The First Traveling Saleslady (1956): Cast & Plot
The First Traveling Saleslady is a 1956 comedy western directed by Arthur Lubin, starring Ginger Rogers as Rose Gillray, Barry Nelson and Carol Channing. It runs 1 hour 32 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 32m (92 min)
- Director
- Arthur Lubin
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Arthur Lubin Productions
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The First Traveling Saleslady About?
The premise of The First Traveling Saleslady without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A savvy woman who knows the ropes and the jokes joins forces with her former show‑biz friend Molly at the turn of the century to sell steel. After a failed venture with corsets, they tackle an even riskier job: marketing barbed wire to wary Texas cowboys, navigating humor and hardship along the way.
The First Traveling Saleslady Themes & Keywords
· 44 tags- musical sequence
- period piece
- period drama comedy
- historical comedy
- year 1897
- traveling saleslady
- traveling saleswoman
- period film
- barbed wire
- courtroom
- courtroom trial
- saleslady
+32 more Show fewer
- saleswoman
- texas
- rancher
- cattleman
- farmer
- cowboy
- sheriff
- car
- women's suffrage
- romantic rivalry
- singer
- steel tycoon
- ruse
- girdle
- hotel
- trial
- rough rider
- prince
- cavalry lieutenant
- debt
- marriage proposal
- battle of the sexes
- horseless carriage
- stagecoach
- 1800s
- theodore roosevelt character
- classical western
- lieutenant the military rank
- judge
- u.s. marshal
- fear
- corset
The First Traveling Saleslady Cast & Characters
Ginger Rogers leads the cast as Rose Gillray, with Barry Nelson as Charles Masters and Carol Channing as Molly Wade. Directed by Arthur Lubin; 16 actors are credited in all.
- Director Arthur Lubin
-
Ginger Rogers as Rose Gillray -
Barry Nelson as Charles Masters - Carol Channing as Molly Wade
- David Brian as James Carter
Also Starring in The First Traveling Saleslady
· 12 more- James Arness Joel Kingdom
- Clint Eastwood Jack Rice
- Bess Flowers Restaurant Patron
- Frank Wilcox US Marshal Duncan
- Dan White Sheriff
- Robert F. Simon Cal
- Robert Easton Delivery Boy
- Harry Cheshire Judge Benson
- Hank Patterson Courtroom Spectator
- Lovyss Bradley
- Allen Jaffe Courtroom Spectator
- Johnny Lee Amos
More from Arthur Lubin
More films directed by Arthur Lubin: Hold On!, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, Escapade in Japan and Lady Godiva of Coventry.
The First Traveling Saleslady Plot Summary
What happens in The First Traveling Saleslady from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Rose Gillray is a corset company owner and a steadfast supporter of women’s suffrage, navigating a bustling late-19th-century New York in 1897. When her wagon is struck by a ‘horseless carriage’—an early automobile—she meets the machine’s driver, Charlie Masters, who explains that this curious contraption represents the transportation of the future and a sign of rapid change to come.
Back at the workshop, Molly Wade helps into a boldly designed new corset. Rose envisions using it as part of Molly’s stage costume to drive sales, but the ambitious plan collides with the law, and the police shut down the show, leaving Rose facing a stall in her business.
Full summary
The whole story of The First Traveling Saleslady, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know The First Traveling Saleslady?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
In what year is the story set?
Seen The First Traveling Saleslady?
Movies Like The First Traveling Saleslady
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Traveling Saleslady, The Lady from Cheyenne and The Cowboy and the Lady.
-
Traveling Saleslady 1935 -
The Lady from Cheyenne 1941 -
The Cowboy and the Lady 1938 -
The Traveling Executioner 1970 -
Go West, Young Lady 1941 -
A Ticket to Tomahawk 1950 -
The Harvey Girls 1946 -
Calamity Jane 1953 -
A Lady Takes a Chance 1943 -
Texas Lady 1955 -
The Gal Who Took the West 1949 -
The Second Time Around 1961
The First Traveling Saleslady FAQ: Cast & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of The First Traveling Saleslady, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The First Traveling Saleslady?
The First Traveling Saleslady runs 1 hour 32 minutes (92 minutes).
When was The First Traveling Saleslady released?
The First Traveling Saleslady was released on August 1, 1956.
Who directed The First Traveling Saleslady?
The First Traveling Saleslady was directed by Arthur Lubin.
More films by Arthur Lubin Who is in the cast of The First Traveling Saleslady?
The First Traveling Saleslady stars Ginger Rogers as Rose Gillray, Barry Nelson as Charles Masters and Carol Channing as Molly Wade, among 16 credited actors.
Does The First Traveling Saleslady have a post-credit scene?
No. The First Traveling Saleslady has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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