The Girl Can’t Help it

The Girl Can’t Help it (1956)
Director: Frank Tashlin




Q1: How does the film relate to the chapter in Foner?
A1: “The Girl Can’t Help it” was made in 1956, a comedic film which describes a story in music industry. After World War II, this film well depicts the affluent and joyful mood in society during that time. The story starts with a man named Tom Miller, who is a famous agent of the previous super star Julie London, and he was in love with London. In a meeting, Tom meets wealthy business man Marty Murdock who used to be in prison for his business crime. Marty makes a deal with Tom, and asks Tom to assist him to turn his girlfriend Jerri Jordan into a super star. The reason why Marty does this is that he wants his girlfriend to have a higher reputation and achievement like his, and based on this same social status they can get married. However, although Jerri is a beautiful, attractive, and gorgeous woman, she cannot sing. Moreover, she tells Tom that she does not want to be a popular singer; she only wants to do housework, cooking meals for her lover, and taking care of her family. Unfortunately, Marty really dislikes Jerri cooking or doing housework: he even prohibits her to do these things. One day, Marty asks Tom and Jerri to go to his place for a meeting. On their way to Marty’s house, Jerri insists on having a picnic on a beach. During the picnic, Jerri tells Tom the story why she will be Marty’s grilfriend because Marty saved his father, and Jerri wants to devote herself to appreciate Marty’s goodness. From conversations, and previous meetings, Tom and Jerri fall in love with each other. In the meeting, Tom tells Marty the truth that Jerri really does not want to be a singer but a housekeeper. However, Marty forces Tom to keep helping train Jerri to be a popular singer. Next day, Tom takes Jerri to a rehearsal room; after listening to Jerri’s terrible voice, Tom realizes that Jerri cannot sing. By telling the truth to Marty, Marty takes a popular TV singer as an example to ask Jerri to sing, even to make a noise or scream; he is quite sure that his Jerri will be famous. Finally, Jerri does make a record based on Marty’s composition. Indeed, what she does is just make a terrible high pitch screaming in the middle of the song. After recording it, Tom takes the song to Chicago to meet a big jukebox business owner, Wheeler, and asks him to play Jerri’s song all over his jukebox machines. However, Marty and Wheeler are competitors in the jukebox business; after Wheeler knows that Jerri belongs to Marty’s business, he denies the offer. Marty figures out how to promote Jerri’s song by replacing all his competitors’ jukeboxes with his. He succeeds, and Jerri becomes a famous and popular singer. As Marty expects, Jerri is supposed to marry him; however, just before the wedding ceremony Jerri has the performance of her popular song. During the performance Jerri does not sing Marty’s piece, but her own creation to show her love to Tom. By singing this song, it proves that Jerri is a really good singer; it also indirectly shows that she can sing, but she does not want to sing. Indeed, to be a housewife is her ideal way of life. At the same time, Wheeler comes to the performance, and wants Marty to pay off what he owes for Wheeler’s jukeboxes. Clever Tom pushes Marty on the stage, and asks the audience to enjoy Marty’s performance of this popular song. In fact, Tom saves Marty’s life, moreover, Marty finds out his own interest to be a singer. Jerri and Tom get married in the end with the happy ending. Although “The Girl Can’t Help it” is a comedy mainly describing a story about music industry, it does reflect some points in Foner’s chapter 24. First, in the film it is not hard to observe that there are a lot of electronic devices, or housing devices like TVs, dishwashers, refrigerators in the house; these all point out the rising of consumer power during 1950s. Moreover, from Jerri’s outfits we can also clearly see that there are more choices in consumer power. Foner indicates this rising, and variety consumer powers as “the 1950s of a conception of freedom centered on economic abundance and consumer choice within the context of traditional family life” (Foner 873). Second, in the film from Marty, Tom, Jerri, their house decorations, furniture, electronic devices, and the luxurious nightclubs all point out that 1950s are an affluent period of time. It can be connected to Foner’s illustration based on this affluent period of time “one scholar has called the ‘golden age’ of capitalism, a period of economic expansion, stable prices, low unemployment , and rising standard of living that continued until 1973” (Foner 873). Finally, Jerri’s strong determination and orientation that she only wants to devote herself to her future family, her admiration to the marriage, and how she likes do house-work and cooking. Foner points out as this “1950s sought to convey the idea that women would find happiness in their roles as suburban homemakers” (Foner 880).



