A Likely Story

Last updated
A Likely Story
A Likely Story poster.jpg
Directed by H. C. Potter
Written by Bess Boyle
Produced byRichard H. Berger
Starring Barbara Hale
Bill Williams
Sam Levene
Cinematography J. Roy Hunt
Edited by Harry Marker
Music by Leigh Harline
Production
company
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • April 16, 1947 (1947-04-16) [1]
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

A Likely Story is a 1947 American comedy film directed by H. C. Potter. It starred real-life husband and wife Bill Williams and Barbara Hale. It is also known as A Fascinating Nuisance and Never Say Die.

Contents

Plot

Bill Baker (Bill Williams) has recently returned from war service as an aerial gunner in the Pacific where he had been hospitalized for mental illness. On his way to New York he meets a group of new characters on the train: painting artist Vickie North (Barbara Hale) and her brother Jamie (Lanny Rees), plus Louie (Sam Levene), an ex-convict. Louie mistakes Bill for a fellow gangster when he says he has "just got out" and offers him to come work for his gangster boss, Tiny McBride (Nestor Paiva). Bill talks to Louie about his numerous dizzy spells and his severe case of hypochondria. Later on the train, Bill is accidentally knocked unconscious when a case falls down from a shelf onto his head.

Bill wakes up again in a hospital in New York. When he hears two doctors speak about the fatal heart condition of the patient, he mistakenly believes it is him they are talking about, and that he only has two weeks left to live.

With nothing to lose, Bill decides to get a little excitement. He finds Tiny's place and try to get the gangsters to fight him, but they see no reason to, so instead he goes to a nearby bridge to jump off it. Because of his severe vertigo, he is unable to jump, but gets dizzy. Vickie happens to pass by and convinces him to come down. Bill is smitten by Vickie and kisses her, but is knocked unconscious again by a truck driver who thinks he is harassing the girl. This time he wakes up in Vickie's apartment in the Village. Bill sees Vickie's paintings on the walls and encourages her to sell them. She puts them on display at an exhibit, but they fail to attract enough attention, even though both Bill and another man smitten by Vickie, Phil Bright (Dan Tobin), do their best. Discouraged Vickie gives up, but lacks the money to go back home to Wisconsin. Phil asks Vickie to marry him, but she rejects him.

Bill goes to Tiny and asks him for a loan of $5000 in exchange for making him sole beneficiary on his life insurance policy. He also tells Tiny about his heart condition. Tiny refuses, since the insurance money would be paid in small amounts over several years. Instead he suggests Bill get another policy from another agent, which will give the beneficiary $100,000 if Bill dies. Bill reluctantly agrees. Phil, who is an insurance salesman, gets the commission, promised to get his share of the money.

To make Vickie happy, Bill gets Louie to play the part of a faux art dealer and buy some of her paintings for the money he received from Tiny. The sale makes Vickie decide to stay in New York after all. Plagued by bad conscience, Bill tells Vickie about his deception, and she realizes she should go back to Wisconsin after all. She wants Bill to come with her, but he declines without explaining further even though he is in love with her, believing that he is dying. She is hurt by his rejection.

Tiny grows tired of waiting for Bill to die, and arranges a boxing fight between Bill and Smoky, one of his enormous goons. Bill, still believing he has nothing to lose, wins the fight, to Tiny's surprise and dismay. Further attempts by Tiny to exhaust Bill to death fail, and Bill is forced into examination by a doctor. The truth about Bill's health is revealed, and he is brought before Tiny to have his future decided. It turns out Tiny has put Vickie's paintings on his walls and likes them immensely, as they make his customers at the bar buy more drinks.

Vickie and Jamie, who have received a letter from Bill explaining that he is dying, have followed Bill to the bar. When Vickie learns about Tiny's use of her paintings she steals them back and rushes to the train station. Bill runs after Vickie, but is once more knocked unconscious when she hits him in the head with her paintings case. He wakes up in the hospital and immediately proposes to her. After learning that Tiny will make her the beneficiary in Bill's insurance policy if she marries Bill, she accepts the proposal and they seal the deal with a kiss on their way back to the train station from the hospital. [2]

Cast

Reception

The film recorded a loss of $305,000. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lost in Yonkers</i> Play by Neil Simon

Lost in Yonkers is a play by Neil Simon. The play won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

<i>The Killers</i> (1946 film) 1946 film

The Killers is a 1946 American film noir starring Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien and Sam Levene. Based in part on the 1927 short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway, it focuses on an insurance detective's investigation into the execution by two professional killers of a former boxer who was unresistant to his own murder. Directed by Robert Siodmak, it featured an uncredited John Huston and Richard Brooks co-writing the screenplay, which was credited to Anthony Veiller. As in many films noir, it is mostly told in flashback.

<i>The Players Club</i> 1998 film directed by Ice Cube

The Players Club is a 1998 American dark comedy drama thriller film written and directed by Ice Cube in his feature film directorial debut. In addition to Ice Cube, the film stars Bernie Mac, Monica Calhoun, Jamie Foxx, John Amos, A. J. Johnson, Alex Thomas, Charlie Murphy, Terrence Howard, Faizon Love and LisaRaye McCoy in her first starring role.

