Bill Lawrence wins a jackpot worth $24,000 on a radio quiz program. His happiness, and that of his family, is short-lived after he discovers he'll be compelled to sell the prizes in order to... Read allBill Lawrence wins a jackpot worth $24,000 on a radio quiz program. His happiness, and that of his family, is short-lived after he discovers he'll be compelled to sell the prizes in order to pay an amount of $7,000 income tax on them.Bill Lawrence wins a jackpot worth $24,000 on a radio quiz program. His happiness, and that of his family, is short-lived after he discovers he'll be compelled to sell the prizes in order to pay an amount of $7,000 income tax on them.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
- Watch Saleswoman - Store Employee
- (uncredited)
- Watch Buyer
- (uncredited)
- Police Detective
- (uncredited)
- Policeman in Bookie Raid
- (uncredited)
- Bookie Parlor Clerk
- (uncredited)
- Saleslady
- (uncredited)
- Card Player
- (uncredited)
- Man
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe house interior used as Jimmy Stewart's character's residence was previously used as the interior of the home of the main characters in the Mr. Belvedere film Sitting Pretty (1948). The secretarial desk by the staircase is used by characters in both films.
- GoofsThe shadows of trees and other objects on the street in front of the Lawrence home face the same direction in both the opening-shot of the movie, which is set in the morning, and in the scene late that afternoon when Bill comes home from work.
- Quotes
Mr. Ferguson: They might attach your salary.
William J. 'Bill' Lawrence: Then I'll quit my job and live on soup.
Mr. Ferguson: They might attach this house.
William J. 'Bill' Lawrence: Then I'll burn down the house!
- SoundtracksAin't We Got Fun
(uncredited)
Music by Richard A. Whiting
Lyrics by Ray Egan and Gus Kahn
Sung by an off-screen chorus during the opening credits
Jimmy Stewart plays the man making around 7 grand a year (talk about inflation!) and hopes to win the.radio prize of 24 grand. Oddly his friends think he would never have to work a day in his life, though I'm not sure how far that 24 grand would have gone even in 1950. After all he's making just over 7 grand a year and has a few hundred in the bank so that award money would finance his and his family's life or less than 4 years!
Even worse, he doesn't even win the money but an absurd list of prizes. That's where the movie began to lose me. The entire radio sequence was ridiculously overdone. It's true old prize shows such as Queen for a Day did have a plethora of prizes, but they were relevant to the winner's needs, not just absurd awards like a pony or a maid or portrait artist, etc.
Despite its flaws this is one of the most interestingly plotted movies I know of. It goes all over the place and often om unexpected place.
The extended ratio sequence certainly diminishes the movie for me. But otherwise it was rather entertaining with a doze of originality.
What can one say about James Stewart, in my view the greatest actor in the history of the Hollywood cinema. I love Brando, but I can't imagine even Brando successfully handling the range of parts that Stewart played.
Barbara Hale, later of Perry Mason TV series, was a strong presence in the movie, though a very young Natalie Wood seemed unrecognizable.as the daughter. One would never have guessed she would shine as a beauty queen in adult roles. Tommy Rettig, who played the son, later got the part of the boy in the Lassie TV series.
Fred Clark, who later was the second best Harry. Morton in the Burns and Allen series seems to have been ubiquitous in films of this era, and always successfully so.
I wish I had paid more attention to the music score; but, oddly, I don't recall a single underscore cue in the entire film. I'll have to see the movie again to check the accuracy of that statement.
In sum, even apart from the interesting plotting of the story, and despite the longueurs of the radio sequence, any Jimmy Stewart is foolproof.
- rockymark-30974
- Jan 25, 2022
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Der geheimnisvolle Ehemann
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1