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What Made Pistachio Nuts? (Early Sound Comedy and the Vaudeville Aesthetic)
THE DOUGHGIRLS (1944)
Film Pick of the Day
Thursday, November 12, 2026
In his first on-screen role Joe DeRita is very funny, costarring as a wandering businessman who's lost his room reservation, and wants nothing more than a place to sleep. He appears in a running gag throughout the film, interrupted from whatever safe haven or sofa he's found, and forced to move on. The film's fadeout is rewarded with the payoff to Joe's role in the film.
Film adaptation of the Broadway play, a fast-paced, dialogue driven screwball comedy, and satire on the housing and hotel shortages in wartime Washington DC.
Newlyweds Arthur Halstead and his scatter-brained wife Vivian (Jack Carson and Jane Wyman) check into a DC hotel's bridal suite, to find newlyweds Edna and Julian Cadman (Ann Sheridan and John Ridgely), who refuse to give up the accomodations. It's actually a reunion however, because Vivian and Edna are old friends who had a vaudeville act, and they're soon joined by the third member of their showgirl trio, when fellow newlywed Nan Dillon (Alexis Smith) drops in to surprise Vivian. But a convergance of bureaucratic red tape, the measles, a phony Justice of the Peace, and an ex-wife (Irene Manning) with invalid divorce papers surprises everyone to discover that no one is actually married. So the three newly-single brides take up residence in the hotel suite, along with a female Russian soldier (Eve Arden) who's on an escorted tour of Washington with Edna's State Department "husband." Over the course of a month, the hotel suite becomes a virtual 'Grand Central Station' when Arthur's officious government boss Mr. Slade (Charlie Ruggles) hires Vivian as his assistant, a nationally famous radio commentator (Alan Mowbray) takes residence in an adjoining bedroom, the FBI (Regis Toomey) begins investigating the three unwed brides and their Russian military friend, and the hotel manager is tried to the end of his patience.
Look closely at the scene with three women carrying babies into the hotel suite... the third woman is actress Natalie Schafer (GILLIGAN'S 'Lovey' Howell).
Details
Average Rating:  [ 6.00/10 ] 1 votes |
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| Featuring | Joe DeRita (Solo) |
|---|---|
| Release Date | Saturday, November 25, 1944 |
| Studio | Warner Bros. |
| Production Type | Feature Film |
| Duration | 102 min. |
