Raoul Walsh directed The Strawberry Blonde, a romantic comedy, starring James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland, and featuring Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack Carson, and George Tobias.
In 1890s New York City, Biff Grimes (Cagney) falls in love with strawberry-blonde society girl Virginia Brush (Rita Hayworth). However, Biff’s more enterprising “pal” Hugo Barnstead (Jack Carson) wins Virginia’s affections.
Biff ends up marrying Virginia’s less-glamorous friend, Amy Lind (Olivia de Havilland), who Biff eventually realizes was the right one for him all along.
The picture was nominated for the Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, featuring songs such as “The Band Played On,” “Bill Bailey,” “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louie,” “Wait Till The Sun Shines Nellie,” and “Love Me and the World Is Mine.”
Raoul Walsh remade the film in 1948 under the title, One Sunday Afternoon.
Cast
James Cagney as T. L. ‘Biff’ Grimes
Olivia de Havilland as Amy Lind
Rita Hayworth as Virginia Brush
Alan Hale as William ‘Old Man’ Grimes
Jack Carson as Hugo Barnstead
George Tobias as Nicholas Pappalas
Una O’Connor as Mrs. Timothy Mulcahey
George Reeves as Harold
Lucile Fairbanks as Harold’s girlfriend
Edward McNamara as Big Joe
Helen Lynd as Josephine
Herbert Heywood as Toby