triad-2 Review of That Hagen Girl

That Hagen Girl (1947)

Yesterday's Scandal...Today's 'Ho-Hum'...But Fun!

[10/10 · 2 January 2005]

Censorship...the Bane of all potentially good films. This so affected Studios, writers, Producers and Actors in the 40's and 50's, that they even started believing that being priggish, gossip-mongering, judgmental and dull were the way to go...which is how we got stuck with today's counter culture as a rebellion to those grizzly days, and how real human problems as Mary Hagen's were so sanitized, compromised and sterilized as to become vapid half movies when their potential started out great. I saw That Hagen Girl in my teens, and have looked everywhere on D.V.D. and V.H.S. for it. What's the big deal? A younger woman---an older man? What about the wonderful 'Daddy Long Legs' with Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron? What about 'Susan Slept here with Debbie Reynolds and Dick Powell? What about "Love in the Afternoon" with Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn? Cooper also felt awkward doing the film, and looked older than Reagan, though Cooper was a GREAT actor while Reagan certainly never was, but ever since History began more savvy mature men have married younger women---no big deal, but the problem with this film, which despite it's flaws I truly enjoyed in part because of Shirley Temple's irresistible charm, and in part because of Conrad Janis' more realistic performance,(yep, the Conrad Janis who played Mindy's Dad on Mork and Mindy and recently in the November Conspiracy), and who, as in some of his many teen roles played heroic parts, as in Snafu, or Heartthrobs as in 'Margie', or 'Peck's bad boy' roles, as he did in The Brasher Doubloon and That Hagen girl where he is sassy and swaggering and dares to steal Shirley's first 'adult' kiss on film. That was a film history marker. He isn't sympathetic in this role but Shirley's unearned 'bad girl reputation' as a result of the town folks dirty minds, made her fair game, or so he thought, and it precipitates her asserting herself as something other than her reputation would indicate, and ultimately allows her to find true, albeit conflicted love with Reagan. Miss Temple's real life impending motherhood at the too early age of 19 made her self conscious and one dimensional in her responses to the natural exuberance of youth, and made her appear prematurely too 'grown-up' despite her youthful and wonderful face, and maybe just a little dour, but her charm and the 'Happy Ending' her character so obviously wanted should have been committed to wholeheartedly both by the leading actors, namely Reagan and Temple, but especially by the writers, and producers, and distributors---and they shouldn't have tippy-toed around the issue. I'm certain no one yelled 'Oooh...' when Gary Cooper scoops up a young 19 year old Hepburn onto his train, though he certainly looked over 55, even 60---why? Because he and Audrey Hepburn could sell us all the London Bridge twice over, and if SHE believed that love conquers all, as she also showed us in 'Charades' with Cary Grant and that age doesn't have to mean a thing, then WE as the audience would believe it too. Too many prudes in That Hagen Girl, unfortunately, except for, as mentioned the 'bad boy' show-off, but very cute Conrad Janis...and how bad was he really compared to today? No Uzis, no Crack, no raping, rapping, or piercings...so I give it a 9 for being heads above what we are all forced to view these days, and for being sweet, with relatively 'small' problems compared to the mildest Soap Operas of today. Show it more often...and get it on D.V.D. PLEASE. And P.S. I'm 28, successful, but prefer these classics.