Very disappointing...

Thanks for the memories!

Really Surprised!

Fresh and Exciting

Mona Freeman was brought up by a tough, money-hungry, shady, single mother -- June Duprez in quite a change from her role in THE THIEF OF BAGDAD -- and soon falls in with grifting James Dunn. When she steals a watch from a drunk military man, Dunn shows some patriotism and tells her to give it back.... and she winds up married, a war widow and struggling to keep her baby in this movie directed by Alfred Santell.Miss Freeman was 20 when she made this movie, but she always seemed younger than she was, a factor which hampered her screen career; in this, she looks quite convincing in the opening scene as a 14-year-old girl buying a flower for her mother. She gives a fine, layered performance, but the script, from a story by Adele Rogers St. John, tries to cover too many bases, half tough-girl drama, half weepy-mother-loses-baby soap, with a dose of judicial moralizing and a dash of miraculous intervention. As a result, her characterization, and that of James Dunn, fresh off an Academy Award win for A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN may seem not so much nuanced as inconsistent.I think not. I think it's a good movie, although I find the first half more interesting. That, however, is largely because I don't care for weepy melodramas. Judging by the record, no one was particularly impressed by this picture at the time. Dunn's career resumed its slide, aided by alcoholism; Freeman worked in minor movies for another ten years, then in television until 1972; and Santell, whose directorial career had begun in 1916, and who lived until 1981, never directed another movie.

Along with a few other reviewers, I caught this last night as part of TCM's spotlight on the restored films of the long defunct Republic Studios. Aside from its John Wayne vehicles, Republic was known as a 2nd tier studio with limited budgets and usually rented/free agent acting talent. "That Brennan Girl" is example of one its budgeted melodramas with a cast of talents on the downside of their careers.The plot: Set in 1930's-40's San Francisco when it was known for its large Irish-American population, young teenager "Ziggy Brennan" (Mona Freeman) is raised by her cynical single mother, "Nat" (June Duprez), to use her good looks and feminine charms to take what she can get out of sap-hearted men. By the time she's in her late teens, Ziggy is a petty thief and con-artist who enjoys a good time drinking and clubbing. During one of her soirees, she runs into "Denny Reagan" (James Dunn) a middle-aged grifter who quickly IDs her as a fellow con and employs her in his scams. Although presenting himself to the world as a hard-hearted cynic, Reagan is devoted to his kindly mother (Dorothy Vaughan) from whom he hides his actual profession. And it's his affection for his mother that leads him to cause Ziggy to make a life-changing decision when he urges her to return an item she stole off a sailor on shore-leave, "Mart Neilson" (William Marshall).That leads to Ziggy and Neilson marrying, but soon leaving her a widow with a baby. Although she loves her child, Ziggy is still a girl herself and has no clue how to be a good mother. She struggles with her desire to enjoy being young and pretty and her new responsibilities. Along the way, Denny, who has received a harsh wake-up call as to his career decisions, tries to help steer her towards the straight and narrow, but can she depart the mold that her mother created for her?This was an odd movie. It starts out as a fairly interesting character study of a girl being sent down a tough path by a misguided parent, but ends-up as a fairy-tale about broken people finding love, happiness, and babies. The disjointed and rather silly 3rd act hurts the film.The casting is odd. June Duprez as Mother Brennan was definitely cast against type. Remembered for playing aristocratic, well-mannered beauties in the British classics: "The Thief of Bagdad" (1940) and "The Four Feathers" (1939), here she is playing a cynical slattern who lies about her daughter being her sister and wants no part of being a grandmother. James Dunn trying to cash-in on his career performance in 1945's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" got top billing and certainly plays well the role of an Irish-American charmer, but the ridiculous disparity in age between himself and Miss Freeman undermines their story arc.Still, it held my interest mainly due the performance of Miss Freeman. Apparently, the 20 year old Freeman had been chomping at the bit to break-out of the teenage ingenue roles that had so far been her film career. So, she leaped at the chance to play the sadder-but-wiser Ziggy. Although Ziggy is still a very young woman, she's no child. She dresses and acts like an adult although one that still has a lot to learn. Freeman does a very nice job with the role and her performance is the best thing about the film. (Also, she's very nice to look at especially in those 1940's outfits!) Sadly but understandably, "That Brennan Girl" didn't find an audience in 1946. So, it didn't help the struggling careers of Ms. Duprez or Mr. Dunn. And it certainly didn't help Miss Freeman escape playing wide-eyed teenagers. The movie she did immediately after this film, 1947's "Dear Ruth," saw her once again donning bobby-sox and saddle shoes and playing a 14-15 yr old child.

