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My Gal Sal

My Gal Sal
Mygalsal02.jpg
Original Poster
Directed by Irving Cummings
Produced by Robert Bassler
Written by Seton I. Miller
Darrell Ware
Karl Tunberg
Helen Richardson (uncredited contributing writer)
Based on story "My Brother Paul" from the book Twelve Men
by Theodore Dreiser
Starring Rita Hayworth
Victor Mature
Carole Landis
Music by Leigh Harline
Cyril J. Mockridge
Cinematography Ernest Palmer
Edited by Robert L. Simpson
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • April 30, 1942 (1942-04-30)
Running time
103 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $1.7 million (US rentals)

My Gal Sal is a 1942 20th Century Fox musical starring Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature. The film is a biopic of 1890s composer and songwriter Paul Dresser and singer Sally Elliot. It was based on a biographical essay, sometimes erroneously referred to as a book, by Dresser's younger brother, novelist Theodore Dreiser. (Dreiser was the original family name.) Some of the songs portrayed as Dresser's work were actually written by him, but several were created for the film by the Hollywood songwriting team of Ralph Grainger and Leo Robin.

Sally Elliott (Rita Hayworth), a musical star meets up with Indiana boy Paul Dresser (Victor Mature), a runaway who after a brief stopover with a medicine show arrives in Gay Nineties New York. He composes the title tune for the fair lady and becomes the toast of Tin Pan Alley.

The film won the Best Art Direction (Richard Day, Joseph C. Wright and Thomas Little). It was nominated for Best Score

20th Century Fox head Darryl F. Zanuck purchased the story of My Gal Sal from Theodore Dreiser for $50,000 in the summer of 1942. Zanuck initially had the script and the lead role of Sally Elliott tailor-made to fit the talents of Fox's biggest female star at the time, Alice Faye. However, Faye opted that she was tired of starring in costume musicals and turned the film down. Afterward, the part was offered to Betty Grable, who was becoming known as a successor to Faye at Fox, but who turned it down, believing Fox was over-working her.


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