Meet the People (1944)
| Release Date | 01 June 1944 |
| Genre | Comedy, Musical, Romance |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Sound Mix | Mono |
| Color | Black and White |
| Film Type | Feature |
| Tags | Broadway, Playwright, Shipyard, Snob, Star, Starting Over, Welding |
Meet the People was a 1944 MGM patriotic film made during World War II with Lucille Ball and Dick Powell that took its title from a successful Los Angeles stage revue. The film stars Lucille Ball as Julie Hampton, a stage actress who goes to work in a shipyard after the play in which she was planning to star is aborted by the shipyard worker (Dick Powell as William 'Swanee' Swanson) who wrote it, having disliked the Broadway glitz preferred by the play's director. Reporting for work the first day, actress Hampton discovers that the shipyard workers themselves are fully capable of performing in their own production. Yet in spite of a budding love interest between them, Swanson and Hampton clash over the simple authenticity of worker performers vs. the necessary essentials of a "professional" production.
Cast and Crew
Cast
Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra
Themselves
Steven Geray
Uncle Felix
Paul Regan
'Buck'
Howard Freeman
Mr. George Peetwick
John Craven
John Swanson
Miriam LaVelle
Miriam - Acrobatic Dancer
Ziggie Talent
Ziggie
Mata And Hari
Themselves - Oriental Dancers
Frank Adams
Man
Harry Adams
Shipyard Executive
Margaret Adden
Woman
Sam Ash
Workman in Rooming House
Hooper Atchley
Airport Policeman
John Bagni
Tough Workman
Gertrude Bennett
Woman
John Berkes
Workman
Margaret Bert
Woman
Karin Booth
Girl
Bobbie Canvin
Singer in "I Like to Recognize the Tune" and "Smart to Be People" Numbers
Lucille Casey
Show Girl
Judy Clark
Woman
Fred Coby
Marine
Donald Davis
Boy
Lew Davis
Diner at The Ritz
Linda Deane
Show Girl
Jack Deery
Shipyard Executive
Dick Elliott
Salesman on Train
Billy Engle
Man
Alice Eyland
Show Girl
Al Ferguson
Workman
Myrtle Ferguson
Woman
Jean Forward
Singer in "Schicklegruber" Number
Mary Ganley
Girl
Frederick Giermann
Hitler's Voice
Buddy Gorman
Youth
Gloria Grafton
Brittle Secretary
Kit Guard
Diner at The Ritz
Frank Hagney
Shipyard Gateman
Eddie Hall
Marine
Richard Hall
Billy Smith
Myron Healey
Marine
Dell Henderson
Charlie - Stage Manager
Al Hill
Mac, Reporter at Shipyard
Clifford Holland
Solo Singer in "Smart to Be People" Number
Patt Hyatt
Woman
Thelma Joel
Girl
Colin Kenny
Extra at Boat Christening
Eugene King
Man
Henry Kruse
Solo Singer in "Smart to Be People" Number
Beau Lee
Mussolini
Florence Lundeen
Show Girl
George Magrill
Welder
Hugh Maguire
Boy
Thora Mathiason
Singer in "Schicklegruber" Number
Beryl McCutcheon
Woman
Mary McLeod
Girl
Roger Moore
Julie's Chauffeur
Patsy Moran
Homely Girl
Jean Murray
Woman
Eileen Nilsson
Woman
Elsa Nilsson
Woman
Robert Emmett O'Connor
Theater Attendant
Michael Owen
Marine
Joe Ploski
Harmonica Player at Boat Christening
Gene Ramey
Specialty Act in "Heave Ho" Number
Joey Ray
Dance Director
Virginia Rees
Solo Singer in "Smart to Be People" Number
Noreen Roth
Show Girl
Earl Schenck
Shipyard Stage Manager
Erin Selwyn
Show Girl
The King Sisters
Quartet Singers
Julian Smith
Man
Cap Somers
Workman
Harry Stanton
Specialty Act in "Heave Ho" Number
Larry Steers
Launch Official
Robert E. Strickland
Man
William Tannen
Mr. Quinn - Julie's Office Assistant
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones
Charlie - Pullman Porter
Celia Travers
Monte's Secretary
Sid Troy
Man
James Warren
Marine
Pat West
Boilermaker with 200 Pledges
Tudor Williams
Singer in "Schicklegruber" Number
Joe Yule
Shorty - Ritz Counterman
Director
Charles Reisner
Writer
Sol Barzman
Ben Barzman
Louis Lantz
S.M. Herzig
Fred Saidy
Producer
E.Y. Harburg
producer
Original Music
Cinematographer
Robert Surtees
Editor
Alex Troffey
Art Director
Set Decorator
Edwin B. Willis
-
Costume Designer
Gile Steele
Production Manager
Dave Friedman
unit manager
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Rhein
assistant director
Art Department
Mac Alper
associate set decorator
Hubert Hobson
associate art director
Sound Department
James Z. Flaster
sound
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Music Department
Wally Heglin
orchestrator
Merrill Pye
musical presentation
Conrad Salinger
orchestrator
John Watson
orchestrator
Hugo Winterhalter
orchestrator
Salvatore Cammarano
librettist: "Sextet" from "Lucia di Lammermoor"
Gloria Grafton
singing voice: Lucille Ball
Other Crew
Jack Donohue
dance director
Sammy Lee
dance director
Charles Walters
dance director
Production Company
MGM-International Dist.
Distributor
MGM-International Dist.
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