Wallflower is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Frederick de Cordova, written by Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron adapted from the play of the same name by Reginald Denham and Mary Orr, and starring Robert Hutton, Joyce Reynolds, Janis Paige, Edward Arnold, Barbara Brown and Jerome Cowan.[1] It was released by Warner Bros. on June 13, 1948.[2]

Wallflower
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFrederick de Cordova
Screenplay byHenry Ephron
Phoebe Ephron
Based onWallflower
1944 play
by Reginald Denham
Mary Orr
Produced byAlex Gottlieb
StarringRobert Hutton
Joyce Reynolds
Janis Paige
Edward Arnold
Barbara Brown
Jerome Cowan
CinematographyKarl Freund
Edited byFolmar Blangsted
Music byFriedrich Hollaender
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • June 13, 1948 (1948-06-13)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot edit

Joy Linnett and her stepsister Jackie miss a flight home to Ohio, but the attractive Joy, accustomed to getting her way with men, flirts with pilot Stevie Wilson until he agrees to personally fly the two young women.

At home, old beau Warren James comes calling and invites Jackie to a country club's dance. As soon as Joy emerges in a swimsuit, the smitten Warren not only neglects Jackie, he invites her sister to the dance.

A quarrel ensues between the women's parents. Jackie's dad is outraged by the way his daughter is treated, but Joy's mom says he's just miffed that her daughter is more popular than his.

Stevie calls out of the blue, giving Jackie an idea. She emulates her sister's behavior and wardrobe, persuading Stevie to accompany her to the dance. Once there, all the men get a look at the new Jackie and line up to dance with her, as sister Joy looks on, delighted. Now it is Warren who is neglected, so much so that he gets drunk and proposes marriage to both sisters. In the end, he comes to appreciate that Jackie is the one he really loves.

Cast edit

Reception edit

T.M.P. of The New York Times reviewed the film positively, describing the plot and direction as unoriginal but praising the screenwriters for their adaptation of the original play and commenting positively on the acting.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ "Wallflower". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  2. ^ "Wallflower (1948) - Overview". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). September 25, 2007. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  3. ^ T.M.P. (June 12, 1948). "'Wallflower' Bows at the Strand". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.

External links edit