The Girl Can't Help It

The Girl Can't Help It (1956) starring Tom Ewell, Jayne Mansfield, Edmond O'Brien, Julie London. Silly bit of pop film about agent (Ewell) who is hired by gangster (O'Brien) to make the gangster's girlfriend (Mansfield) a star. Trouble is, she can't sing! Or so we are led to believe. The movie's saving grace is that the agent and the girlfriend visit several nightclubs trying to get her noticed, and at each nightclub a different contemporary act is performing. The viewer gets to see live performances of songs by Fats Domino, The Platters, Gene Vincent, and Little Richard. Mansfield isn't bad in this picture, but she isn't called on to do much acting. Julie London performs a lovely rendition of "Cry Me a River." (Subtitles in English are available for the hearing-impaired.) Grade: C