The Under-Pup
Encyclopedia
The Under-Pup is the 1939
feature film that introduced soprano singing star Gloria Jean
to the screen. The story, adapted by Grover Jones
from a magazine story by Australian author I. A. R. Wylie, casts Gloria as a streetwise girl who is sent to a summer camp for wealthy girls. She is at first bullied by the other girls, but she stands up for herself and wins everyone over, including the girl who had bullied her the most, to earn a place in their group, "The Purple Order of Penguins".
The film was well received, and was followed by an unofficial sequel, A Little Bit of Heaven (1940
). Many of the cast members from The Under-Pup appear in the second film, but with different character names.
The tune for "The March of the Penguins", the theme song of the group, comes from the third segment of John Philip Sousa
's "High School Cadets" march.
The film script was adapted for radio and was presented on Lux Radio Theater
on April 15, 1940, with Gloria Jean and Nan Grey reprising their film roles.http://www.audio-classics.com/lluxradio.html
1939 in film
The year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
feature film that introduced soprano singing star Gloria Jean
Gloria Jean
Gloria Jean is an American singer and actress who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films between 1939 and 1959. She also made radio, television, stage, and nightclub appearances.-Career:...
to the screen. The story, adapted by Grover Jones
Grover Jones
Grover Jones was an American screenwriter and film director. He wrote more than 104 films between 1920 and his death...
from a magazine story by Australian author I. A. R. Wylie, casts Gloria as a streetwise girl who is sent to a summer camp for wealthy girls. She is at first bullied by the other girls, but she stands up for herself and wins everyone over, including the girl who had bullied her the most, to earn a place in their group, "The Purple Order of Penguins".
The film was well received, and was followed by an unofficial sequel, A Little Bit of Heaven (1940
1940 in film
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney classics Pinocchio and Fantasia.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released....
). Many of the cast members from The Under-Pup appear in the second film, but with different character names.
The tune for "The March of the Penguins", the theme song of the group, comes from the third segment of John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
's "High School Cadets" march.
The film script was adapted for radio and was presented on Lux Radio Theater
Lux Radio Theater
Lux Radio Theater, a long-run classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network ; CBS and NBC . Initially, the series adapted Broadway plays during its first two seasons before it began adapting films. These hour-long radio programs were performed live before studio audiences...
on April 15, 1940, with Gloria Jean and Nan Grey reprising their film roles.http://www.audio-classics.com/lluxradio.html
Cast
- Gloria JeanGloria JeanGloria Jean is an American singer and actress who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films between 1939 and 1959. She also made radio, television, stage, and nightclub appearances.-Career:...
- Pip-Emma Binns - Robert CummingsRobert CummingsCharles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings , mostly known professionally as Robert Cummings but sometimes as Bob Cummings, was an American film and television actor....
- Dennis Lane - Nan GreyNan GreyNan Grey was an American film actress. She was born Eschal Loleet Grey Miller on July 25, 1918 in Houston, Texas.-Career:...
- Priscilla Adams - C. Aubrey Smith - Grandpa
- Beulah BondiBeulah BondiBeulah Bondi was an American actress.Bondi began her acting career as a young child in theater, and after establishing herself as a stage actress, she reprised her role in Street Scene for the 1931 film version...
- Miss Thornton - Virginia WeidlerVirginia WeidlerVirginia Weidler was an American child actress, popular in Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s.-Early life and career:...
- Janet Cooper - Margaret LindsayMargaret LindsayMargaret Lindsay was an American film actress. Her time as a Warner Bros. contract player during the 1930s was particularly productive...
- Mrs. Cooper - Raymond WalburnRaymond WalburnRaymond Walburn was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of Hollywood comedies and an occasional dramatic role during the 1930s and 1940s.-Life and career:...
- Mr. Layton - Ann GillisAnn GillisAnn Gillis , sometimes credited as Anne Gillis or Ann Gilles, is a retired actress, starting her career in the early 1930s as a child actress and ending in 1947. She later came back into acting for a small part in 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968...
- Letty Lou - Paul CavanaghPaul CavanaghPaul Cavanagh was an English film actor. He appeared in over 100 films between 1928 and 1959. He was born in Chislehurst and died in London from a heart attack....
- Mr. Franklin Cooper - Billy GilbertBilly GilbertBilly Gilbert was an American comedian and actor known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects and television shows starting in 1929. He is not to be confused with silent film actor Billy Gilbert Billy Gilbert (September 12, 1894 – September 23,...
- Tolio - Shirley MillsShirley MillsShirley Olivia Mills was an American actress. Mills' most notable role was in the 1938 film Child Bride, made when she was only twelve years old...
- Cecilia Layton - Doris LloydDoris LloydHessy Doris Lloyd was an English actress.She appeared in over 150 films between 1920 and 1967, including the 1933 low-budget Monogram Pictures version of Oliver Twist, in which she played Nancy...
- Mrs. Binns - Dickie Moore - Jerry Binns