Girl Crazy (1929 film)

Girl Crazy is a pre-Code American musical film directed by Lloyd Corrigan and starring Jack Egan, Sue Carol, and the comedy duo of Wheeler & Woolsey (Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey). Released by RKO Pictures, it is an adaptation of the 1928 stage musical of the same name, written by Guy Bolton and John McGowan, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

The film revolves around Danny Churchill (Egan), a wealthy playboy who is sent to a western boarding school to learn discipline and maturity. He quickly becomes smitten with Molly Gray (Carol), the school's only female student. Complications arise from the presence of rival suitors and various comedic situations involving the school's staff and local characters, including those portrayed by Wheeler & Woolsey.

While the film retains some of the musical numbers from the stage show, many were omitted or altered. The film is notable for being one of the earliest screen adaptations of a Gershwin musical, although it's considered a loose adaptation and not a faithful representation of the stage production. It's also significant as an early talkie musical. Its relative obscurity stems from the fact that it is not as well remembered as the later, more famous 1932 version, also titled Girl Crazy, starring Wheeler & Woolsey again, but with an entirely different plot and song selection. The 1929 version is less frequently screened or discussed in comparison to its later namesake or other contemporaneous musicals.