The Girl from Jones Beach

The Girl from Jones Beach

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Peter Godfrey
Produced by Alex Gottlieb
Screenplay by I. A. L. Diamond
Story by Allen Boretz
Starring Ronald Reagan
Virginia Mayo
Eddie Bracken
Dona Drake
Henry Travers
Lois Wilson
Music by David Buttolph
Cinematography Carl E. Guthrie
Edited by Rudi Fehr
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release dates
  • July 16, 1949 (1949-07-16)
Running time
 78 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The Girl from Jones Beach is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by I. A. L. Diamond. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Virginia Mayo, Eddie Bracken, Dona Drake, Henry Travers(in his final appearance) and Lois Wilson. The film was released by Warner Bros. on July 16, 1949.[1][2][3]

Plot

Chuck Donovan is a not so successful agent in New York who is hired by some television producers for a special job. He is to find the real identity of the woman who modeled for commercial sketch artist Bob Randolph as he created the famous "Randolph Girl". No one besides Randolph, not even the artist's secretary, Miss Brooks, has ever met the woman.

Desperately, Donovan works to get Randolph to disclose the woman's identity, but the artist refuses. While Donovan is at Bob's studio, a suspicious invoice for the purchase of twelve identical golden bracelets arrive. And things become even more odd when a girl, who admittedly doesn't look like the Randolph girl, comes to the studio to pose. After Donovan puts pressure on him, Randolph confesses that the Randolph Girl is not an individual but a composite, drawn from the body parts of 12 different models.

Realizing that he is about to fail in his mission of producing the model, Donovan considers taking his own life. He has tried to do this several times before, and each time left a note to his girlfriend, photographer Connie Martin. When Donovan goes to Jones Beach to drown himself, he notices a swimsuit-clad woman who is the spitting image of the Randolph Girl. Before he has a chance to contact her, she disappears into a dressing room, and he doesn't recognize her amid all the women coming out. He takes a chance on a girl named Ruth Wilson, and follows her to her home. He learns that Ruth is a language teacher for immigrants, living with her mother and brother. Ruth dresses modestly so as not to not attract too much attention to her body, since she wants men to like her for her mind.

To get closer to Ruth, Donovan persuades Randolph to pretend to be a Czech immigrant, Robert Benerik, and signs him up for her class. Under his phony identity, and with a fake European accent, Randolph tries to win Ruth over by showing interest in her mind. For her part, the normally straitlaced Ruth finds herself attracted to the handsome newcomer. Soon they form a genuine affection for each other.

Because Donovan accidentally reveals to one of the 12 models that she isn't alone, all of them quit. On top of this, Randolph's true identity is revealed to Ruth and he confesses he signed up for the class under false pretenses.

Bob and Ruth meet at the beach one day, and Donovan has sent Connie to take a secret photo of Ruth for commercial purposes. They succeed and the picture is published in the papers. Because of this, Ruth is fired from her teaching job, and the headmaster, Emma Shoemaker, claims that it is indecent behavior. Ruth fights the headmaster's decision in court, using Randolph as a witness on her behalf. After Ruth has appeared in court in her bathing suit, she wins the claim and gets her job back. The story ends with plans for a double wedding, with Donovan to marry Connie, and Randolph to marry Ruth.

Cast

References

  1. ↑ "The Girl From Jones Beach (1949) - Peter Godfrey | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
  2. ↑ "The Girl from Jones Beach (1949) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
  3. ↑ Crowther, Bosley (1949-07-30). "Movie Review - The Girl From Jones Beach - THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; 'Girl From Jones Beach,' With Virginia Mayo and Ronald Reagan, Bows at Strand". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
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