabbing the bottle and parachutes to the ocean, where she lands on a Japanese submarine. She accidentally captures the submarine commander, then returns to the Ozarks. Ten years later, Eddie visits Judy and Cliff and their six children.
Director
Joseph Stanley
Cast
Judy Canova
Joe E. Brown
Eddie Foy Jr.
Jerome Cowan
Alexander Granach
Anne Jeffreys
Otto Reichow
Wolfgang Zilzer
H. H. Von Twardowski
Harry Hayden
William Dean
Paul Fung
George Eldredge
Olin Howlin
Ralph Peters
Chester Clute
Emmett Lynn
Tyler Gibson
William Sandholm
William Worth
Robert Cherry
William Nestell
William Vaughn
Kam Tong
Eric Alden
Ralph Mccullough
Cyril Ring
Gladys Gale
Charles Miller
Laura Treadwell
Lloyd Whitlock
Nora Lane
Bob Stevenson
Peppy Walters
Peanuts Walters
Ernest Hilliard
Dick Keene
Bobby Stone
Bud Jamison
Bert Moorhouse
Fred Santley
Pat Gleason
Charles Williams
Joan Tours
Sally Cairns
Eleanor Bayley
Billie Lane
Jane Allen
Ruby Morie
Kay Gordon
Aileen Morris
Jean O'donnell
June Earle
Patsy Bedell
Pearl Tolson
Jeanette Dickson
Helen Seamon
Barbara Clark
Mary Jo Ellis
Midgie Dare
Audrene Brier
Maxine Ardell
Crew
George Blair
Monte Brice
Nick Castle
Charles Craft
Cy Feuer
Eve Greene
Mort Greene
Robert Harari
Russell Kimball
Fred Meinken
Ernest Miller
Adele Palmer
Harriet Parsons
Harry Revel
Dave Ringle
Bradford Ropes
Gene Rose
Murray Seldeen
Otto Siegel
Jack Townley
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working titles of this film were Moonstruck, Lazy Bones and Lazybones. On February 10, 1942, Hollywood Reporter stated that the film was to have a budget of $500,000. Joe E. Brown does a comic impersonation of Adolf Hitler in the picture. Joan of Ozark was the first feature-length film produced by Harriet Parsons, who had previously done short subjects. The picture also marked the screen debut of actress Anne Jeffreys.
