5th Ave Girl
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Fifth Avenue Girl
Plot
A wealthy older man and a poor young woman each get a chance to see how the other half lives in this comedy. Alfred Borden (Walter Connolly) is a millionaire who feels neglected by his family. His wife Martha (Verree Teasdale), daughter Katherine (Kathryn Adams), and son Tim (Tim Holt) usually ignore him, and all three manage to forget his birthday completely. Depressed and alone, Alfred bumps into Mary Grey (Ginger Rogers), a young woman who is out of work but is still happy with her lot in life. Alfred invites her to go to a night spot with him, and he soon hatches a scheme by which Mary will move into the guest room of the Borden Mansion and pose as a gold digger who is toying with Alfred's affections to get at his money. Mary's presence has a sudden impact on the family; Martha realizes that she needs to pay more attention to her husband, Katherine falls in love with the family's leftist chauffeur (James Ellison), and Tim starts taking an interest in the family business, and in Mary. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
Fifth Avenue Girl starts out high but never catches the fire that its early sparks promise, ending up a watchable but disappointing semi-screwball comedy. Although the premise is far-fetched in that "only Hollywood" way, this is a minor flaw that would be easily forgiven if Girl had reached the heights that it keeps aiming for. Unfortunately, this kind of film has to float, light as a feather, and even the smallest missteps can send it crashing Earthward. With Girl, the screenwriting team doesn't provide enough big laughs, irresistible characters, and the opportunity for charm to keep it aloft. It also suffers from a total and intense lack of chemistry between Ginger Rogers and her supposed love interest, Tim Holt. Holt compounds the problem by turning in a performance that is unrelentingly dull. Rogers is much better, but her decision to play the role in a very low key -- which provides for some comic pay-offs initially -- becomes a bit wearying before the film ends. The normally astute director Gregory La Cava is off his form here, with pacing a problem, as is his inability to make the various strands of the story mesh comfortably. On the plus side, the cinematography is quite nice, and the art direction is impressive, and Walter Connolly's millionaire is all one could ask for. If Veree Teasdale is slightly off as his wife, and if Kathryn Adams is at best adequate as his daughter, the rest of the supporting cast comes through with solid work. Girl is not the top-drawer laugher it should have been by any means, but those looking for an unknown comedy from the era should give it a try. ~ Craig Butler, RoviCast
- Ginger Rogers - Mary Grey
- Walter Connolly - Mr. Alfred Borden
- Veree Teasdale - Mrs. Martha Borden
- James Ellison - Mike
- Tim Holt - Tim Borden
Credit
Perry Ferguson - Art Director, Edward C. Jewell - Art Director, Van Nest Polglase - Art Director, Howard Greer - Costume Designer, Edward Killy - First Assistant Director, Gregory La Cava - Director, Frank Strayer - Director, Willaim Hamilton - Editor, Roland D. Reed - Editor, Robert Wise - Editor, Russell Bennett - Composer (Music Score), Robert Russell Bennett - Composer (Music Score), Mel Burns - Makeup, M.A. Anderson - Cinematographer, Robert de Grasse - Cinematographer, Gregory La Cava - Producer, Darrell Silvera - Set Designer, Charles S. Belden - Screenwriter, Frederick Stephani - Screenwriter, Allan G. Scott - Screenwriter| Fifth Avenue (1926 Film), Fifteen and Pregnant (1998 Film) | |
| Fifth Avenue Models (1925 Film), Fifth Circle (2006 Film) |
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5th Ave Girl
| 5th Ave Girl | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Gregory La Cava |
| Produced by | Gregory La Cava |
| Written by | Allan Scott Gregory La Cava (uncredited) Morrie Ryskind (uncredited story outline) |
| Starring | Ginger Rogers Walter Connolly |
| Editing by | Robert Wise |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Release date(s) | September 22, 1939 |
| Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
5th Ave Girl is a 1939 comedy film about a millionaire who feels neglected by his family, so he hires a young woman to stir things up. It stars Ginger Rogers and Walter Connolly.
Plot
Wealthy industrialist Alfred Borden has problems both at work and at home. His employees at Amalgamated Pump are making demands that may drive the business he has built up from nothing into bankruptcy, and his son Tim has lost a major customer through neglect (he prefers playing polo). On his birthday, Borden's secretary gives him a loud tie as a gift, but when he goes home to his Fifth Avenue mansion, he finds nobody there but the servants. His unfaithful wife Martha, his daughter Katherine, and Tim have all forgotten or do not care.
Feeling lonely, he goes to Central Park, where he meets Mary Grey, a young, out-of-work woman. Seeing that she has only a meager meal to last the day, he invites her to dine with him at a fancy nightclub. They get drunk, start dancing, and are spotted by Martha and her boyfriend. The next morning, he awakes with a hangover and a black eye, to discover that he had apparently invited Mary to spend the night in a guest room.
Seeing the reaction this elicits from his formerly indifferent family, he concocts a scheme: he hires Mary to pretend to be his mistress. He neglects his company, forcing his son to take up the slack. Tim comes up with fresh new ideas to save the firm. Meanwhile, Borden and Mary go out every night, supposedly partying to all hours, though they are actually just driven around by the ardently Communist chauffeur Mike. Embarrassed by the resulting newspaper gossip column items and shunned by her friends, Martha first calls family psychiatrist Dr. Kessler, but he finds nothing wrong with her now-cheerful and carefree husband. She starts staying home, plotting ways to drive Mary out. She has Tim try to buy her off, but that fails. Tim makes no effort to hide his contempt for the interloper, but eventually, he falls in love with her.
Finally, Mary can no longer continue with the charade and tearfully confesses the truth. Katharine shows up and announces she has married Mike, who has decided to quit and open a repair shop. At first, Martha is aghast, but then Borden reminds her that they started their own marriage in about the same way, and she grudgingly accepts her new son-in-law. Borden then retreats to his bedroom, but Martha invites him into hers. Mary leaves, but Tim finds her, picks her up, and carries her back into the mansion. When a policeman tries to interfere, Mary tells him to mind his own business.
Cast
- Ginger Rogers as Mary Grey
- Walter Connolly as Alfred Borden
- Verree Teasdale as Martha Borden
- James Ellison as Mike
- Tim Holt as Tim Borden
- Kathryn Adams as Katherine Borden
- Franklin Pangborn as Higgins, the butler
- Ferike Boros as Olga, another servant
- Louis Calhern as Dr. Kessler
- Theodore von Eltz as Terwilliger (as Theodor Von Eltz)
- Alexander D'Arcy as Maitre D'
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