Sorority House (1939)
Sorority House (1939), directed by John Farrow, starring Anne Shirley and James Ellison.
score
Synopsis
A young girl begins to wonder if she really fits into the upper-class sorority she's trying to join.
- Nicholas MusuracaCinematography
- John FarrowDirector
- Harry MarkerEditing
- Robert SiskProducer
Sorority House Massacre Collection
The other films in the franchise, in release order. 3 films — TMDb has not added this title to the collection yet.
About the film
Sorority House is a 1939 American drama film starring Anne Shirley and James Ellison. The film was directed by John Farrow and based upon the Mary Coyle Chase play named Chi House.
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Sorority House is a 1939 American drama film starring Anne Shirley and James Ellison. The film was directed by John Farrow and based upon the Mary Coyle Chase play named Chi House.
Plot
Alice Fisher is the daughter of Lew Fisher, a grocery store owner. She is surprised when he reveals he has college money for her. Alice goes to a boarding house and becomes friends with roommates Dotty Spencer and Merle Scott. Dotty suggests Alice join a sorority if she spikes up her looks and earns a few more bucks.
Meanwhile, Alice falls in love with Bill Loomis, who is dating Neva Simpson. He asks Alice out for a date and recommends her for a sorority, stating she is actually rich but pretends not to be. When Alice writes her father a letter that she doesn't have the money for a sorority, he sells his store to a chain and receives the money.
Bill and Alice soon fall in love resulting in conflicts, since Bill is still in a relationship with Neva.
Cast
Production
Mary Coyle Chase wrote a play Chi House. It had not been produced when RKO bought the screen rights in April 1938 as a vehicle for Anne Shirley.
The film was originally going to star Shirley, Lucille Ball and Frances Mercer. By August, the title was changed to Sorority House and Dalton Trumbo was writing the script. Ball and Mercer do not appear in the final film.
Tim Holt was originally announced as male lead, intending to be reunited with Anne Shirley from Stella Dallas but this did not eventuate. The male lead was eventually played by James Ellison.
John Farrow was assigned to direct and filming began 7 February 1939.
Veronica Lake was cast in a small role, her first screen part. This was removed in the edit, but the experience encouraged Lake to pursue acting.
Sorority House was a loose reworking of RKO's earlier Finishing School (1934). Scripted by Dalton Trumbo, who'd later get into hot water with the House Un-American Activities Committee for another screenplay about a group of ladies living together, Tender Comrade (1943). This film was later used by the same House committee as evidence of Dalton Trumbo spreading communist propaganda. Trumbo was subsequently blacklisted.
Proposed sequel
The film was described as a "surprise hit" and RKO announced plans to make a sequel with Shirley, Read and Ellison, mostly likely to be directed by Farrow, called Final Exams. (This sequel was announced as early as April). However, no film resulted.
References
External links
Sorority House at IMDb
Sorority House at the TCM Movie Database (archived)
Sorority House at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Text from Sorority House (film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorority_House_(film)
Trivia
- It premiered on May 5, 1939, a Friday.
- It runs 1h04 — short for a feature film.
- This film's quiz has 10 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosRKO Radio Pictures
- CountriesUnited States
- LanguagesEnglish
- StatusReleased
Cast
-
Anne Shirley
Alice Fisher -
James Ellison
Bill Loomis -
Barbara Read
Dotty Spencer -
Pamela Blake
Merle Scott (as Adele Pearce) -
J.M. Kerrigan
Lew Fisher -
Helen Wood
Martha Lanigan, President of Gamma House -
Doris Davenport
Neva Simpson -
June Storey
Norma Hancock -
Elisabeth Risdon
Mrs. Scott -
Margaret Armstrong
Mrs. Pettingell Dawson -
Selmer Jackson
Mr. Grant -
Chill Wills
Mr. Johnson -
Marge Champion
Coed (uncredited) -
Bess Flowers
Shirley (uncredited) -
Dick Hogan
Relief Squad Freshman (uncredited) - Gwen Horn Coed (uncredited)
-
Veronica Lake
Coed (uncredited) - Edmund Mortimer Governor Morley (uncredited)
-
Robert Sterling
Soda Shop Extra (uncredited) -
Frank Sully
The Caterer (uncredited)
Quiz about this movie
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Tags
Crew
- Nicholas Musuraca Cinematography
- John Farrow Director
- Harry Marker Editing
- Robert Sisk Producer
- Roy Webb Original music
- Dalton Trumbo Screenplay
- Mary Coyle Chase Story
Questions about this film
What is Sorority House about?
Sorority House: A young girl begins to wonder if she really fits into the upper-class sorority she's trying to join.
Who directed Sorority House?
Sorority House was directed by John Farrow in 1939.
Who stars in Sorority House?
The cast of Sorority House includes Anne Shirley, James Ellison, Barbara Read, Pamela Blake and J.M. Kerrigan.
How long is Sorority House?
Sorority House runs for 64 minutes, or 1h04.
What is the correct order of the Sorority House Massacre Collection films?
The Sorority House Massacre Collection franchise has 3 films in the catalogue. In release order: Mansão da Morte; Irmandade Macabra 2; Difícil de morrer.
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Page updated on 09/15/2026.
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