Junior Miss (film): Difference between revisions

Junior Miss
Junior Miss
	Film poster
Directed by	George Seaton
Written by	Sally Benson (novel); Joseph Fields (play); Jerome Chodorov (play); George Seaton
Produced by	William Perlberg
Starring	Peggy Ann Garner; Allyn Joslyn
Cinematography	Charles G. Clarke
Edited by	Robert Simpson
Music by	David Buttolph
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	June 16, 1945;
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1,750,000

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Junior Miss is a 1945 American comedy film starring Peggy Ann Garner as a teenager who meddles in people's love lives.

A collection of Sally Benson's stories from The New Yorker was published by Random House as Junior Miss in 1941. This was adapted by Jerome Chodorov and Joseph Fields into a successful play that same year.^[2] Directed by Moss Hart, Junior Miss ran on Broadway from 1941 to 1943. In 1945, the play was adapted to the film Junior Miss with George Seaton directing Peggy Ann Garner in the lead role of Judy Graves. Junior Miss was adapted as a radio series three times in the late 1940s and early ‘50s, first with Shirley Temple and later with Barbara Whiting performing the lead role.^[3]

Plot summary

Lively and imaginative sisters Judy and Lois Graves, thirteen and sixteen years old, live in an apartment in New York City with their forgiving and patient mother and father, Harry, a lawyer, and Grace, a housewife. Judy's equally energetic friend Fuffy Adams frequently visits, and the two girls have their own ideas about the relations of the grown-ups surrounding them. They often use movie plots to interpret the reality around them.

One night right before Christmas, Judy learns that her mother has a brother, uncle Willis, who has been absent for years. She is very intrigued by the news and quickly fantasizes a story about the handsome man in which jail time becomes a reason for the absence. In reality, Uncle Willis is a recovering alcoholic, who has spent the last four years struggling in rehab.

Later that night, Judy meets Fuffy, who brings a handsome boy named Haskell Cummings. The young boy's appearance distracts her from her fantasies about her uncle. Haskell is supposed to be Judy's escort to the school dance ahead. Back in the apartment, Harry's boss, J. B. Curtis, is visiting, bringing his pretty daughter, Ellen, who is also his secretary. Letting her imagination run wild after seeing a kiss, Judy believes her father is infatuated with the secretary, and tells her friend Fuffy that they are romantically involved.

The next day, Uncle Willis, handsome and rugged, makes a surprise visit, and Judy gets the idea that he would be the perfect match for Ellen. Right after Christmas Day, Judy secretly arranges for them to meet "by accident" at the Rockefeller Center ice-skating rink, and Willis and Ellen actually hit it off and become a couple. Harry's boss is troubled, though, as Ellen is constantly absent from the office, sneaking off to meet Willis. Ellen does not tell her father about Willis, but one day Judy can't keep the secret any longer, and on New Year's Day slips to Curtis that Ellen is seeing Willis, her "ex-convict" uncle. Curtis is worried and furious. He scolds Harry and Grace for letting the relationship begin and go on, and they in turn confront Judy. Willis and Ellen arrive in the middle of the argument, announcing that they have married. Curtis fires Harry when he defends Willis and his family.

The family decides that Grace and the children should live with her mother in Kansas City until Harry gets another job. They also offer to let the newlyweds come live with them until they can stand on their own feet. Curtis makes an unannounced visit in search of his daughter, and Ellen and Willis are hidden away for the moment. Since it is the night of Judy's school dance, Haskell arrives to pick up Judy. He is announced, and when Curtis hears the name, he believes it is Haskell Cummings Sr., the businessman whose account he and Harry have been trying to win, who has arrived to talk to Harry. Believing that Harry is starting his own firm and has landed the influential Cummings as his client, he quickly offers to hire Harry back to the law firm, as a partner no less. And he is willing to hire Willis too. Realizing Curtis is mistaken, Harry quickly accepts the offer. Ellen reconciles with her father, and Curtis in turn is surprised to see the young Haskell enter the apartment. Then Judy appears, beautiful and ladylike, dressed in her ball dress, and she and Haskell leave the proud adults for the dance.

