Movie Reviewed: Finishing School (1934), starring Frances Dee and Ginger Rogers

Life at the Crockett Hall

In this film, Frances Dee and Ginger Rogers play two roommates at the Crockett Hall, an institution for the daughters of social elite. Frances Dee, playing the leading role, learns that the life at the college is not as fun as she thought it would be. After being frustrated she contemplates suicide when a poor boy, Bruce Cabot rattles up in his shabby Ford and takes her away from all the phonies.

Except for the fine performance of Ginger Rogers as Dee’s roommate and perhaps Billie Burke as the selfish mother of Frances Dee, the movie has many rough spots. Wanda Tuchok, a writer, and George Nicholls, a film editor, collaborated on directing this project and their inexperience showed throughout the film.

RKO Studios borrowed Billie Burke from MGM for this 1934 film. The film also casted 16 year old Dawn O’Day, soon to be named as Anne Shirley, had the supporting role in Anne of Green Gables, also released in 1934, which received rave reviews from movie critics.