Wonderland Burlesque: Wonderland Burlesque's Let's Go To The Movies: Where That Girl From?

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Wonderland Burlesque's Let's Go To The Movies: Where That Girl From? - Part I

Wonderland Burlesque's

Let's Go To The Movies:

Where That Girl From?

Part I

Everybody's from somewhere. In theory. Even in the abstract.

Today's cinema excursion dares to ask the poignant question: Where That Girl From?

And who has the answer?

Hollywood, of course. For Tinseltown has the 411 on anything or anyone who has ever graced the silver screen.

So, off we go... seeking answers, which these vintage films offer up in spades.

Yes, never fear. When it comes to the movies?

You are never truly lost.

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The Girl From Chicago

(1927)

A southern belle from Dixie, Mary Carlton, aided by her police detective lover Handsome Joe, outwits and brings to justice the Chicago gangster, Big Steve Drummond, who murdered her brother Bob Carlton.

Based upon a short story by Arthur Somers Roche which appeared in the June 1923 issue of Redbook, this American synchronized sound criminal romantic drama was directed by Ray Enright and starring Myrna Loy and Conrad Nagel.

The film is one of the earliest starring roles for Loy who at this time, 1927, did not usually star but was a supporting player. Warner Bros. took a chance casting her in a principal part.

This is presumed to be a lost picture.

Myrna Loy

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The Girl From Chicago

(1932)

An undercover government agent on a case in Mississippi meets and falls in love with a beautiful young woman who's being menaced by a local crime boss. He rescues the girl, and they leave Mississippi and head to Harlem, but when their troubles follow them, they become involved in the murder of a local crime boss there.

American, All-African-American, Pre-Code drama film produced and directed by Oscar Micheaux,and stars Grace Smith and Carl Mahon.

Produced on a shoestring budget, this independent production featuring a largely non-professional cast, is known as one of the better-quality Micheaux productions. As it is common in Micheaux's films, the storyline is padded with several musical numbers, offering a glimpse of African-American musical and dancing talent of the time. The film is preserved with a copy held in the Library of Congress collection. You can watch this film in it's entirety for free on YouTube.

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The Girl From 10th Avenue

(1935)

AKA: Men On Her Mind

When his fiancée Valentine dumps him, prominent lawyer Geoffrey Sherwood goes on a bender and winds up married to a stranger, Miriam Brady. They decide to give their marriage a chance. Their landlady, a one-time Floradora girl, offers to help Miriam become refined. Successful again, Geoffrey is approached by Valentine, who wants to give it another go. Miriam tells Valentine off in no uncertain terms. Geoffrey moves into his club where Valentine's husband tells him he is a fool to leave Miriam.

Based on the 1914 play Outcast by Hubert Henry Davies, this American drama was directed by Alfred E. Green and stars Bette Davis and Ian Hunter.

This was the fourth screen adaptation of the Hubert Henry Davies play Outcast, which had run for 168 performances at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway. The first film version was made in 1917 with Anna Murdock and David Powell. Powell reprised his role in the 1922 film version opposite Elsie Ferguson, who had starred in the original Broadway production. The 1928 version, with a Vitaphone score and sound effects, starred Corinne Griffith and Edmund Lowe.

This is the first of three films Bette Davis and Ian Hunter would appear in together. The other films are That Certain Woman (1937) and The Sisters (1938).

According to an article in Daily Variety, Genevieve Tobin was originally cast as Valentine, but she left the production thinking she was not suited for the part, leaving the opportunity for Katherine Alexander.

Variety wrote that the film "is fashioned from a pattern whose every turn and twist the dullest fan can easily anticipate...Narrative is chockful of implausible sequences and the plot...often gets itself into blind alleys. But deft direction plus smooth trouping by Davis make these defects not too noticeable."

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The Girl From Avenue A

(1940)

At the turn of the century, a theatrically talented waif is adopted by a wealthy family to encourage their playwright son.

This American comedy was directed by Otto Brower and stars Jane Withers, Kent Taylor, and Kay Aldridge.

Jane Withers was one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for box-office gross in 1937 and 1938. In 1940 she filmed Shooting High with co-star Gene Autry, and starred in the teen films High School, The Girl from Avenue A, and Youth Will Be Served. But she and her fans quickly grew dissatisfied with the juvenile roles being offered her as she matured.

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The Girl From Jones Beach

(1949)

Glamour artist Bob Randolph is world famous for his paintings of a stunning beauty dubbed 'The Randolph Girl'. What the world doesn't know is that his pin-up creation is really a composite of parts of the anatomy of 12 different models. In an effort to find one girl who possesses all the proper physical attributes, Randolph and PR man Chuck Donovan pursue Ruth Wilson, a beauteous schoolteacher who prefers to be admired for her brain rather than her curves. Ruth changes her tune, however, when a published photo of her in a swimsuit causes her to be fired by the uptight school board. She sues for reinstatement and in the process learns that swimsuits and sex appeal do have a place in her world after all.

This American comedy was directed by Peter Godfrey and stars Ronald Reagan, Virginia Mayo, Eddie Bracken, Dona Drake, Henry Travers and Lois Wilson.

Lauren Bacall turned down the role of Ruth Wilson because it called for her to appear in a bathing suit. She said: "I'm not a bathing beauty. I'll be embarrassed."

Dale Robertson and Jeff Richards, in early uncredited roles as a hunky pair of lifeguards, appear bare-chested, with dialogue, in minimal bathing attire in their only scenes. Ronald Reagan, although appearing bare-chested in much of the publicity, is only seen unclothed in the imaginary vision of Virginia Mayo at the end of the trial sequence. Eddie Bracken also appears bare-chested in the publicity, but never in the actual film.

Scenes from this film featuring Virginia Mayo acting out her part were released on a 12" LP made by CO-STAR Records (Roulette Records) and released in 1958. It was one of several such records whereby the listener could act next to their favorite star. Liner notes included dialogue sheets. Other releases included those by Tallulah Bankhead, Vincent Price, Paulette Goddard, and many others.

Critic Bosley Crowther wrote that "Virginia Mayo upholds the case for the form-fit bathing suit" and "many thanks to the Warners for not putting too much in the way of Miss Mayo's able demonstration of the use of the bathing suit." About Reagan's performance, Crowther noted that he "is a fellow who has a cheerful way of looking at dames" and that he "is thoroughly capable of getting the most that's to be had out of the major comedy encounters that develop in this film." After reporting that "I. A. L. Diamond's script is not of a lofty order. Indeed, it is noticeably low," he concluded with, "As a comedy actress, Miss Mayo is no better than a rather weak script. But as a model for bathing apparel - well, do you or do you not like bathing suits?"