Cast

Peggy Ann Garner as Judy Graves
Allyn Joslyn as Harry Graves
Stephen Dunne as Uncle Willis Reynolds (as Michael Dunne)
Faye Marlowe as Ellen Curtis
Mona Freeman as Lois Graves
Sylvia Field as Mrs. Graves
Barbara Whiting as Fuffy Adams
Stanley Prager as Joe
John Alexander as J. B. Curtis
Connie Gilchrist as Hilda

References

^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 221
^ "New Play in Manhattan", Time, December 1, 1941.
^ Dunning, John (1998). "Junior Miss". On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 378. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2024-11-07.

External links

Junior Miss at the TCM Movie Database
Junior Miss at IMDb

[1] Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 221

[2] "New Play in Manhattan", Time, December 1, 1941.

[OTR-3] Dunning, John (1998). "Junior Miss". On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 378. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2024-11-07.

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|1945 film by George Seaton}}
 {{Infobox film
 | name           = Junior Miss
-| image          =
+| image          = Junior Miss (film poster).jpg
-| caption        =
+| caption        = Film poster
 | director       = [[George Seaton]]
 | producer       = [[William Perlberg]]
@@ Line 8: / Line 9: @@
 | narrator       =
 | starring       = [[Peggy Ann Garner]]<br>[[Allyn Joslyn]]
-| music          =
+| music          = [[David Buttolph]]
-| cinematography =
+| cinematography = [[Charles G. Clarke]]
-| editing        =
+| editing        = [[Robert L. Simpson (film editor)|Robert Simpson]]
 | distributor    = [[20th Century Fox]]
 | released       = {{Film date|1945|06|16}}
@@ Line 17: / Line 18: @@
 | language       = English
 | budget         =
-| gross          =$1,750,000<ref>[https://books.google.com.au/books?id=WIZwZOz8LHsC&pg=PA212&lpg=PA212&dq=aubrey+solomon+20th+century+fox&source=bl&ots=FKmAn2szCi&sig=b7skIRQNZ1P88Dic6zd6VYPfHFU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjUmaSf4t3NAhVRxWMKHb_lAFUQ6AEINDAF#v=onepage&q=aubrey%20solomon%2020th%20century%20fox&f=false Aubrey Solomon, ''Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History'' Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 221]</ref>
+| gross          =$1,750,000<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=WIZwZOz8LHsC&dq=aubrey+solomon+20th+century+fox&pg=PA212 Aubrey Solomon, ''Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History'' Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 221]</ref>
 }}
 '''''Junior Miss''''' is a 1945 American comedy film starring [[Peggy Ann Garner]] as a teenager who meddles in people's love lives.
-A collection of [[Sally Benson]]'s stories from ''[[The New Yorker]]'' was published by Doubleday as ''[[Junior Miss]]'' in 1941. This was adapted by [[Jerome Chodorov]] and [[Joseph Fields]] into a successful play that same year.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,802226,00.html?promoid=googlep "New Play in Manhattan", ''Time'', December 1, 1941.]</ref> Directed by [[Moss Hart]], ''Junior Miss'' ran on Broadway from 1941 to 1943. In 1945, the play was adapted to the film ''Junior Miss'' with [[George Seaton]] directing Peggy Ann Garner in the lead role of Judy Graves. The ''Junior Miss'' radio series, starring [[Barbara Whiting Smith|Barbara Whiting]], was broadcast weekly on [[CBS]] in 1949.
+A collection of [[Sally Benson]]'s stories from ''[[The New Yorker]]'' was published by Random House as ''[[Junior Miss]]'' in 1941. This was adapted by [[Jerome Chodorov]] and [[Joseph Fields]] into a successful play that same year.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121103000412/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,802226,00.html?promoid=googlep "New Play in Manhattan", ''Time'', December 1, 1941.]</ref> Directed by [[Moss Hart]], ''Junior Miss'' ran on Broadway from 1941 to 1943. In 1945, the play was adapted to the film ''Junior Miss'' with [[George Seaton]] directing Peggy Ann Garner in the lead role of Judy Graves. ''Junior Miss'' was adapted as a radio series three times in the late 1940s and early ‘50s, first with [[Shirley Temple]] and later with [[Barbara Whiting]] performing the lead role.<ref name="OTR">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&dq=%22Junior+Miss+situation+comedy%22&pg=PA378 |last=Dunning |first=John |author-link=John Dunning (detective fiction author) |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |section=Junior Miss |date=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-19-507678-3 |page=378 |edition=Revised |access-date=2024-11-07}}</ref>
