Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Michael_Elliott Street Girl (1929) ** 1/2 (out of 4)After finding herself homeless and hungry, Frederika (Betty Compson) is giving a place to stay by Mike Fall (John Harron), a band member who lives with his three other players. Frederika believes that the group could demand much more money because of their playing skills and soon she's working as their manager and the five start to rise in popularity but when a Prince starts to woo Frederika, this doesn't sit well with Mike.STREET GIRL was the first film ever produced by RKO, although it turned out to be the second that they'd actually release. For the most part this is a pretty good early talkie that manages to follow a pretty basic formula but thankfully the cast is so good that it makes up for the family story, which even by 1929 standards was pretty predictable. Of course, the majority of the credit has to go to Compson who easily steals the picture of the lovable blonde.Compson has the misfortune of having to speak with a silly accent that goes in and out throughout the picture but outside of this she's certainly a delight to watch. She manages to be incredibly lovable from the first moment we meet her and you just can't help but fall in love with her just like the four roommates do. Another good performance comes from Harron who manages to pull off that jealousy role quite well and we also get Jack Oakie in a supporting part. Ned Sparks is quite funny as "Happy," the person constantly thinking someone is cheating him.The story itself is quite predictable but the technical side of things are actually quite good for 1929. A lot of times these early talkies pretty much have the camera sitting still but that's not the case here as there's a little style on display here. There are some musical numbers throughout and all of them are quite good and it's worth noting that the violin playing is done by Compson herself. STREET GIRL certainly has its flaws but fans of the actress will certainly enjoy her work here and fans of early talkies should be impressed on a technical level.

MikeMagi Okay, it was 1929 and movies had just started talking. But this tale of a jazz combo who take in a violin-playing waif moves lethargically through a few settings. There's the night spot where the band performs and the apartment where they live --and where the dialogue drones on and on. As the street girl, Betty Compson desperately tries to fake a Ruritanian accent while a young, thin Jack Oakie gets off a a few snappy one-liners. When the cast stops jabbering and the music takes over, it's entertaining -- particularly an up-tempo number, "Lovable and Sweet," co-written by Oscar Levant. But when they talk, you can't stop yawning.

wes-connors Hungarian blonde Betty Compson (as Frederika "Freddie" Joyzelle) gets fired from her job as a New York waitress, for breaking a dish over her boss' head. Although the film is suggestively titled "Street Girl", Ms. Compson avoids dabbling in the world's oldest profession. Instead, Compson hooks up with attractive John Harron (as Mike Fall), who is so taken with briefly homeless Compson, he asks her to move in with his jazzy musical group.As "The Four Seasons", Mr. Harron's "Mike Fall" is teamed with Jack Oakie (as Joe Spring), Ned Sparks (as Happy Winter), and Guy Buccola (as Pete Summer). Compson, conveniently a violinist, joins "The Four Seasons" both at home and on stage. The group is lively and likable; especially, the smiling Mr. Oakie, in his spring. The "Seasons" become successful, and romance blooms for Compson and Harron; but, a visiting Prince threatens the duo's happiness...Compson, who was at an artistic peak around the time silent films found their voice, tends to be a little too theatrical in "Street Girl", her starring vehicle; she certainly proves her versatility on the screen, however. Leading man Harron gives director/co-producer Wesley Ruggles the film's best acting performance; he (perhaps unfairly) certainly makes you wonder what heights deceased brother Bobby Harron might have reached in the "talkies".The early Oscar Levant music (with lyrics by Sidney Clare) is very good. Gus Arnheim "and His Coconut Grove Ambassadors" skillfully dubbed their instrumentals; apparently, this is before future star Fred MacMurray joined the group. The frequently heard "Loveable and Sweet" is considered a jazz classic, in the cover version expertly recorded by Annette Hanshaw with the Dorsey Brothers. Although the early "RKO Radio Picture" production is more than a little rough around the edges, the musical/comedy genre storyline is solid.******* Street Girl (1929) Wesley Ruggles ~ Betty Compson, John Harron, Jack Oakie

Arthur Hausner This musical comedy near the dawn of the sound era follows the routine formula (boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl) but sports a nice jazz combo, with John Harron playing piano and trumpet (sometimes at the same time), Ned Sparks playing violin, Jack Oakie with a mean clarinet and Guy Buccola on the accordion. I never tired of the one bouncy show-stopper by Oscar Levant and Sidney Claire called "Lovable and Sweet," despite it being played and sung several times. In fact, I was humming it for a day or so. What surprised me was seeing Jack Oakie looking so thin I almost didn't recognize him, and John Harron as the romantic lead, since I was used to seeing him only in bit parts in 30's movies. I'm not sure if the music the boys played was dubbed or not, but the female lead, silent star Betty Compson, was an accomplished violinist and surely did her own playing. I rather enjoyed watching this film despite its triteness.