The Girl from Jones Beach is a 1949 comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey. The film stars Ronald Reagan and Virginia Mayo.
Director: Peter Godfrey
Production Company: Warner Bros.
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Cast: Ronald Reagan, Virginia Mayo, Eddie Bracken, Dona Drake, Henry Travers, Lois Wilson
US Box Office: $4,250,000 ($88,400,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Black & White
Genre: Comedy
Release Date: July 16, 1949
Plot Summary: Talent agent Chuck Donovan (Eddie Bracken) meets with pin-up artist Bob Randolph (Ronald Reagan) in order to hire the model for his “Randolph Girl” art to appear in a television special. Unfortunately for Chuck, Bob informs him that there isn’t one “Randolph Girl”, but rather he combines parts of different models. While at Jones Beach in Long Island, Bob and Chuck find Ruth Wilson (Virginia Mayo), a teacher who looks identical to the girls that Bob draws. Bob and Chuck try to recruit Ruth for the television gig, as Bob finds himself falling in love with her.
Production: In the late 1940s Warner Bros. producer Alex Gottleib began working on a comedy film titled The Girl from Jones Beach. The plot of the film involved a talent agent and an artist who meet a beautiful teacher and try to convince her to appear as a model in a television special. The film’s script was written by I.A.L. Diamond (a frequent writer of comedy films) based on story by Allen Boretz. Gottleib chose Peter Godfrey, an English director and former actor who was under contract with Warner, to direct the film. Godfrey had directed the comedy films Make Your Own Bed (1944) and Christmas in Connecticut (1945), but more commonly directed drama films like The Woman in White (1948) and The Decision of Christopher Blake (1948).
Ronald Reagan was chosen to play the part of artist Bob Randolph. At the time Reagan was an actor who had a contract with Warner Bros. Earlier in his career Reagan was a bigger star, but post-World War II he tended to appear in more B-list productions for Warner. Reagan had recently starred in the comedy films The Voice of the Turtle (1947) and John Loves Mary (1949). Peter Godfrey previously directed Reagan in the drama film That Hagen Girl (1947). Virginia Mayo was cast as teacher Ruth Wilson. When she first began her career Mayo had a contract with Samuel Goldwyn, Warner Bros. recently signed a new contract with her. Mayo was most well known for appearing in comedy films such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), though she also appeared in drama films such as The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Colorado Territory (1949).
Primary filming on The Girl from Jones Beach took place in late 1948 and early 1949. Most of the interior shots in the film were shot on set at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. The real Jones Beach is state park located on a small island off the coast of Long Island, New York. Footage of the actual Jones Beach was used for some establishing shots, but most of the scenes with actors on the beach were shot back in California.
Fun Facts and Trivia: The two lifeguards in The Girl from Jones Beach were played by Dale Robertson and Jeff Richards. Robertson would later be known for starring in two Western television shows: Tales of Wells Fargo (1957-1962) and Iron Horse (1966-1968). Robertson also served as the host for anthology television series Death Valley Days from 1968 to 1970, Ronald Reagan previously hosted the series from 1964 to 1966. Richards had previously been a Minor League Baseball player for the Portland Beavers and just starting his film career at the time. He would later be best known for having a supporting role in the musical film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954).
The Girl from Jones Beach was the last film for character actor Henry Travers (Judge Bullfinch) who retired from acting after production wrapped up. Travers was best known for playing Clarence Odbody in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). The Girl from Jones Beach was also the last theatrical film for Lois Wilson, who played Ruth Wilson’s mother. Unlike Travers, she didn’t retire from acting and made appearances on several television shows in the 1950s and 1960s.
Reception: The Girl from Jones Beach was released on July 16, 1949. The film was a success at the box office for Warner Bros. and made a mild profit for the studio. Warner Bros. later paired Reagan and Mayo together in another comedy film, She’s Working Her Way Through College (1952), directed by H. Bruce Humberstone. The Girl from Jones Beach received mixed reviews from critics. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times gave The Girl from Jones Beach a mildly negative review. He praised Reagan’s performance, but criticized the script. Crowther thought that Mayo was beautiful and looked good in a bathing suit, but that she wasn’t a strong enough actress to save the bad script. In modern times, Laura Grieve of Laura’ Miscellaneous Musings gave The Girl from Jones Beach a positive review. She thought that Reagan and Mayo were charming together.
Why You Should See It: The Girl from Jones Beach is a fine enough comedy film. Reagan and Mayo are pretty good in their roles. The film features a few charming standout moments. The scenes of Bob at the school and Bob and Ruth’s first date are really funny. Personally I didn’t like Eddie Bracken’s character. He was too prominent in the first half of the film, and his character’s recurring joke is that he threatens to commit suicide every time something goes wrong for him only to back out at the last minute. In my opinion this is tasteless and these scenes are mostly unfunny.