Cinema Revisited: Johnny Doughboy (1942)

Directed by John H. Auer. Cast: Jane Withers, Henry Wilcoxon, Patrick Brook, William Demarest, Ruth Donnelly, Etta McDaniel, Joline Westbrook, Bobby Breen, Baby Sandy, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, George “Spanky” McFarland, Kenneth Brown, Billy Lenhart, Cora Sue Collins, Robert Coogan, Grace Costello, Karl Kiffe and the Falkner Orchestra. Released December 31, 1942. Running time: 64 minutes.

After the release of “Small Town Deb” in May of 1942, Jane Withers’ longtime contract with 20th Century Fox concluded. A former child star with the company, who had co-starred with Shirley Temple in a few films, Jane had grown into awkward adolescence and the studio decided not to renew her contract. Very quickly, Withers found work as the star of a Republic Pictures B musical in which she would share some scenes with several former child stars. While the film is breezy and amusing, it has since become historically significant.

Jane plays two parts. One is an extension of herself, a sixteen year old actress names Ann Winters who is tired of playing twelve year olds in movies. She is turning down the latest script and refusing to do another movie until she is allowed to grow up. Jane also plays Penelope, a wide-eyed midwestern girl who is not only a fan, but also an Ann Winters lookalike. Penelope gets involved with a group of former child stars who want to put on a stage musical for GIs. They need Ann Winters’ star power to get financing, and, feeling sorry for them, Penelope hastily agrees to be in it.

“Johnny Doughboy” is a typically pleasant B movie with music, and it is fun to see drumming ace Karl Kiffe, and such familiar child star faces as Alfalfa and Spanky from Our Gang, singer-actor Bobby Breen, and others. Alfalfa gets to sing an off-key solo, Spanky gets to crack wise and emote, and Bobby Breen pretty much carries the ex-child star scenes with the most attention. What is historically significant is that it really is one of the last films in the careers of these ex-child stars. This is the final screen appearance of Bobby Breen, and his first since 1939, his child star status already being a part of his past (Mr. Breen lived until 2016). It is the final time that Spanky and Alfalfa appear in a movie together. Three of the child stars in the movie: Cora Sue Collins and Baby Sandy (Sandra Henville, also making her final screen appearance), as well as the film's star Jane Withers, are still alive at the time of this writing.

Jane was actually almost not in this movie. The trades originally announced this to be a musical featuring Ruth Terry, who was appearing in Republic westerns at the time. The film was originally to be about an adult star, wanting to get away from the grind, and her double connecting with the ex-child stars. Somewhere along the way, the shift to the central character being a child star herself brought Jane Withers in to replace Terry.

The historical significance of this B movie being the last, or among the last, appearances for some child stars gives “Johnny Doughboy” slightly elevated interest. But, on its own, it is a pleasant diversion, running just over an hour, and a good example of the type of second-feature that was popular on double feature programs during the war years.