Senorita from the West (1945)

My wife and I really grew to like Bonita Granville from the Nancy Drew movie series. She is the ward of three old miners who have struck it rich, but do not want her to know it, for fear she may not stay around if she thinks they do not need her. Unknown to them, she has plans to go to New York and make it big to take care of them. She is a singer, and works her way alphabetically down the list of agents to William Wylliams (Renny McEvoy), who gets her a job as an elevator operator in the same building as Jess Barker, a bobby-sox heartthrob. Unknown to the world, Allan Jones actually does the singing, with Barker as the front.

The prospectors come to New York, but still will not tell Granville about their money for fear men will go after her for it. Jones introduces her to Barker, who is an egotistical jerk. But Wylliams comes in and lets it slip to Barker that her guardians are millionaires, he does an about-face and starts making a play for her. Wylliams gets her a job at a western-theme restaurant. Barker tells the prospectors that Jones is a money-hunting philanderer. (Spade Cooley and his band work in the restaurant.) Jones gets in a fight during the performance, which turns into a free-for-all. She is furious with him, but a boy outside her apartment advises him to "take a powder and make her worry."

Wylliams, who is also now agent for the prospectors, tells them that he has bought a classy restaurant for them so that Granville can sing there. She and Barker are now an "item," and he pops the question at a reception in her honor. He sneaks in, but she will not talk to him, and they announce their engagement. Minutes later they decide to elope. Jones sings before the crowd to show them that Barker is a phoney. Jones and the prospectors head out to stop them before they can get married. Jones arrives just in time to stop the wedding. But by this time Granville realizes that she loves Jones, and they embrace.

Interestingly, on their final kiss, you can plainly see the wedding ring already on Jones' left hand.




Jones, Granville and Barker