The Girl Can't Help It

"BABY, IT'S THE GREATEST!"

1956 1h 38m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 84

ComedyMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A down-and-out gangster hires a down-on-his-luck agent to make his girlfriend a recording star within six weeks.

“BABY, IT'S THE GREATEST!”

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Cast

Tom Ewell
Tom Miller
Jayne Mansfield
Jerri Jordan
Edmond O'Brien
Marty 'Fats' Murdock
Henry Jones
Mousie
Julie London
Herself
Barry Gordon
Barry the Paperboy
Ray Anthony
Himself
John Emery
Wheeler

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Frank Tashlin
Writers: Frank Tashlin, Herbert Baker
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Frank Tashlin, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Leigh Harline. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor James B. Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tom Ewell and Jayne Mansfield and Edmond O'Brien carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "BABY, IT'S THE GREATEST!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Frank Tashlin directs. Leon Shamroy behind the camera. Leigh Harline scores. James B. Clark cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 4.8× over at the box office.
370 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Frank Tashlin, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Leigh Harline. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor James B. Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tom Ewell and Jayne Mansfield and Edmond O'Brien carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "BABY, IT'S THE GREATEST!".
9IMDB entry: tt0049263 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 84 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 16 themes, including "broken engagement", "gangster", "satire", "blonde".