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What's After the Movie?
Romantic comedy

The Girl Can’t Help It (1956): Cast & Plot

The Girl Can’t Help It (1956) movie poster

The Girl Can’t Help It is a 1956 romantic comedy directed by Frank Tashlin, starring Edmond O'Brien as Marty 'Fats' Murdock, Jayne Mansfield and Tom Ewell. It runs 1 hour 38 minutes.

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The Girl Can’t Help It (1956) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 38m (98 min)
Director
Frank Tashlin
Genres
Romance , Comedy , Music
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is The Girl Can’t Help It About?

The premise of The Girl Can’t Help It without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

BABY, IT’S THE GREATEST! A down-and-out gangster hires a down-on-his-luck agent to make his girlfriend a recording star within six weeks.

The Girl Can’t Help It Themes & Keywords

· 22 tags
  • singer
  • based on novel
  • psychotronic film
  • cult favorite
  • laundry drying on a clothesline
  • camp
  • press agent
  • agent
  • tashlin and mansfield
  • tashlin and ewell
  • star
  • gangster
+10 more
  • blonde bombshell
  • alcoholic
  • apostrophe in title
  • talent agent
  • promotion
  • prison
  • marriage
  • breaking the fourth wall
  • nightclub
  • manager
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Cast & crew

The Girl Can’t Help It Cast & Characters

Edmond O'Brien leads the cast as Marty 'Fats' Murdock, with Jayne Mansfield as Jerri Jordan and Tom Ewell as Tom Miller. Directed by Frank Tashlin; 20 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in The Girl Can’t Help It

· 16 more
From the director

More from Frank Tashlin

More films directed by Frank Tashlin: The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell, Caprice, The Glass Bottom Boat and The Alphabet Murders.

Full filmography
Plot

The Girl Can’t Help It Plot Summary

What happens in The Girl Can’t Help It from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Marty ‘Fats’ Murdock is a slot machine mobster who wants his blonde girlfriend Jerri Jordan to become a singing star, even though her talent is doubtful. He hires an alcoholic press agent Tom Miller to promote Jordan, not only because of his past success with Julie London but also because he never crosses his female clients romantically. Miller launches a campaign that takes Jordan from club to nightclub, highlighting her presence and drawing attention from club owners and record bosses alike.

Full summary

The whole story of The Girl Can’t Help It, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Videos

The Girl Can’t Help It Trailers & Videos

2 videos: 1 trailer and 1 featurette.

The Girl Can't Help It (1956) - Trailer - Frank Tashlin
  • Featurette Dan Ireland on THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT
Quiz

How Well Do You Know The Girl Can’t Help It?

9 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 9

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered

Who is the mobster that wants his girlfriend to become a singing star?

Cars

Cars in The Girl Can’t Help It

11 cars on screen, including the 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Custom Limousine and the 1957 Lincoln Premiere Convertible.

All 11 cars
  • 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Custom Limousine in The Girl Can’t Help It 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Custom Limousine Important role
  • 1957 Lincoln Premiere Convertible in The Girl Can’t Help It 1957 Lincoln Premiere Convertible Important role
  • 1951 De Soto Taxicab in The Girl Can’t Help It 1951 De Soto Taxicab Minor role
  • 1956 Lincoln Premiere in The Girl Can’t Help It 1956 Lincoln Premiere Minor role

Seen The Girl Can’t Help It?

FAQ

The Girl Can’t Help It FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of The Girl Can’t Help It, each answered in a sentence.

How long is The Girl Can’t Help It?

The Girl Can’t Help It runs 1 hour 38 minutes (98 minutes).

When was The Girl Can’t Help It released?

The Girl Can’t Help It was released on December 1, 1956.

Who directed The Girl Can’t Help It?

The Girl Can’t Help It was directed by Frank Tashlin.

More films by Frank Tashlin

Who is in the cast of The Girl Can’t Help It?

The Girl Can’t Help It stars Edmond O'Brien as Marty 'Fats' Murdock, Jayne Mansfield as Jerri Jordan and Tom Ewell as Tom Miller, among 20 credited actors.

Does The Girl Can’t Help It have a post-credit scene?

No. The Girl Can’t Help It has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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