<i>Gulong ng Palad</i> Filipino TV series or program

Gulong ng Palad is a Philippine radio drama series (1949-1956), which first aired by DZRH and soap opera hit from 1977 up to 1985. On January 9, 2006, the drama series came back in television under the direction of Eric Salud and Jerome Pobocan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Beale</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Peter Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders who has been played by seven actors since being introduced in 1993. Francis Brittin-Snell portrayed the role from 1993 to 1996, followed by Alex Stevens from 1997 to 1998 and Joseph Shade from 1998 to 2004. James Martin took over and played the role from 2004 to 2006. He was played by Thomas Law from 2006 until 2010, when the character departed the series. In April 2013, it was announced that Peter would return, played by Ben Hardy who made his first appearance on 7 June 2013. Hardy announced his departure from the role in November 2014, making his final on-screen appearance on 24 February 2015.

Billy Mitchell (<i>EastEnders</i>) Fictional character from EastEnders

Billy Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Perry Fenwick, who made his first appearance on 2 November 1998. Billy was originally introduced by producer Matthew Robinson as a guest character, facilitating the introduction of Jamie Mitchell to the show. Early on, Billy was Jamie's abusive uncle and guardian - which results in Jamie being taken away from Billy by his relative Phil Mitchell. Billy was then brought back to the serial on 2 August 1999 and Fenwick was offered a longer-term contract, and Billy ended up becoming a regular character. Frequently portrayed as a small-time criminal, Billy is a luckless resident of Albert Square who often struggles financially. His most prominent storylines include two failed marriages and having a daughter Janet (Grace) born with Down syndrome. Fenwick filmed his 1000th episode on 6 August 2010, and later his 2000th on 24 September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Mitchell</span> Fictional character

Jamie Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jack Ryder. The character debuted on 9 November 1998 and became one of the show's central protagonists until he was killed-off on 25 December 2002.

<i>Kid Millions</i> 1934 film by Roy Del Ruth

Kid Millions is a 1934 American musical film directed by Roy Del Ruth, produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions, and starring Eddie Cantor. Its elaborate "Ice Cream Fantasy Finale" production number was filmed in three-strip Technicolor, one of the earliest uses of that process in a feature-length film.

Dan Sullivan (<i>EastEnders</i>) Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Dan Sullivan is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Craig Fairbrass. He was first introduced to the series as a regular character from 7 June 1999 to 10 July 2000 before returning as one of the show's primary antagonists from 26 February to 16 August 2001.

"Two Tonys" is the 53rd episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the first of the show's fifth season. Written by David Chase and Terence Winter, it was directed by Tim Van Patten and originally aired on March 7, 2004.

<i>Tom, Dick and Harry</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Garson Kanin

Tom, Dick and Harry is a 1941 comedy film directed by Garson Kanin, written by Paul Jarrico, and starring Ginger Rogers, George Murphy, Alan Marshal, Phil Silvers, and Burgess Meredith. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures.

<i>Havana Widows</i> 1933 film

Havana Widows is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Ray Enright, starring Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell. It was released by Warner Bros. on November 18, 1933. Two chorus girls travel to Havana in search of rich husbands. Their target is Deacon Jones, a self-appointed moralist who cannot drink without getting drunk.

<i>Prep & Landing</i> 2009 television film

Prep & Landing is a computer animated television special, based on an idea by Chris Williams at Walt Disney Animation Studios and developed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton into a half-hour Christmas special. It first aired December 8, 2009 on ABC.

<i>Man in the Vault</i> 1956 film by Andrew V. McLaglen

Man in the Vault is a 1956 film noir about a locksmith, played by William Campbell, who is forced to help gangsters commit a robbery. The screenplay by Burt Kennedy was based on the novel The Lock and the Key by Frank Gruber. The film was the directorial debut of Andrew V. McLaglen.

<i>The Doorway to Hell</i> 1930 film

The Doorway to Hell is a 1930 American pre-Code crime film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Lew Ayres and James Cagney in his second film role. The film was based on the story A Handful of Clouds, written by Rowland Brown. The film's title was typical of the sensationalistic titles of many Pre-Code films. It was marketed with the tagline "The picture Gangland defied Hollywood to make!"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Branning</span> UK soap opera character, created 1996

Derek Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Terence Beesley in 1996 and then Jamie Foreman from 2011 to 2012. Derek is the eldest child of Jim Branning and Reenie Branning. He first appears in episode 1282, which was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 29 April 1996, for his sister April Branning's wedding and departed on 2 May. The character returned as a regular in the episode broadcast on 24 November 2011, played by Foreman. In October 2012, it was announced that Foreman would be leaving EastEnders in December 2012 as part of a Christmas storyline. On 20 December 2012, it is revealed that Derek was the person who Kat Moon had an affair with. The character died of a heart attack in the episode broadcast on 25 December 2012.

<i>Tell No Tales</i> (film) 1939 film

Tell No Tales is a 1939 American crime film directed by Leslie Fenton, written by Lionel Houser, and starring Melvyn Douglas, Louise Platt, Gene Lockhart and Douglass Dumbrille. Fenton's feature-film directorial debut, it was released on May 12, 1939, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Breathless</i> (2012 film) 2012 American film

Breathless is a 2012 American comedy thriller starring Gina Gershon, Kelli Giddish, Wayne Duvall, Val Kilmer and Ray Liotta.

References

  1. "A Likely Story: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  2. "A Likely Story (1947) - Overview". TCM.com. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  3. Richard B. Jewell, Slow Fade to Black: The Decline of RKO Radio Pictures, Uni of California, 2016