When Mona Freeman was given a chance to expand her range on "That Brennan Girl" she jumped at the chance. In the Adela Rogers St. John story she was required to age from 11 to 25 but critics weren't impressed and felt her performance didn't rise to the weighty story. The truth was she looked too young and that seemed to be why her career never got off the ground. Her first part was going to be as Barbara Stanwyck's step daughter in "Double Indemnity" but she was replaced as she photographed like a young teen, another part that was taken from her was as Elizabeth Taylor's older sister in "National Velvet", she was thought to look younger than Taylor so Angela Lansbury replaced her.If Freeman looked too young - she makes poor James Dunn look ancient!! With his weather beaten face (courtesy of too much alcohol) he looked just too old and careworn to be playing a hot shot con man full of big ideas! He didn't win an Academy Award for nothing (although it did nothing to boost his career) and he really comes into his own and gives out some Irish charm in the scenes with his mother.This film is a showcase for Mona and from the time she is introduced as her mother's sister she becomes an eager pupil for her mother's creed - which is "don't let your looks go to waste, take men for everything you can get and you can never start too young"!!! After being expelled from school she is plunged into Natalie's world and catches the eye of fast talking Denny (Dunn) who gives her a job convincing customers (usually older, well heeled ones) that when moving house they simply must use "Denny's Removalists" - and that is usually the last people see of their precious possessions!!When Ziggy meets naval officer, Martin Neilson, she falls for his obvious sincerity but when she finds herself a war widow with a baby it is all too easy to slip back into club life. This movie has more plots than a "soapie" and you just know things are not going to be good when the young high school girl (Shirley Mills) that Ziggy has hired is keener to go riding with the boys than stay put looking after the baby. The juvenile authorities are alerted and suddenly Ziggy is up before a judge on a suspended sentence and the baby is in care!!It was a big stretch to have beautiful June Duprez (for whom Technicolor seemed to be made ie "The Four Feathers", "The Thief of Bagdad" etc) and who was only 8 years older than Mona Freeman having to play her mother!! She pulled it off though, looking like a big sister in the first scenes but later looking much older as her playgirl lifestyle catches up with her. She was British but quickly went to Hollywood to cash in on her fame and as the British equivalent to Maria Montez but unfortunately her agent asked for too high a salary and she found herself almost unemployable.

Raised by a flamboyant and irresponsible mother, Ziggy Brennan (played by Mona Freeman) gets involved in hustling men at a young age. She hangs around with a wild crowd and learns gets her "street smarts" first from her mother (who wants everyone to think they are sisters) then from an older man. He starts teaching her his tricks of the trade and she falls right in line with his crooked ways. Then one night she meets a tall, handsome, honest farmer boy who's a soldier and they fall in love. While he's away fighting the war, she discovers she's pregnant.I won't say more so as not to spoil it. But I found the ethics that this film teaches to be something sorely missing in our films nowadays. Suffice it to say that even though she goes through some heartbreaking experiences, she reforms her ways and there is a happy ending.Probably not a film that most young people would enjoy. Not any action and some parts drag a bit, but it's Frank Capra type of message left me with a good feeling. Baby-boomers will most likely love it.