Another 1930s Fox Film With A Muddled Story

John Boles and Claire Trevor in Wild Gold (1934)

Spencer Tracy and Claire Trevor in The Mad Game (1933)

James Dunn and Lya Lys in Jimmy and Sally (1933)

Don't you worry baby. I'll go places just as soon as I get my big break.

James Dunn and Claire Trevor in Jimmy and Sally (1933)

James Dunn

Claire Trevor

Harvey Stephens

William M. Conselman

Marguerite Roberts

Paul Schofield

Happy-go-lucky Jimmy O&apos;Connor, a publicist for the Marlowe Meat Packing Company, continually relies on Sally Johnson, his secretary and sweetheart, to keep him organized and do his work when he neglects it. She has the idea to pub...

James Tinling

Jimmy and Sally

James Dunn is the publicity man for Jed Prouty&apos;s meat-pacing company, and Claire Trevor is his girl and his assistant. Jimmy&apos;s got big, flashy ideas and an ego to go with them, but when a few of them blow up, he finds himself out a job and his girl in this decent but unremarkable Fox Film.

Given the characters&apos; names, I suspect this was originally planned as another teaming of Dunn and Sally Eilers, Fix Film&apos;s young urban couple, Dunn sings a song at the beginning, and Lya Lys sings another, but there isn&apos;t much of it, and there isn&apos;t much to the script, once Dunn winds up on his heels towards the end; director James Tingling, one of Fox&apos; competent but uninspired B directors goes through the script efficiently, nor does cameraman Joseph Valentine get to do much of interest; it wouldn&apos;t be until the early 1940s that his projects would become hits and he would get to work with important directors on important projects. His first Oscar nomination would come in 1938, and he would win a posthumous Academy Award in 1949 for JOAN OF ARC, after his early death at age 48.

Like many a Fox Film in this period, it shows the unfortunate lack of a good writing staff, with three writers failing to figure out whether the movie was about Dunn, Trevor or their relationship. Instead, it turns into another fizzled effort that I kept watching, hoping something interesting would happen.

James Dunn is the publicity man for Jed Prouty's meat-pacing company, and Claire Trevor is his girl and his assistant. Jimmy's got big, flashy ideas and an ego to go with them, but when a few of them blow up, he finds himself out a job and his girl in this decent but unremarkable Fox Film.

Given the characters' names, I suspect this was originally planned as another teaming of Dunn and Sally Eilers, Fix Film's young urban couple, Dunn sings a song at the beginning, and Lya Lys sings another, but there isn't much of it, and there isn't much to the script, once Dunn winds up on his heels towards the end; director James Tingling, one of Fox' competent but uninspired B directors goes through the script efficiently, nor does cameraman Joseph Valentine get to do much of interest; it wouldn't be until the early 1940s that his projects would become hits and he would get to work with important directors on important projects. His first Oscar nomination would come in 1938, and he would win a posthumous Academy Award in 1949 for JOAN OF ARC, after his early death at age 48.

Like many a Fox Film in this period, it shows the unfortunate lack of a good writing staff, with three writers failing to figure out whether the movie was about Dunn, Trevor or their relationship. Instead, it turns into another fizzled effort that I kept watching, hoping something interesting would happen.

Happy-go-lucky Jimmy O'Connor, a publicist for the Marlowe Meat Packing Company, continually relies on Sally Johnson, his secretary and sweetheart, to keep him organized and do his work when he neglects it. She has the idea to publicize E. W. Marlowe's products as producing courage and power, and Jimmy relates the idea to Marlowe. Impressed with Jimmy's slogan--"Eat Meat and Rule the World"--Marlowe agrees to let him organize a circus to be broadcast on the radio from the Marlowe department store's window. Despite the objections of Ralph Andrews, a fellow publicist who is in love with Sally, Jimmy hosts the stunt, and it goes awry when an elephant is scared by a mouse and wreaks havoc. Marlowe fires Jimmy the next day, but is forced to rehire him as the publicity agent of his mistress, Pola Wenski, when Jimmy finds out about the illicit relationship. Jimmy escorts Pola home to celebrate and spends the night on her couch after he passes out. Sally is infuriated by what she considers to be yet another example of Jimmy's insensitivity, and the couple squabble when he reappears. He tells her to listen to the radio to hear his latest brainstorm, and when she does, Sally is aghast to learn that Jimmy is publicizing Pola by spreading the story that she is in love with an unnamed notorious gangster whom she has never met. That night, Pola's nightclub is packed with gangsters, all hoping to be the beloved of the pretty singer, and Pola becomes enamored of tough Slug Morgan. Slug's men throw Jimmy and Marlowe out of the club, and Marlowe fires Jimmy once again. The next morning, Jimmy announces to Sally, who was at the club with Ralph during the incident, that he is opening his own agency and therefore needs nothing from Marlowe or her. Sally is then hired by Marlowe to fill Jimmy's old job, and as her success grows, so do Jimmy's unpaid bills. Sally visits Jimmy in his office and, seeing that he is destitute, tries to give him an account, but the headstrong Jimmy refuses to accept. Sally reprimands Jimmy for being selfish and ungrateful, then says she is through with him. Jimmy moves to the West Coast, and, after weeks of looking for work, ends up as a meat packer at a company similar to Marlowe's. The weeks pass as he saves money and is humbled by his experiences. Meanwhile, Sally accepts Ralph's proposal of marriage, even though she admits she still loves Jimmy. One of Jimmy's co-workers tells him it is not too late to win Sally back, and Jimmy returns to the East Coast to start over. He first goes to Marlowe and asks for a job. Jimmy explains to Marlowe that he is not the smart aleck he once was, and Marlowe tells him to report to the head of the publicity department. Jimmy is surprised to find that Sally is the department head, but he assures her that he understands what he lost and that he will work hard to regain it. He is discouraged when he sees her engagement ring, but after Sally tells him not to give up so easily, he asks her to marry him and she accepts. The reunited couple kiss as Ralph walks into the office.

bappamtv

Jimmy and Sally

🎭 Top Cast

🎬 Technical Specs

🎯 Categories

⭐ Featured Review

🎬 More Like This

📖 Synopsis