Q2: What can we learn about American culture during the time period by interpreting the film as a primary historical source?
A2: In “The Girl Can’t Help it”, there is a scene that when Marty replaces all Wheeler’s jukeboxes, and puts in Jerri’s awful song in his jukebox; it is marvelous that finally this terrible piece of music will be a famous song. Moreover, it suddenly turns Jerri’s music career to the highest level. Indeed, this seems ridiculous how this awful piece will be a national-wide popular song, it also indirectly points out the power of mass media and promotion. Thus, consumers’ preference strongly affected by the mass media and their promotion, this shows how powerful mass media that time even could transform a awful song to a popular and famous song. In this film, there are many devices and scenes present the advance of people’s standard of living. In fact, there are many new technological devices like TVs, washing machines, and refrigerators which are normally used and owned by the public. Therefore, when Tom goes to Chicago for a business trip, a jet plane becomes his transportation that time, and when he calls Jerri; he just uses hotel’s telephone to make a call. The jet plane and telephone instance indicate that these technologies were became a common tools, and not considered a “high-tech” only for wealthy and governmental users. Rock music, no doubts, is the main focus and improvement in public culture in this film. In this film, people seem accept this new type of music illustration, and indeed, it becomes a popular style of music. Music became a necessary part to people’s daily lives, and might liberalize their thinking based on this new form of music: rock music. Moreover, the flourishing nightclubs on the street reveal that how people started to put emphasis on the enjoyment of entertainment.


Q3: What does the film reveal about attitudes toward gender, class, and race?
A3: First, in the perspective of gender, Jerri sends out a strong message through the whole film, what she eager to have is a marriage, and becomes a housekeeper at home. This strong orientation in Jerri shows in scenes like Jerri enjoys preparing a breakfast for Tom, and cooking Thanksgiving turkey in a pleasant mood. Indeed, this phenomena of a huge preference for marriage and being a housekeeper in 1950’s women Foner thinks that “Films TV shows and advertisements portrayed marriage as the most important goal of American women” (Foner 880).Regarding class, it is not hard to notice the different ways of life between wealthy business man Marty, and normal singer’s agent Tom. Although Tom’s house seems be in good taste and he has everything he needs. The huge gap between classes still reflects in Marty’s personal luxurious palace. The most vivid instance might be that Marty shows a film to Tom in a meeting by using his own projector and specialized operator. Indeed, he has his own small movie theater; if Tom wants to watch a movie, he might, like most people do, go to a movie theater. Therefore, Marty has his personal driver and servant. Even though people in 1950s, their standard of living were totally better, the rich and poor class conflict still existed that time. In race part, in the film, a lot of black performers in the club singing rock music illustrate that there was no boundary in rock music among different ethnic groups during that time. Moreover, because this non-barrier musical environment, it also indicates these black performers’ social status was moving upward.


Q4: What was the most important scene in the film?
A4: Again, in my own observation, the most important scene is when Marty replaces all Wheeler’s jukeboxes, and puts in Jerri awful song in his jukeboxes, finally this terrible piece of music will be a famous song in the nation. Indeed, it reflects how public in 1950’s were strongly affected by the power of mass media. This awful song becomes a popular one, and turns Jerri to be a super star only because this song is over and over playing in the jukeboxes, but not really an enjoyable good song. The people in 1950’s they did have their consumer power to make a choice among variety of choices. However, they should use well this consumer power through their own judgment and will, but not only based on mass media’s promotion. The “majority rule” seemed play a significant role to force public to obey “the majority” that time, even though the majority might be wrong like to put this awful song to be a popular hit in the nation. The people in 1950s had their own freedom in consumption. However, people should realize that the mass media is only a tool that passes information to the public. In fact, the public should use their own will to decide whether this is a good song or not, but not by others’ influences.