Girl Crazy

Girl Crazy is a 1930 musical with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in this musical production and it also turned Ginger Rogers into an overnight star. It has been adapted three times for film, most notably in 1943 with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. In that version, the roles played by Ginger Rogers and Ethel Merman were combined into one, played by Garland. The 1930 stage version follows the story of Danny Churchill, who has been sent to Custerville, Arizona, to manage his family's ranch. His father has sent him there to focus on more serious matters than alcohol and women, but Danny turns his family's place into a dude ranch, importing showgirls from Broadway and hiring Kate Forthergill (played by Merman) as an entertainer. Eventually, visitors come from both coasts to the ranch and Danny falls in love with the local postmistress, Molly Gray (originally played by Ginger Rogers). The subsequent films followed different plots.