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| 5th Ave. Girl - 1939 |
Coming up next is 1939's "5th Ave. Girl", the story of a working class girl that makes a big impact on an upper crust New York family.
The film's cast includes Ginger Rogers, Walter Connolly, Verree Teasdale, James Ellison, Tim Holt, Kathryn Adams, Franklin Pangborn, Ferike Boros, Louis Calhern, Theodore von Eltz, Jack Carson, Charles Lane, and Bess Flowers.
Millionaire Timothy Borden arrives home on his birthday and finds his house completely empty. It seems his whole family has forgotten about his special day.
He takes a walk over to Central Park and visits the seal pond. There he makes the acquaintance of a struggling out-of-work young woman named Mary Grey. Noticing that she doesn't have much to eat, Timothy asks the young woman to help him celebrate his birthday by accompanying him to a nearby nightclub. She agrees.
Timothy delights Mary by spending more money than she's ever seen. "If you're fool enough to spend it, I'm smart enough to help you," she says happily. They have an enjoyable time together.
Timothy's wife, Martha, also happens to be there. However, she is in the company of someone who is not her husband.
Timothy acknowledges his wife with a smile as he sweeps Mary around the dance floor. Martha can't quite believe it.
Timothy moves Mary into the mansion. He keeps her on as his assistant, but he lets his family think that he and she are an item.
She has some run-ins with Timothy's children, particularly son Tim. "I'm amazed to discover that horses have better breeding than the people who ride them," Mary tells a perplexed Tim after he insults her.
Mary and Timothy spend a lot of time together. She even indulges his hobby for pigeons and helps him take care of his flock on the roof of the mansion.
Martha is concerned enough to call in a psychiatrist to analyze her husband. Dr. Kessler arrives and spends some time with Timothy.
After his consultation, Dr. Kessler says that Timothy is behaving perfectly normally and that maybe it's Martha who needs to see someone professionally.
Martha and her children decide to close ranks around Mary and drive her somehow from the house and their father/husband's life.
First up is Tim. He insults Mary every chance he can get. But the more he spends time with her, the more he realizes that he likes her, and even loves her.
Katherine Borden uses her time with Mary to confide in her about her love for the family chauffeur, Michael. Mary is able to give the young girl some advice.
And she causes a ruckus downstairs when she uses some unconventional methods to get Michael to notice Katherine.
Martha also makes the most of her time with Mary. Mary helps the older woman see her husband in a new light and appreciate him more.
Martha decides to rekindle the romance between Timothy and herself. She cooks him a meal for the first time in ages, and then takes a trip down memory lane by looking at an old photo album with him. They are well on the road to recapturing the happiness that they once knew as a young married couple.
It seems that everybody gets a happy ending. Michael and Katherine get married and receive her parent's blessing. And Tim falls in love with Mary.
Cast rundown:
Ginger Rogers............................................Mary Grey
Walter Connolly..........................................Timothy Borden
Verree Teasdale..........................................Martha Borden
James Ellison.............................................Michael Fairnsbother
Tim Holt.....................................................Tim Borden
Kathryn Adams...........................................Katherine Borden
Franklin Pangborn.......................................Higgins
Ferike Boros...............................................Olga
Louis Calhern.............................................Dr. Hugo Kessler
Theodore von Eltz.......................................Terwilliger
Jack Carson................................................Minnesota
Charles Lane..............................................Union Representative
Bess Flowers..............................................Woman With Mr. Pape
And that's it for 5th Ave. Girl. After filming wrapped, Ginger Rogers went on vacation to Honolulu, Hawaii. The film was shown to test audiences. Originally, the film had an unhappy ending, which featured Ms. Rogers walking out of the house and down 5th Ave. Due to the audience unhappiness, a happier ending was filmed when the actress returned from her vacation.
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