 ==Plot summary==
+Lively and imaginative sisters Judy and Lois Graves, thirteen and sixteen years old, live in an apartment in New York City with their forgiving and patient mother and father, Harry, a lawyer, and Grace, a housewife. Judy's equally energetic friend Fuffy Adams frequently visits, and the two girls have their own ideas about the relations of the grown-ups surrounding them. They often use movie plots to interpret the reality around them.
+One night right before Christmas, Judy learns that her mother has a brother, uncle Willis, who has been absent for years. She is very intrigued by the news and quickly fantasizes a story about the handsome man in which jail time becomes a reason for the absence. In reality, Uncle Willis is a recovering alcoholic, who has spent the last four years struggling in rehab.
-Lively and imaginative sisters Judy and Lois Graves, thirteen and sixteen years old, live in a small apartment in New York City with their forgiving and patient mother and father, Harry, a lawyer, and Grace, a housewife. Judy's equally energetic friend Fuffy Adams frequently visits, and the two girls have their own ideas about the relations of the grown-ups surrounding them. They often use movie plots to interpret the reality around them.
+Later that night, Judy meets Fuffy, who brings a handsome boy named Haskell Cummings. The young boy's appearance distracts her from her fantasies about her uncle. Haskell is supposed to be Judy's escort to the school dance ahead. Back in the apartment, Harry's boss, J. B. Curtis, is visiting, bringing his pretty daughter, Ellen, who is also his secretary. Letting her imagination run wild after seeing a kiss, Judy believes her father is infatuated with the secretary, and tells her friend Fuffy that they are romantically involved.
-One night right before Christmas, Judy learns that her mother has a brother, uncle Willis, who has been absent for years. She is very intrigued by the news and quickly fantasizes a story about the handsome man in which jail time becomes a reason for the absence. In reality, uncle Willis is a recovering alcoholic, who has spent the last four years struggling in rehab.
+The next day, Uncle Willis, handsome and rugged, makes a surprise visit, and Judy gets the idea that he would be the perfect match for Ellen. Right after Christmas Day, Judy secretly arranges for them to meet "by accident" at the Rockefeller Center ice-skating rink, and Willis and Ellen actually hit it off and become a couple. Harry's boss is troubled, though, as Ellen is constantly absent from the office, sneaking off to meet Willis. Ellen does not tell her father about Willis, but one day Judy can't keep the secret any longer, and on New Year's Day slips to Curtis that Ellen is seeing Willis, her "ex-convict" uncle. Curtis is worried and furious. He scolds Harry and Grace for letting the relationship begin and go on, and they in turn confront Judy. Willis and Ellen arrive in the middle of the argument, announcing that they have married. Curtis fires Harry when he defends Willis and his family.
-Later that night, Judy meets Fuffy, who brings a handsome boy named Haskell Cummings. The young boy's appearance distracts her from her fantasies about her uncle. Haskell is supposed to be Judy's escort to the school dance ahead. Back in the apartment, Harry's boss, J. B. Curtis, is visiting, bringing his pretty daughter, Ellen, who is also his secretary. Letting her imagination run wild, Judy believes Curtis is infatuated with his secretary, and tells her friend Fuffy that they are romantically involved.
