Classic Movie Man: Jeanne Crain in her big starring moment as "Margie"

In 1943 at 18, Jeanne Crain was under contract with 20th Century Fox. She had a small part in the Alice Faye musical The Gang's All Here. The next year she played the love interest of Lon McCallister in Home in Indiana also starring Walter Brennan. The Technicolor film was a big hit with movie audiences and Crain was on her way to movie stardom.

Darryl F. Zanuck, head of 20th Century Fox, wanted to groom Crain as the next Janet Gaynor. Crain's natural beauty and pleasant screen personality made her a hit with film fans. Typical of the studio system, Crain was in movies one after the other. In 1944 she starred in In the Meantime, Darling directed by Otto Preminger and Winged Victory. In 1945, she co-starred with Dana Andrews, another star on the rise, in State Fair in the role that Gaynor created in 1933. Also that year, she played the good girl cousin of bad girl Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven, the studio's biggest box office success up to that time.

Crain's banner year would be 1946. She starred in Centennial Summer, again directed by Preminger, Fox's attempt to match the success of M-G-M's Meet Me in St. Louis. She received top billing over Cornel Wilde and Fox veteran Linda Darnell. But her biggest success that year was Margie.

The film begins with the now-married Margie telling her daughter about her high school days at Central High, the school her daughter is attending.

Every once in a while an actress makes a role her own and it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the part. This was the case with Margie, directed by Henry King. The film with music set during the 1920s was a perfect fit for Crain. At just 21 years of age, she was totally believable as Margie McDuff a high school senior with a crush on her French teacher (Glenn Langan).

Crain as Margie McDuff, daydreaming while studying

The promotion of Crain for the film was enormous. The poster proclaimed "Jeanne Crain in her big starring moment as Margie." The poster went on to call Crain "The girl of the moment..." She was on the cover of Life magazine. In the film, Crain is surrounded by a wonderful supporting cast which includes Langan, Lynn Barrie, Allan Young, Barbara Lawrence, Conrad Janis, Esther Dale, and Hattie McDaniel. But it's Crain's picture.

As the shy Margie always having trouble with her bloomers, Crain is believable and charming. It's easy to see how she quickly endeared herself to movie audiences. During the 1940s, her fanmail was second only to Betty Grable.

A month before the movie's release, Jeanne Crain was on the cover of Life with the cover story promoting Margie.

Crain's Margie wishes she were popular like her best friend Marybelle Tenor and her steady beau Johnny "Johnikins" Green (Janis). But her strict grandmother (Dale), who she lives with, encourages her to concentrate on her studies and not to be as flighty as Marybelle. Margie is smart and she's a good debater. The debate scene in the film is classic with the subject being of great concern to many Americans during the 1920s: "Take the Marines out of Nicaragua!"

Margie's father (Hobart Cavanaugh) is an undertaker or "mortician" as Margie would say to Roy Hornsdale (Young). Her father's profession embarrasses her but she adores him. He lives apart from Margie and her grandmother and always seems occupied with his work.

Jeanne Crain, Conrad Janis, and Barbara Lawrence

When the new Central High French teacher Professor Ralph Fontayne (Langan) arrives on the scene, Margie becomes smitten with him and it seems that the feeling may be mutual. Through several embarrassing situations between Margie and the professor, Margie is convinced she has ruined her chances of winning his attention. But Margie is about the underdog coming out on top so you can be sure of a happy ending.

Of all the films Crain made none is as much fun as Margie. She's lovely, sweet, and absolutely perfect in the title role.

If you haven't seen this film, you own it to yourself to give it a look.