The Girl Can't Help It (1956)
(Frank Tashlin, US 1956, 98 min., 35mm)
Press agent Tom Miller (Tom Ewell) is hurting from his break-up with former girlfriend and client Julie London (playing herself) and finds solace in the bottom of a bottle when gangster “Fats” Murdock (Edmond O’Brien) enlists him to promote his lover, Jerri Jordan (Jayne Mansfield), to a pop star in just six weeks. As Tom and Jerri get to know each other, he realizes she has no ambition to be a star herself, but wants to stay at home taking care of Murdock. Under threat of violence, Tom has to take this starlet with no discernible talent and put her on the charts. Director Frank Tashlin’s splashy, cartoony style reached its apex with this zany satire of ’50s mores, culture, and music that features dynamic performances by Little Richard, Abbey Lincoln, Fats Domino, the Platters, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, and many others.