-The next day uncle Willis, handsome and rugged, makes a surprise visit, and Judy gets the idea that he would be the perfect match for Ellen. Right after Christmas Day, Judy secretly arranges for them to meet "by accident" at the Rockefeller Center ice-skating rink, and Willis and Ellen actually hit it off and become a couple. Harry's boss is troubled though, as Ellen is constantly absent from the office, sneaking off to meet Willis. Ellen does not tell her father about Willis, but one day Judy can't keep the secret any longer, and on New Year's Day slips to Curtis that Ellen is seeing Willis, her ex-convict uncle. Curtis is worried and furious. He scolds Harry and Grace for letting the relation begin and go on, and they in turn confront Judy. Willis and Ellen arrive in the middle of the argument, announcing that they have married. Curtis fires Harry when he defends Willis and his family.
-The family decides that Grace and the children should live with her mother until Harry gets another job. They also offer to let the newlyweds come live with them until they can stand on their own feet. Curtis makes an unannounced visit in search of his daughter, and Ellen and Willis are hidden away for the moment. Since it is the night of Judy's school dance, Haskell arrives to pick up Judy. He is announced and when Curtis hears the name, he believes it is Haskell Cummings Sr., the businessman, who has arrived to talk to Harry. Believing that Harry is starting his own firm and has landed the influential Cummings as his client, he quickly offers to hire Harry back to the law firm, as a partner no less. And he is willing to hire Willis too. Realizing Curtis is mistaken, Harry quickly accepts the offer. Ellen reconciles with her father and Curtis in turn surprised to see the young Haskell enter the apartment. Then Judy appears, beautiful and ladylike, dressed in her ball dress, and she and Haskell leave the proud adults for the dance.
+The family decides that Grace and the children should live with her mother in Kansas City until Harry gets another job. They also offer to let the newlyweds come live with them until they can stand on their own feet. Curtis makes an unannounced visit in search of his daughter, and Ellen and Willis are hidden away for the moment. Since it is the night of Judy's school dance, Haskell arrives to pick up Judy. He is announced, and when Curtis hears the name, he believes it is Haskell Cummings Sr., the businessman whose account he and Harry have been trying to  win, who has arrived to talk to Harry. Believing that Harry is starting his own firm and has landed the influential Cummings as his client, he quickly offers to hire Harry back to the law firm, as a partner no less. And he is willing to hire Willis too. Realizing Curtis is mistaken, Harry quickly accepts the offer. Ellen reconciles with her father, and Curtis in turn  is surprised to see the young Haskell enter the apartment. Then Judy appears, beautiful and ladylike, dressed in her ball dress, and she and Haskell leave the proud adults for the dance.
 ==Cast==
 *[[Peggy Ann Garner]] as Judy Graves
 *[[Allyn Joslyn]] as Harry Graves
-*[[Stephen Dunne (actor)|Stephen Dunne]] as Uncle Willis Reynolds
+*[[Stephen Dunne (actor)|Stephen Dunne]] as Uncle Willis Reynolds (as Michael Dunne)
 *[[Faye Marlowe]] as Ellen Curtis
 *[[Mona Freeman]] as Lois Graves
 *[[Sylvia Field]] as Mrs. Graves
-*[[Barbara Whiting Smith|Barbara Whiting]] as Fuffy Adams
+*[[Barbara Whiting]] as Fuffy Adams
 *[[Stanley Prager]] as Joe
 *[[John Alexander (actor)|John Alexander]] as J. B. Curtis
 *[[Connie Gilchrist]] as Hilda
+==See also==
+* [[List of films set around New Year]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 51: / Line 54: @@
 ==External links==
-*{{tcmdb title|id=80016}}
+*{{TCMDb title|id=80016}}
 * {{IMDb title|0037840|Junior Miss}}
@@ Line 57: / Line 60: @@
 [[Category:1945 films]]
-[[Category:1940s comedy films]]
+[[Category:1940s Christmas comedy films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
+[[Category:1945 comedy films]]
-[[Category:American comedy films]]
+[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
 [[Category:American black-and-white films]]
+[[Category:American Christmas comedy films]]
+[[Category:American films based on plays]]
+[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
 [[Category:Films based on short fiction]]
 [[Category:Films directed by George Seaton]]
-[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
+[[Category:Films scored by David Buttolph]]
+[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
+[[Category:Films set around New Year]]
+[[Category:Films produced by William Perlberg]]
+[[Category:1940s American films]]
+[[Category:English-language Christmas comedy films]]