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When the Boys Meet the Girls
Directed by Alvin Ganzer
Screenplay by Robert E. Kent
Based on
Girl Crazy
1930 musical
by
Produced by Sam Katzman
Starring Connie Francis
Harve Presnell
Cinematography Paul C. Vogel
Edited by Ben Lewis
Music byFred Karger
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • October 10, 1965 (1965-10-10)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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

A playboy (Harve Presnell) helps a young woman (Connie Francis) turn her father's Nevada ranch into a haven for divorcees.

Cast

Production

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

When the Boys Meet the Girls
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
Released1966
Length29:51
Label MGM
Herman's Hermits British chronology
A Must to Avoid
(1966)
When the Boys Meet the Girls
(1966)
Hold On!
(1966)
Herman's Hermits American chronology
Herman's Hermits on Tour
(1965)
When the Boys Meet the Girls
(1966)
Hold On!
(1966)

Track listing

All tracks are written by George Gershwin (music), Ira Gershwin (lyrics) except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Artist(s)Length
1."When the Boys Meet the Girls" Jack Keller, Howard Greenfield Connie Francis2:04
2."Monkey See, Monkey Do" Johnny Farrow Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs2:33
3." Embraceable You" George & Ira Gershwin Harve Presnell2:56
4."Throw It Out of Your Mind" Billy Kyle, Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong & Orchestra2:10
5."Mail Call" Fred Karger, Sid Wayne, Ben WeismanConnie Francis2:17
6." I Got Rhythm" George & Ira GershwinConnie Francis & Harve Presnell3:34
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Artist(s)Length
1." Listen People" Graham Gouldman Herman's Hermits2:31
2." Bidin' My Time" George & Ira GershwinHerman's Hermits2:26
3." Embraceable You" George & Ira GershwinConnie Francis2:12
4."Aruba Liberace" Liberace Liberace2:46
5." But Not for Me" George & Ira GershwinConnie Francis & Harve Presnell2:58
6." I Got Rhythm" George & Ira GershwinLouis Armstrong & Orchestra1:24

Reception

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

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

  1. ^ "FILMLAND EVENTS: Sam Katzman Begins Busy Year at MGM". Los Angeles Times. Dec 26, 1964. p. 19.
  2. ^ Martin, Betty (Apr 10, 1965). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: 'Rouge' Heads for Broadway". Los Angeles Times. p. 19.
  3. ^ Martin, Betty (June 16, 1965). "Allen, Rossi Sign Film Pact". Los Angeles Times. p. C13.
  4. ^ Hopper, Hedda (June 12, 1965). "Looking at Hollywood: Red Quiz Suspect's Story Full of Irony". Chicago Tribune. p. a3.
  5. ^ Martin, Betty (July 13, 1965). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: 'Nine-Tiger' Producer Named". Los Angeles Times. p. C9.
  6. ^ Alpert, Don (Aug 22, 1965). "Presnell: a Real Good Egg". Los Angeles Times. p. N7.
  7. ^ Martin, Betty (Aug 11, 1965). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Train Wreck Derails Film". Los Angeles Times. p. d12.
  8. ^ "Screen: Gershwin Redone:'When Boys Meet Girls' Is an Inept Musical". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  9. ^ "When the Boys Meet the Girls". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Archived from the original on 2023-07-30. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  10. ^ 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

*
When the Boys Meet the Girls at 
TCMDB