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That Brennan Girl

That Brennan Girl

  • Status: Released
  • 23-12-1946
  • Runtime: 95 min
  • Score: 5.3
  • Vote count: 10

Raised by Natalie Brennan, a flamboyant and irresponsible mother, Ziggy Brennan gets involved in hustling men at a young age. She hangs around with a wild crowd and learns gets her "street smarts" first from her mother, who wants everyone to think they are sisters, and then from Denny Reagan, an older man. He starts teaching her his tricks of the trade and she falls right in line with his crooked ways. Then one night she meets Martin J. 'Mart' Neilson, a tall, handsome, honest farmer boy who's a sailor and they fall in love. While he's away fighting the war, she discovers she's pregnant.

James Dunn

Denny Reagan

Mona Freeman

Ziggy Brennan

William Marshall

CPO Martin J. 'Mart' Neilson

June Duprez

Natalie Brennan

Frank Jenks

Joe, the Cabbie

Dorothy Vaughan

Mrs. Reagan, Denny's Mother

Charles Arnt

Fred, Natalie's 2nd Husband

Rosalind Ivan

Mrs. Merryman, the Nosey Landlady

Fay Helm

Helen, Ziggy's Neighbor

Bill Kennedy

Arthur, Helen's Husband

Connie Leon

Miss Jane, Merryman Resident

Edythe Elliott

Miss Unity, Jane's Sister

Sarah Padden

Mrs. Graves, the Nice Landlady

Jean Stevens

Dottie, Natalie's Friend

Lucien Littlefield

The Florist

Marion Martin

Marion, Natalie's Girl Friend (as Marian Martin)

Lester Dorr

Apartment House Clerk (uncredited)

Paul Harvey

Judge (uncredited)

Louis Jean Heydt

Hefflin (uncredited)

Earle Hodgins

Street Car Conductor (uncredited)

Bert Moorhouse

(uncredited)

Tommy Ryan

Olivette's Boyfriend (uncredited)

Linda Stirling

(uncredited)

Max Wagner

Moving Man (uncredited)

Chester Clute

Man in Night Club with Quarter

Bert Stevens

Diner at Chinese Restaurant

Brick Sullivan

Furniture Moving Man

Gordon Wynn

Ben

Peter Leeds

Bergie (uncredited)

Charles Quigley

Detective (uncredited)

Tom Dillon

Father Malloy (uncredited)

Isabel Withers

Miss Pendergast (uncredited)

Arthur Space

Mr. Krasman (uncredited)

Joan Blair

Natalie's Friend (uncredited)

James Kirkwood

John Van Derwin (uncredited)

Josephine Whittell

Mrs. Van Derwin (uncredited)

Ralph Sanford

Fatso (uncredited)

Helen Brown

Olivette's Mother (uncredited)

Ruth Robinson

Woman Deputy (uncredited)

Frances Morris

Assistant Matron (uncredited)

Charles Sullivan

Boss Upholsterer (uncredited)

Barbara Jean Wong

Nightclub Singer (uncredited)

Duke Johnson

Chinese Juggler (uncredited)

Harry C. Johnson

Chinese Juggler (uncredited)

Guy Zanette

Escort (uncredited)

Daral Hudson

Escort (uncredited)

Tom Burton

Escort (uncredited)

Keith Richards

Escort (uncredited)

Murray Yeats

Minister (uncredited)

Fred Santley

Florist (uncredited)

Eddie Hart

Helper (uncredited)

Harry Depp

Photographer (uncredited)

Mary Newton

Probation Officer (uncredited)

Joy Gwynell

Crying Girl (uncredited)

Walden Boyle

Assistant District Attorney (uncredited)

Spencer Chan

Chinese Headwaiter (uncredited)

Beatrice Gray

Saleswoman (uncredited)

Bebe Allen

Teenager (uncredited)

Dorothy Granger

Party Guest (uncredited)

Lyle Latell

Party Guest (uncredited)

Stanley Blystone

Party Guest (uncredited)

Ben Erway

Townsman (uncredited)

Eva Novak

Miss Novak - Elderly Woman (uncredited)

Torchy Rand

Girl (uncredited)

Cay Forester

Jailbird (uncredited)

Myron Healey

Party Guest (uncredited)

Barbara Bettinger

School Girl (uncredited)

Charles Flynn

Detective (uncredited)

CinemaSerf

Hmmm. This film takes a pretty long time to depict the tribulations of the eponymous, pretty and shallow girl "Ziggy" (Mona Freeman) who lives with her floozy mother "Natalie" (June Duprez). This sets the scenario for the film: she's a bit of a chancer who lives her life fleecing gents and committing petty larceny. When she alights on "Denny" (James Dunn), they up their game and start to illicitly divert the furniture of people moving house - quite a lucrative trade, as it turns out. There is a little hope for the girl, though - she falls in love with a naval officer who is content to let her put her past behind her. Sadly, though, he heads off to war and is killed leaving her, quite literally, holding the baby. Nope, we are not yet done with the calamities the befall the girl. Now, she rather thoughtlessly goes on a date, leaving her newborn baby alone in her lodgings; the bairn falls from her cot, is rescued by a neighbour and the ensuing tribunal removes the child from the care of "Ziggy". What can she do? On a very wet night, she finds herself outside a church. In she goes, hoping to find some spiritual comfort and instead finds a baby abandoned on a pew - this is her Damascan moment, and you can easily guess the rest. There is an element of salvation, eventually, but otherwise this is really quite a dreary tale of a self-destructive character that engenders very little sympathy over a long 95 minutes. Freeman tries hard with the part, but she doesn't really click for me - a sort of poor man's Jean Simmons. Frank Jinks is quite engaging as the cabbie "Joe", perhaps the only one in the whole film with any semblance of decency, otherwise it's just an unremarkable melodrama.