When the Boys Meet the Girls (film)
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2016) |
| When the Boys Meet the Girls | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Alvin Ganzer |
| Screenplay by | Robert E. Kent |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | Sam Katzman |
| Starring | Connie Francis Harve Presnell |
| Cinematography | Paul C. Vogel |
| Edited by | Ben Lewis |
| Music by | Fred Karger |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
When the Boys Meet the Girls is a 1965 American musical film directed by Alvin Ganzer and starring Connie Francis and Harve Presnell based on the musical Girl Crazy and a remake of MGM's 1943 film Girl Crazy.
Plot
[edit]A playboy (Harve Presnell]) helps a young woman (Connie Francis) turn her father's Nevada ranch into a haven for divorcees.
Cast
[edit]- Connie Francis – Ginger Gray
- Harve Presnell – Danny Churchill
- Peter Noone – Himself (as Herman's Hermits)
- Karl Green – Himself (as Herman's Hermits)
- Derek Leckenby – Himself (as Herman's Hermits)
- Keith Hopwood – Himself (as Herman's Hermits)
- Barry Whitwam – Himself (as Herman's Hermits)
- Louis Armstrong – Himself
- Buddy Catlett – Himself
- Domingo Samudio – Sam the Sham (as Sam the Sham)
- Dave Martin – Pharaoh (as The Pharaohs)
- Ray Stinnet – Pharaoh (as The Pharaohs)
- Jerry Patterson – Pharaoh (as The Pharaohs)
- Butch Gibson – Pharaoh (as The Pharaohs)
- Liberace – Himself
- Sue Ane Langdon – Tess Rawley
- Fred Clark – Bill Denning
- Frank Faylen – Phin Gray
- Joby Baker – Sam
- Hortense Petra – Kate
- Stanley Adams – Lank
- Romo Vincent – Pete
- Susan Holloway – Delilah
- Russell Collins – Mr. Stokes (as Russ Collins)
- Pepper Davis – Himself
- Bill Quinn – Dean of Colby (as William I. Quinn)
- Tony Reese – Himself
Production
[edit]The film was a remake of MGM's Girl Crazy (1943 film). The remake was produced by Sam Katzman, who made it as the first of five films he did for the studio in 1965.[1] In April 1965 Connie Francis was attached as star.[2]
In June 1965 Jeffrey Hayden was to direct and the stars were announced as Connie Francis, Harve Presnell, Paul Anka, Fran Jeffries and Louis Armstrong.[3]
The title was changed to I've Got Rhythm[4] then When the Boys Meet the Girls.[5]
Presnell played the same role as Mickey Rooney in the original. Presnell said "When we did Molly Brown on Broadway, we had a standing joke whenever I didn't do something right. I said 'Well why don't you get Mickey Rooney?'."[6]
Filming started July 1965.
It was the film debut of Herman's Hermits. MGM were so pleased with their performance they put them in a series of films.[7]
Soundtrack
[edit]| When the Boys Meet the Girls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various artists | ||||
| Released | 1966 | |||
| Length | 29:51 | |||
| Label | MGM | |||
| Herman's Hermits British chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Herman's Hermits American chronology | ||||
| ||||
All tracks are written by George Gershwin (music), Ira Gershwin (lyrics) except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "When the Boys Meet the Girls" | Jack Keller, Howard Greenfield | Connie Francis | 2:04 |
| 2. | "Monkey See, Monkey Do" | Johnny Farrow | Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs | 2:33 |
| 3. | "Embraceable You" | Harve Presnell | 2:56 | |
| 4. | "Throw It Out of Your Mind" | Billy Kyle, Louis Armstrong | Louis Armstrong & Orchestra | 2:10 |
| 5. | "Mail Call" | Fred Karger, Sid Wayne, Ben Weisman | Connie Francis | 2:17 |
| 6. | "I Got Rhythm" | Connie Francis & Harve Presnell | 3:34 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Listen People" | Graham Gouldman | Herman's Hermits | 2:31 |
| 2. | "Bidin' My Time" | Herman's Hermits | 2:26 | |
| 3. | "Embraceable You" | Connie Francis | 2:12 | |
| 4. | "Aruba Liberace" | Liberace | Liberace | 2:46 |
| 5. | "But Not for Me" | Connie Francis & Harve Presnell | 2:58 | |
| 6. | "I Got Rhythm" | Louis Armstrong & Orchestra | 1:24 |
Reception
[edit]Upon the film's release The New York Times reported that "If the music of the Gershwin brothers can survive a terrible little musical such as "When the Boys Meet the Girls" [...] chances are it could outlast atomic annihilation," described the film overall as "a dull, silly scramble," and described the talents of Francis and Presnell as "strictly middling" and "teamed romantically, they look like Mutt and Jeff, and their vocal wrestling with the grand Gershwin melodies is slippery at best."[8] A contemporary review in Variety described the film as "a spotty comedy film, loaded with often extraneous tunes, also limited to some okay performances and gags," and reported that "Langdon remains the most impressive of the principals; she makes a first rate shrew."[9] Writing for Turner Classic Movies, critic Roger Fristoe described the film as "a very loose reworking of the George and Ira Gershwin musical Girl Crazy," and noted that "the film allows for musical performances from an eclectic gathering of guest stars."[10]
Awards
[edit]In 1966, the year after the film was released, it received some prestigious awards at that year's Laurel Awards ceremony. Harve Presnell was nominated for a Golden Laurel in the category of Musical Performance, Male for his talented musical numbers. Though he did not win, he was awarded 3rd place. Connie Francis was also nominated for a Golden Laurel in the category of Musical Performance, Female for her musical numbers. She did not win either, but came in a gratifying 4th place.
References
[edit]- ^ "FILMLAND EVENTS: Sam Katzman Begins Busy Year at MGM". Los Angeles Times. Dec 26, 1964. p. 19.
- ^ Martin, Betty (Apr 10, 1965). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: 'Rouge' Heads for Broadway". Los Angeles Times. p. 19.
- ^ Martin, Betty (June 16, 1965). "Allen, Rossi Sign Film Pact". Los Angeles Times. p. C13.
- ^ Hopper, Hedda (June 12, 1965). "Looking at Hollywood: Red Quiz Suspect's Story Full of Irony". Chicago Tribune. p. a3.
- ^ Martin, Betty (July 13, 1965). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: 'Nine-Tiger' Producer Named". Los Angeles Times. p. C9.
- ^ Alpert, Don (Aug 22, 1965). "Presnell: a Real Good Egg". Los Angeles Times. p. N7.
- ^ Martin, Betty (Aug 11, 1965). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Train Wreck Derails Film". Los Angeles Times. p. d12.
- ^ "Screen: Gershwin Redone:'When Boys Meet Girls' Is an Inept Musical". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ "When the Boys Meet the Girls". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. January 1965. Archived from the original on 2023-07-30. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ Fristoe, Roger. "When the Boys Meet the Girls". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies, Inc. Archived from the original on 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
External links
[edit]- When the Boys Meet the Girls at IMDb
- When the Boys Meet the Girls at TCMDB
- When the Boys Meet the Girls at AllMovie
- When the Boys Meet the Girls at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Soundtrackcollector.com
- Review at Variety
- When the Boys Meet the Girls at the British Film Institute[better source needed]
- Review at the Spinning Image
- 1965 films
- 1965 musical films
- American films based on plays
- Films scored by George Gershwin
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
- Recordings of music by George Gershwin
- American musical films
- 1960s English-language films
- Films directed by Alvin Ganzer
- 1960s American films
- English-language musical films
- Films produced by Sam Katzman