Sweetheart of the Campus is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Ruby Keeler, Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film's working title was Betty Co-ed and it was also released as Broadway Ahead.
Plot
Betty Blake is a lead vocalist for Ozzie Norton's orchestra. Vowing to prevent a hostile takeover of a college by puritanical trustee Minnie Sparr, Betty, Ozzie and his entire band enroll as college students.
Cast
Ruby Keeler as Betty Blake
Ozzie Nelson as Ozzie Norton
Harriet Hilliard as Harriet Hale
Gordon Oliver as Terry Jones
Don Beddoe as Sheriff Denby
Charles Judels as Tomasso/Victor Demond
Kathleen Howard as Mrs. Minnie Sparr
Byron Foulger as Dr. Bailey
George Lessey as Dr. Hale
Frank Gaby as Dr. Grimsby
Leo Watson as Tom Tom
Four Spirits of Rhythm as Tom Tom's accompanists
They were a huge hit together with the family radio program "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" in 1944 with two young actors playing their sons. When the show transferred to TV in 1952, their real-life sons, David Nelson and Ricky Nelson, were incorporated. This landmark show lasted 14 years, a record unbroken for what is considered America's first "reality" TV sitcom. Although Ozzie's dad character came off stammering, hesitant and slightly absent-minded, which meshed perfectly with Harriet's smart, wisecracking appeal, he was anything but offstage. A dynamo and workaholic as well as shrewd businessman, he supervised his show completely as producer, director, and editor. He virtually put son Ricky on the map as a pop singing idol via his sitcom, incorporating the boy's musical talents into various plots.