5th Ave Girl (1939)

The most notable features of this lame comedy-drama are a listless performance from Ginger Rogers, who behaves as if she had been on tranquilizers during production, and frequent Marxist-flavored rants delivered by James Ellison as a disgruntled chauffeur. It's a low-key variation on two much better films, My Man Godfrey and Holiday: dysfunctional super rich brought down to earth by an encounter with a poor person. It's interesting also to see the terminally haughty Verree Teasdale matched with Walter Connolly playing characters similar to the ones they played in 1937's First Lady. Teasdale deserved better scripts. She was a very amusing caricature of a high society lady with a commanding, plush, deep voice. Connolly as usual plays a tycoon whose hard-nosed business sense is tempered by a sort of warmhearted common sense.

Too much social commentary (and not too subtle, at that), combined with an unusually low-key performance from GINGER ROGERS (was she bored with her role?), make FIFTH AVENUE GIRL a less than satisfying spoof on the manners and mores of '39 among the idle rich.As usual, the formulaic story is concerned with an unhappy millionaire (WALTER CONNOLLY who seemed to specialize in these sort of roles), a man so ignored by his family that he decides to shake them up by hiring a girl (GINGER ROGERS) to pose as his steady girlfriend. Improbably, Rogers agrees after a chance meeting in a NYC park, thus setting the plot in motion.The family is composed of characters that are standard for comedies of this genre. There's the feather-brained wife (VERREE TEASDALE), the outspoken butler (FRANKLIN PANGBORN), the Marxist chauffeur (JAMES ELLISON), and the stuffy son (TIM HOLT) who has to be taken down a peg by Ginger. Unfortunately, there's virtually no chemistry between Holt and Rogers. Ginger's detached air and throwaway delivery of lines may be responsible for this, but Holt seems stiff and uncomfortable in his role. The ending seems a bit contrived and foolish.Summing up: Passable fare if you're not particular about your screwball comedies or happen to be a fan of Ginger Rogers, although she's certainly off her mark here. Oddly unsatisfactory script.

The ridiculously rich (look at that mansion) and the perfectly groomed poor. Ginger Rogers proves that she was one of the best comedic, deadpan actresses of her time, even without dancing. The bratty kids, the wise ass chauffeur, the horse faced butler. The clothes, love that 1930-40's look. it must have been a real ego trip to be stinking rich during a time of world wide depression, which made the rich even richer. Great writing, acting and directing. As good as "It happened One Night". There were many movies made in 1939, a couple of them like GWTW and TW of Oz, get all the press but this movie is a gem. Walter Connolly and Verre Teasdale as high society husband and wife are great.

Ginger Rogers seemed to mumble listlessly through a part she didn't like. Tim Holt seemed too immature for the romantic lead and has no chemistry with Ginger. These items detracted from the good screenplay, which has Ginger hired by millionaire Walter Connolly to stay at his house and sort of straighten out his family. It was almost like "My Man Godfrey" (also directed by Gregory La Cava) with the sex roles interchanged, but it was not nearly as good, and certainly did not come close to the pairing of William Powell and Carole Lombard.Preview comments played a big part in studio decisions in those days. The ending in the film was changed to the one you see after preview audiences panned the original, less happy ending.