DKosty123 Ann Sheridan is usually in more Comedy films. This is a rare one where she is doing drama and romance with Reagan. The main plot of the movie is about the struggle farmers were having getting enough for their produce from middle men. The tension leads to undesirable results.The film tries to paint the middle man as being way to lean on the amount he is paying the farmers. In the meantime Alan Hale Sr. as Yippee gets too confrontational with Henry Madden (Gene Lockhart). Steve Talbot (Reagan) befriends Yippee and tries to control his wild behavior and tries to be a peace make with all the conflict going. Of course things go awry and Yippee gets murdered. Reagan gets accused of it and Sheridan (Lola Mars) gets accused with him.All of this spirals out of control with Henry creating a mob problem that is much like a Western, only this one is set in a more modern day (1942) setting. Actually it is a fair film though the ending is a bit muddled. It does not measure up to King's Row, but it is good enough for a viewing as the support cast here is really good, and Reagan and Sheridan act very well together. Reagan is happily married to Jane Wyman at this point and it seems like there is a little spark between him and Sheridan, but it also feels like it is an arms length type of thing too.

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** It's when Kansas farm boy Steve Talbot played by future US President of the United States and leader of the Free World Ronald "Dutch" Reagan hooked up with feisty redhead Florida Juke girl Lola Mears, Ann Sheridan, that things started to get hot and heavy in the little town of Cat's-Tail Florida where they both resided. It's there that big time produce mogul Henry "The Man" Madden, Gene Lockhart, had an iron grip on the farmers in exporting their tomato's beans and cabbage to the markets all over the state. In champion of the working class Steve seeing the pain and suffering that Madden is putting the local farmers through he gets involved with maverick tomato farmer Nick Garcos, George Tobias, in standing up to Madden's bulling and greedy, in him getting all the lettuce (money) and the farmers getting peanuts, tactics.It's when Nick & Steve are about to bring their crop of green beans to market up in Atlanta Georgia, out of Madden's reach, that Madden sends his goons lead by the violent but simple minded Cully, Howard De Silva, to stop his shipment of beans from getting there. With Steve preventing Madden and his goons from stopping the shipment he together with his partner Nick end up selling the prized green beans at a record price of $4.50 a crate resulting in something like a $15,000.00 profit. As for Steve's girlfriend Lola, a hot tomato herself, she in fact dumps him in order to get back to her true love being a Juke Girl at a local Atlanta saloon. But not after receiving her share of the cut, in the sale of green beans, of $3,800.00 from a grateful Nick.***SPOILERS*** Just when you think the movie is about to end on the up side things rally get wild with a drunken Nick trying to get back in the good graces, or bury the hatchet, with Madden that he gets into a drunken spat with him ending up getting his brains beat in, in self defense, by an outraged and terrified , in him getting killed himself, Madden. With all the evidence leading straight to both Steve & Lola a lynch mob is incited by the bird brained Cully to drag both Steve & Lola out of the county jail and hang them on the nearest tree. It's only when Steve's friends Danny & Yippee, Richard Whorf & Alan Hale, get Madden to confess his crime to the lynch mob that they not bothering to have him stand trail, and finding out his killing Nick was in self defense but not murder, lynched the terrified and defenseless man on the spot. Making Cully & Co. far worse criminals as well as murderers then the late Henry Madden ever was!

pensman A depression story that while it entertains fails in the long haul. A too good looking Ronald Reagan plays a Tom Joad character by the name of Steve Talbot. All he wants to do farm but the local boss Madden , played against type by Gene Lockhart, doesn't want to see the farmers organize and who is aided by Steve's best friend Danny, Richard Whorf, and Madden's top henchman Cully, Howard Da Silva. And of course there is Steve's love interest Lola, Ann Sheridan. What hurts the story are the good looks of the leads. These are not the worn out physically depleted characters seen in The Grapes of Wrath. This cast looks like they just stepped right out of the latest pages of a Hollywood Magazine or Vogue. Apparently staring in this picture had no impact on the young Ronald Reagan who as president had little to none of Steve Madden but lots of Henry Madden. I guess if nothing else this film proves Reagan a good actor who was able to read the lines not live them.

krorie Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan connected in ways similar to William Powell and Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy and Kathryn Hepburn. Their crowning achievement was to appear as somewhat star crossed lovers in the Hollywood classic "King's Row," undoubtedly Ronald Reagan's best moments on the big screen. Since this film, "Juke Girl" was released the same year, understandably it was basically ignored in favor of the much grander screen adaptation of a popular novel. An other feature of this film that perhaps leads to its virtual neglect today is the title, which sounds like one of the tawdry passion pit flicks of the 1950's. A possible surprise for today's viewer is the political stance taken by actor Reagan in "Juke Girl" for the migrant workers and small farmers against the corruption of the local business interests, much different that the position taken by President Reagan years later. But then this picture was made many years before Reagan would become enamored of Nancy Davis and make her his second wife. She turned Reagan around in more ways than one.The story is a good one, though a bit bottom heavy in that much of the excitement and action, including a murder, comes near the end. Steve Talbot (Reagan) and his best buddy, Danny Frazier (Richard Whorf), are hoboing across the country (the Depression was just winding down in 1942 because of World War II) looking for work of any kind with Steve preferring farm labor when they get involved with local labor unrest in a nowhere place called Cat Tail, Florida.Just before reaching the small, farming community, a girl called Skeeter (Betty Brewer) befriends them and takes a particular liking to Steve. Her place in the story is somewhat vague other than to add a bit of humor and a down-home quality to the film. Steve and Danny hook up with the juke girl of the title, Lola Mears (Sheridan), and her co-entertainer, Murph (Faye Emerson). Steve falls for Lola but Lola puts up a tough, don't tread on me veneer when obviously inside, her heart turns to mush when Steve is near.Looking for jobs brings them into contact with the local boss, Henry Madden (Gene Lockhart), who virtually runs the town, except surprisingly not the law. Madden's henchman, Cully (Howard Da Silva), takes a dislike to Steve and Danny from the beginning and attempts to bully them around. Danny ultimately throws in with Madden while Steve throws in with a local farmer, Nick Garcos, the Greek (George Tobias), being exploited by Madden. Thus Steve and Danny become rivals and friendly enemies. A foreman for Madden, "Yip" (Alan Hale), befriends both Steve and Danny. Eventually, Lola throws in with Steve and Nick and the fun begins.The acting is first rate. The two leads give their usual fine performances, with such great character actors as Donald MacBride, Fuzzy Knight, Eddy Waller, aka Nugget Clark, Guy Wilkerson, aka Panhandle Perkins, Glenn Strange, aka the Frankenstein monster, and even William Hopper, aka Paul Drake, helping out in bit parts. Ann Sheridan is given an opportunity to sing and dance which is always a treat. Of special note is the talented comedian, Willie Best, as a street vendor peddling lucky rabbit feet called Jo-Mo.The crisp black and white photography by Bert Glennon captures the look and feel of the Depression in Florida. A few of the shots are reminiscent of those by Gregg Toland in John Ford's masterpiece, "The Grapes of Wrath," not surprising since Glennon assisted Ford from time to time with his cinematography.