Cover Girl (1944)

89% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(3,520 ratings)

Thanks to its Jerome Kern/Ira Gershwin/Yip Harburg score and the luminescence of stars Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly, Cover Girl has taken on a legendary status in recent years. In truth, the film has a banal and predictable premise: a chorus girl (Hayworth) is given a chance for stardom by a wealthy… More Thanks to its Jerome Kern/Ira Gershwin/Yip Harburg score and the luminescence of stars Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly, Cover Girl has taken on a legendary status in recent years. In truth, the film has a banal and predictable premise: a chorus girl (Hayworth) is given a chance for stardom by a wealthy magazine editor (Otto Kruger), who years earlier had been in love with the girl's mother. Offered an opportunity to be a highly-paid cover girl, our heroine would faithfully remain with her tacky nightclub act if only the club manager (Kelly), whom she pines for, would ask her. He loves her too, but doesn't want to stand in her way, so he fakes an argument to send her packing. You don't need a crystal ball to known that the girl and her guy will be reunited for the finale. Phil Silvers, everybody's best friend, and Eve Arden, Kruger's acid-tongued assistant, provide comic relief. The story sags badly at times, but the fans went home happy thanks to the powerhouse musical numbers, including Long Ago and Far Away and Kelly's famous "alter-ego" dance. The film skyrocketed both Hayworth and Kelly to superstardom, and didn't do Silvers any harm, either. Cover Girl is an extraordinarily lavish Technicolor production from the usually parsimonious Columbia Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Charles Vidor
Written By: Virginia Van Upp, Marion Parsonnet, Paul Gangelin
Genres: Romance, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 30, 1944 Wide
On DVD: Aug 19, 2003
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Its familiar tale of an ambitious chorus girl's sudden rise to fame is pleasant enough but not fresh enough to hold my attention.
Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Great songs, great dancing - an almost-great musical.
Dan Callahan, ToxicUniverse.com
Cover Girl is a mixed but colorful bag.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
The disc's drawback is its lack of extras. No commentary track, no background information about the movie ...
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
Overlooked musical with some great numbers. C'mon, pearl!

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jennifer X

I love this movie! Especially Gene Kelly's graceful leap into fantasy with the mirrors number. Rita Hayworth proves a surprisingly apt match for the magnificent Kelly (my husband).
Morgan S

I really love Rita Hayworth. He is great! So is gene kelly (as always.)
Tom S

I think there's still a place for some of this in today's cinema. The musical numbers were too long, but that dancing on the street was a lot of fun. Think of what they could do with that Gene Kelly dancing with himself scene today. Now I know what all the fuss was about… More
I think there's still a place for some of this in today's cinema. The musical numbers were too long, but that dancing on the street was a lot of fun. Think of what they could do with that Gene Kelly dancing with himself scene today. Now I know what all the fuss was about in Shawshank. Rita Hayworth is a fox.

Cast

            Rita Hayworth as Rusty Parker/Maribelle Hicks

            Gene Kelly as Danny McGuire

            Lee Bowman as Noel Wheaton

            Phil Silvers as Genius

            Otto Kruger as John Coudair

            Jinx Falkenburg as Herself

            Eve Arden as Cornelia (Stonewall) Jackson

            Leslie Brooks as Maurine Martin

            Jess Barker as John Coudair as a young man

            Anita Colby as Anita

            Curt Bois as Chef

            Edward S. Brophy as Joe

            Thurston Hall as Tony Pastor

            Dusty Anderson as Cover Girl: Farm Journal

            Sam Ash as Assistant Cook

            Warren Ashe as Rusty's Interviewer

            William Benedict as Florist Boy

            Jack Boyle
            
            John Dilson as Rusty's Photographer

            George Dobbs
            
            Eddie Dunn as Mac the Cop

            Fern Emmett as Women Columnist

            Sam Flint as Coudair's Butler

            Miriam Franklin
            
            Karen X. Gaylord as Cover Girl: Liberty

            Betty Jane Graham as Cover Girl: McCall

            Grace Hayle
            
            Robert E. Homans as Pop the Doorman

            William Kline as Chauffeur

            Miriam Lavelle
            
            George Lessey as Minister

            Johnny Mitchell as Pianist--Maribelle's Love

            Vin Moore as Waiter

            Frances Morris as Coudair's Secretary

            Muriel Morris
            
            Jack Norton as Harry the Drunk

            Kathleen O'Malley as Cigarette Girl

            Barbara Pepper
            
            Ralph Peters as Truckman

            Jack Rice as Reporter

            Patti Sacks
            
            Ralph Sanford
            
            Susan Shaw as Cover Girl: Vogue

            John Tyrrell as Electrician

            Virginia Wilson
            
            Shelley Winters as Girl

            Rudy Wissler
            
            Jackie Brown as Boy

            Frank O'Connor as Cook

            Betty Brewer as Autograph Hound

            Grace Gillern
            
            Robert E. Hill as Headwaiter

            Sally Cairns
            
            Grace Lenard as Chorus Girl

            Larry Rio
            
            Victor Travers as Bartender

            Ed Allen as Best Man

            Eugene Anderson Jr. as Bus Boy

            Wesley Brent
            
            Betty Brodel as Dancer

            Eddie Cutler
            
            Eloise Hart
            
            Al Norman
            
            Gwen Seager
            
See full cast

Cover Girl (1944)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Jennifer X

Morgan S

Tom S

Cast

Trailers & Clips