1944 film by James V. Kern From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Doughgirls is a 1944 American comedy film directed by James V. Kern based on the 1942 hit Broadway play written by Joseph Fields. The film works around three newlywed couples, focusing on the Halstead couple, played by Jane Wyman and Jack Carson, and their misadventures trying to find some privacy and living space in the housing shortage of WWII era Washington, D.C. Eve Arden as a Russian sniper and Joe DeRita as a sleepy hotel guest, both looking for edge in the overcrowded hotel.[1]
| The Doughgirls | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | James V. Kern |
| Screenplay by | James V. Kern Sam Hellman |
| Based on | The Doughgirls 1942 play by Joseph Fields |
| Produced by | Mark Hellinger |
| Starring | Ann Sheridan Alexis Smith Jack Carson Jane Wyman |
| Cinematography | Ernest Haller |
| Edited by | Folmar Blangsted |
| Music by | Adolph Deutsch |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
Release date |
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Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Doughgirls is based on a stage play of the same name,[2] written in 1942 by Joseph Fields.[3][4]
The newly-wed Halsteads, Arthur (Jack Carson) and Vivian (Jane Wyman), upon their arrival at their overcrowded D.C. hotel, set out for the honeymoon suite, only to find it usurped by the previous newlywed couple the Cadmans, Julian (John Ridgely) and Edna (Ann Sheridan).[5] Finally, a third newlywed couple the Dillons, Tom (Craig Stevens) and Nan (Alexis Smith), arrive to claim the suite as well.[6] Add to this a military contractor with a no nonsense attitude; a lecherous boss; an FBI investigator; a judge (to make one couple's marriage "legal"); a group of orphan babies; a Russian who likes to shoot pigeons;[6] and a wandering man trying to find somewhere, anywhere to get some sleep.[5]
Warner Bros. bought the rights for The Doughgirls stage play[2] for $250,000 but still needed a script and a way to get the story of three unmarried couples in the same hotel suite around the censors, known as the Breen office, onto the screen.[7] The studio employed James V. Kern and Sam Hellman[5] to adapt Fields' play; marrying the couples off and toning down the language. They added jokes to address overcrowding in Washington, D.C., using wartime references such as rationing and meatless Tuesdays, while putting in a White House visit for the Dillons to meet the Roosevelts off camera.
Jane Wyman, though not pleased with fourth billing nor the "ditsy" role, was happy with the cast and to be working.[5] Ann Sheridan was nearly suspended over The Doughgirls when Warner Bros. refused to let her out of filming, but she used her star status and negotiated a USO tour following completion, something she had wanted for some time.[6]
Daniel Bubbeo in The Women of Warner Brothers described The Doughgirls as "a raucous farce where the humor comes from the unconsummated marriage of Wyman and Carson, with a great performance by Eve Arden as a visiting Russian."[6]
The New York Times reviewed it saying it is "distilled from the play" and "at times the dialog twirls into nonsense being saved only by the performance of the players."[1]
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