My Gal Sal is a 1942 American musical film distributed by 20th Century Fox and starring Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature. The film is a biopic of 1890s composer and songwriter Paul Dresser and singer Sally Elliot. It was based on a biographical essay, sometimes erroneously referred to as a book, by Dresser's younger brother, novelist Theodore Dreiser (Dreiser was the original family name). Some of the songs portrayed as Dresser's work were actually written by him, but several were created for the film by the Hollywood songwriting team of Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin.
Sally Elliott, a musical star meets up with Indiana boy Paul Dresser, a runaway who after a brief stopover with a medicine show arrives in Gay Nineties New York. He composes the title tune for the fair lady and becomes the toast of Tin Pan Alley.
Plot Summary
Indiana boy Paul Dresser (Victor Mature) runs away from home to become a musician against the wishes of his strict father who is determined Paul will become a minister instead. After being run out of town and left for dead for mistakenly being associated with a conman, he is found by Colonel Truckee - a travelling snake oil salesman - and his medicine show.
There, he meets Mae Collins (Carole Landis), who encourages him to join them. During one of his performance, Sally Elliot (Rita Hayworth) laughs at Paul which offends him, and her companion, Fred Haviland (John Sutton) gives him two tickets to her show, which Paul and Mae attend. However, they are kicked out for being too boisterous. Paul decides that night that he's leaving the medicine show for good and bids Mae goodbye.
Upon his return to New York, he overhears a man playing piano and finds out that Sally has stolen the song he played at the medicine show but added her own lyrics. Paul decides to hire the man he overheard playing the piano (James Gleason) as his publisher and joins him in reclaiming his rights over the song. Paul ends up becoming Sally's personal songwriter for her shows.
Paul begins falling for her, despite her engagement to Fred. After writing songs in Sally's apartment the day following the party to celebrate the success of 'Come Tell Me Whats Your Answer (Yes or No)''' - the two kiss. From there they achieve success after success. When Paul shows up late to one of many celebration parties with the Countess Mariana Rossini (Mona Maris), Sally blows up at Paul and gives him the cold shoulder. Following more petty quarrelling, he proposes marriage to Sally and she accepts.
That night, Paul returns to his apartment and finds the Countess' husband has challenged him to a duel. Enraged at the idea of it alone, Paul storms over to the Countess' home to confront the Count - only to find it was all a ploy by the Countess to see him again. Sally witnesses him returning from the Countess' party and assumes the worst. She breaks their engagement and refuses to sing his music ever again, until Paul sends a man with a song dedicated to her under a pen name which she performs with great success. When he reveals that he was the one who wrote it - after much bickering - the two decide to reconcile.
Cast
Rita Hayworth as Sally Elliott (singing voice was dubbed by Nan Wynn) Victor Mature as Paul Dresser (singing voice was dubbed by Ben Gage) John Sutton as Fred Haviland Carole Landis as Mae Collins James Gleason as Pat Hawley Phil Silvers as Wiley Walter Catlett as Col. Truckee Mona Maris as Countess Mariana Rossini Frank Orth as McGuinness Stanley Andrews as Mr. Dreiser Margaret Moffatt as Mrs. Dreiser Terry Moore as Carrie Dreiser Libby Taylor as Ida, Sally's Maid John Kelly as John L. Sullivan Iron Eyes Cody as Indian (uncredited) George Melford as Conductor (uncredited) Choreographer Hermes Pan appears as Hayworth's dance partner in the "Gay White Way" number.
Awards
The film won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Color (Richard Day, Joseph C. Wright and Thomas Little). It also was nominated for Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (Alfred Newman).
Production
20th Century Fox head Darryl F. Zanuck purchased the story of My Gal Sal from Theodore Dreiser for $50,000 in the summer of 1942. Zanuck initially had the script and the lead role of Sally Elliott tailor-made to fit the talents of Fox's biggest female star at the time, Alice Faye. Faye was going to star with Carole Landis, George Montgomery, and John Shepperd.
However, Faye stated that she was tired of starring in costume musicals and turned the film down. Afterward, the part was offered to Betty Grable, who was becoming known as a successor to Faye at Fox, but who turned it down, believing Fox was over-working her.