Let's be realistic.

A Disappointing Continuation

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

OK, I'm pretty far down on the list of previous reviewers, but I just saw this last night (April 12, 2016) on TCM as the second of a Ronald Reagan-Ann Sheridan double-bill following their pairing in "King's Row." So, by now readers already know the plot about the adversarial relationship between farmers and exploitive fat-cat (in Cat-Tail) vegetable buyer. The credit roll inside a jukebox rendering and jazzy musical score is wildly misleading. (Don't change channels; keep watching.) This movie is a surprisingly gritty story. I'm not going to summarize the storyline. If you're reading the reviews, you know the story by now. Here's what I want to point out: THE SET. When characters walk along the honky-tonk, "good times" strip to relieve the harsh realities of their dreary existence, check the names of the saloons. Somebody at Warner Bros. has a lot of fun naming these places: Muckeye's, Little Zombie, Goons, etc. All in all, an enjoyable film. The best dialogue is (surprisingly) between Sheridan and multi-talented Richard Whorf. Yes,credibility is stretched very far in the plot.***SPOILER ALERT*** Reagan steals a very nice truck and never held accountable.(Come on, he would have been locked up in the Cat-Tail jail on the spot.) Later, however, he IS arrested for a murder with the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence. This leads me to my biggest criticism: The characters act in a way that only serves the screenwriter's purpose - not their own characters.

People criticize Ronald Reagan's acting ability - granted, he never gained superstar status, and he was quite limited. However, for what he did, he could be very charming. He also always seemed relaxed in front of the camera.Reagan costars here with Ann Sheridan in 1942's "Juke Girl," sort of a weaker "Grapes of Wrath," with Gene Lockhart as an unscrupulous businessman who is cheating the local farmers by paying them low prices and making sure they can't sell anywhere else. Reagan and Richard Wharf, as Steve and Danny, are two drifters who arrive in a small town populated by farmers. There Steve meets and falls for Lola (Sheridan) who works in the local bar. As he endeavors to help a local farmer, Nick (George Tobias) who has fought with Madden (Lockhart) and has now seen his crops destroyed, Steve gets more than he bargained for. The result is murder.Entertaining Warner Brothers effort, perhaps not the most original plot you've ever seen, but you'll keep watching. Ann Sheridan was kind of a poor man's Rita Hayworth - the redhead had that been around the block presence, a low voice, and a toughness, all of which were appealing in any film in which she appeared. Gene Lockhart does a great job as a bully who underneath is terrified, and George Tobias is sympathetic as Nick Garcos, who wants to buck the system. Reagan comes off well as a determined young man who believes in doing the right thing.If you're a fan of Sheridan's or love the Warner's potboilers, this is worth seeing.

Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan connected in ways similar to William Powell and Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy and Kathryn Hepburn. Their crowning achievement was to appear as somewhat star crossed lovers in the Hollywood classic "King's Row," undoubtedly Ronald Reagan's best moments on the big screen. Since this film, "Juke Girl" was released the same year, understandably it was basically ignored in favor of the much grander screen adaptation of a popular novel. An other feature of this film that perhaps leads to its virtual neglect today is the title, which sounds like one of the tawdry passion pit flicks of the 1950's. A possible surprise for today's viewer is the political stance taken by actor Reagan in "Juke Girl" for the migrant workers and small farmers against the corruption of the local business interests, much different that the position taken by President Reagan years later. But then this picture was made many years before Reagan would become enamored of Nancy Davis and make her his second wife. She turned Reagan around in more ways than one.The story is a good one, though a bit bottom heavy in that much of the excitement and action, including a murder, comes near the end. Steve Talbot (Reagan) and his best buddy, Danny Frazier (Richard Whorf), are hoboing across the country (the Depression was just winding down in 1942 because of World War II) looking for work of any kind with Steve preferring farm labor when they get involved with local labor unrest in a nowhere place called Cat Tail, Florida.Just before reaching the small, farming community, a girl called Skeeter (Betty Brewer) befriends them and takes a particular liking to Steve. Her place in the story is somewhat vague other than to add a bit of humor and a down-home quality to the film. Steve and Danny hook up with the juke girl of the title, Lola Mears (Sheridan), and her co-entertainer, Murph (Faye Emerson). Steve falls for Lola but Lola puts up a tough, don't tread on me veneer when obviously inside, her heart turns to mush when Steve is near.Looking for jobs brings them into contact with the local boss, Henry Madden (Gene Lockhart), who virtually runs the town, except surprisingly not the law. Madden's henchman, Cully (Howard Da Silva), takes a dislike to Steve and Danny from the beginning and attempts to bully them around. Danny ultimately throws in with Madden while Steve throws in with a local farmer, Nick Garcos, the Greek (George Tobias), being exploited by Madden. Thus Steve and Danny become rivals and friendly enemies. A foreman for Madden, "Yip" (Alan Hale), befriends both Steve and Danny. Eventually, Lola throws in with Steve and Nick and the fun begins.The acting is first rate. The two leads give their usual fine performances, with such great character actors as Donald MacBride, Fuzzy Knight, Eddy Waller, aka Nugget Clark, Guy Wilkerson, aka Panhandle Perkins, Glenn Strange, aka the Frankenstein monster, and even William Hopper, aka Paul Drake, helping out in bit parts. Ann Sheridan is given an opportunity to sing and dance which is always a treat. Of special note is the talented comedian, Willie Best, as a street vendor peddling lucky rabbit feet called Jo-Mo.The crisp black and white photography by Bert Glennon captures the look and feel of the Depression in Florida. A few of the shots are reminiscent of those by Gregg Toland in John Ford's masterpiece, "The Grapes of Wrath," not surprising since Glennon assisted Ford from time to time with his cinematography.

While similar in plot to _They Drive by Night (1940)_ (qv), Juke Girl stands on its own as an enjoyable movie, thanks primarily to its lead actors.As in their previous films together, _The Angels Wash Their Faces (1939)_ (qv) and _Kings Row (1942)_ (qv), Ronald Reagan (qv) and the wonderful Ann Sheridan (qv) make a nice film couple. Heck, in a perfect world Ann Sheridan would have been First Lady, but that's another story.Good acting, good characters, and a good story. Toss in a quick song by Miss Sheridan and you have the makings of a pretty good movie. Enjoy.