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IMDbPro

It Happens Every Thursday

  • 1953
  • Approved
  • 1h 20m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
346
YOUR RATING
John Forsythe, Jane Darwell, Edgar Buchanan, Gladys George, Frank McHugh, and Loretta Young in It Happens Every Thursday (1953)
ComedyDrama

A New York couple takes over a small town newspaper.A New York couple takes over a small town newspaper.A New York couple takes over a small town newspaper.

  • Director
    • Joseph Pevney
  • Writers
    • Dane Lussier
    • Jane S. McIlvaine
    • Leonard Praskins
  • Stars
    • Loretta Young
    • John Forsythe
    • Frank McHugh
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    346
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Joseph Pevney
    • Writers
      • Dane Lussier
      • Jane S. McIlvaine
      • Leonard Praskins
    • Stars
      • Loretta Young
      • John Forsythe
      • Frank McHugh
    • 14User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos2

    View Poster
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    Top cast54

    Edit
    Loretta Young
    Loretta Young
    • Jane MacAvoy
    John Forsythe
    John Forsythe
    • Bob MacAvoy
    Frank McHugh
    Frank McHugh
    • Fred Hawley
    Edgar Buchanan
    Edgar Buchanan
    • Jake
    Gregg Palmer
    Gregg Palmer
    • Chet Dunne
    • (as Palmer Lee)
    Harvey Grant
    • Steve MacAvoy
    Jimmy Conlin
    Jimmy Conlin
    • Matthew
    Jane Darwell
    Jane Darwell
    • Mrs. Eva Spatch
    Willard Waterman
    Willard Waterman
    • Myron Trout
    Gladys George
    Gladys George
    • Mrs. Lucinda Holmes
    Edith Evanson
    Edith Evanson
    • Mrs. Peterson
    Edward Clark
    Edward Clark
    • Homer
    Kathryn Card
    Kathryn Card
    • Mrs. Dow
    Eddy Waller
    Eddy Waller
    • James Bartlett
    Regis Toomey
    Regis Toomey
    • Mayor Hull
    Madge Blake
    Madge Blake
    • Clubwoman
    • (uncredited)
    Gail Bonney
    Gail Bonney
    • Miss Newton
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Brinegar
    Paul Brinegar
    • Mr. Sweetzer, Hotel Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Joseph Pevney
    • Writers
      • Dane Lussier
      • Jane S. McIlvaine
      • Leonard Praskins
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews14

    6.4346
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    Featured reviews

    4Patrick-96

    End of an era!

    This film is significant in motion picture history for two reasons. The first is that it is the final feature film appearance of Loretta Young. After this, Loretta only made television appearances. The second is that this is the last film ever made by Gladys George, who died the next year (1954).
    6bkoganbing

    Small town news

    In Loretta Young's final big screen film there are so many familiar and wonderful character players you would think this came from Frank Capra. A few in It Happens Every Spring are Capra veterans.

    Loretta and her husband John Forsythe are newspaper people and they work at different papers on different shifts. It's quite a pressure filled atmosphere so Forsythe and Young decide to use their savings and buy a small town weekly newspaper.

    The usual problems of city folk adjusting to small town living and small town news stories are in her. The biggest item on people's minds is the drought the community is suffering. Forsythe tries to do something about it and ends up in a public relations jackpot.

    This is a pleasant piece of entertainment so reminiscent of some of the Frank Capra classics. Young picked a good one as her farewell to the big screen.
    YoPec

    A Great Little Film!

    This is a charming film made back when films could be made just to be charming. It is the story of a big city couple that move to a small town to run the little weekly paper there. They find that their big city way of thinking can get them in trouble with small town minds and mores! I especially liked their photo file; when they wanted a picture of an arrogant citizen the only one on file was of him as a baby-naked on a bearskin rug! This film is another that I would love to see restored and made available on DVD.
    6boblipton

    Pleasant Programmer With Fine Supporting Cast

    John Forsythe, pregnant wife Loretta Young, and their son leave New York and his newspaper grind to take over a small town newspaper in California. There they struggle with small circulation, bad finances and a suspicious local crowd.

    It's an innocuous, light-hearted drama that breaks no new ground, one of the utterly banal near-comedies of the era. Where it excels is in its wealth of supporting actors, including Edgar Buchanan as yet another big-hearted printer, Jimmy Conlin, Frank McHugh, Jane Darwell, Gladys George, Regis Toomey, and even Francis Ford in his next-to-last movie.

    Better known as John Ford's brother, Francis had started out in movies as part of the Melies company in Texas doing cowboy pictures. By 1915, he and Grace Cunard were major players on the Universal lot, doing serials, adventure pictures, often with Ford directing. When brother John came out west, Francis got him work on the lot. Ford continued as a supporting player through the 1930s, but eventually was reduced to bits in his brother's pictures. In all, he made almost five hundred shorts and features as a performer, 180 as a director. He died the year this picture came out, aged 72.
    6daoldiges

    Slight Pleasantness to These Happenings

    Loretta Young and John Forsythe both do fine work here, as does the entire supporting cast, all of which are very good really. The basic story is solid enough too, but the script just isn't funny or witty enough to create the humor and engagement intended. As such the overall effect is a bit flat. Still there are enough moments in It Happens Every Thursday to check it out if your interested/curious.

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    Related interests

    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Loretta Young's final theatrically-released movie. For the remainder of her acting career she appeared on television.
    • Quotes

      James Bartlett: Here us farmers are suffering from drought and all you read about in the Archive is what kind of ice cream and cake some old lady served to a lot of other old ladies. Well, I just ain't interested.

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    FAQ14

    • How long is It Happens Every Thursday?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 22, 1953 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Jede Woche neu
    • Filming locations
      • Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Universal International Pictures (UI)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $617,085 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 20m(80 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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