Champagne for Caesar

Last updated
Champagne for Caesar
Champagne-for-caesar-1950.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Richard Whorf
Written byFred Brady and Hans Jacoby
Produced by George Moskov
Leo C. Popkin
Starring Ronald Colman
Celeste Holm
Vincent Price
Cinematography Paul Ivano
Edited byHugh Bennett
Music by Dimitri Tiomkin
Production
company
Cardinal Pictures
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • May 11, 1950 (1950-05-11)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Champagne for Caesar is a 1950 American comedy film about a quiz show contestant. It was directed by Richard Whorf and written by Fred Brady and Hans Jacoby. The movie stars Ronald Colman, Celeste Holm, Vincent Price, Barbara Britton and Art Linkletter. The film was produced by Harry M. Popkin for his Cardinal Pictures and released by United Artists.

Contents

Plot

Beauregard Bottomley is a polymath who lives in Los Angeles with his piano-instructor sister Gwenn and an alcohol-guzzling parrot they found named Caesar (voiced by Mel Blanc). Beauregard is knowledgeable on any subject—except how to hold a job.

Beauregard and Gwenn watch a quiz show, Masquerade for Money, hosted by Happy Hogan, and sponsored by Milady Soap. Each contestant dresses up in a particular costume, which determines the type of questions asked, with the prize money doubling with each correct answer, starting at $5 and reaching a maximum of $160. A contestant can quit anytime, but an incorrect response results in no money won. Beauregard is contemptuous of the show.

A representative of the State of California Department of Employment encourages Beauregard to interview for a job at the Milady Soap Company. Beauregard meets the company's eccentric owner, Burnbridge Waters, who disapproves of Beauregard's humor and rejects him. To get even, Beauregard enters Masquerade for Money, dressed as an encyclopedia, which means the host can ask him about anything. Before the questions begin, Happy starts to praise the qualities of Milady Soap, but Beauregard says that it works just like any other soap, outraging Waters. Beauregard easily answers the maximum six questions, then requests one more, which he also answers, earning $320. Beauregard turns down the money and asks to return next week.

Waters invites Beauregard back for one question per show for six weeks and heavily publicizes it. "Masquerade for Money" tops the ratings, and sales of Milady Soap skyrocket.

At the end of that time, Waters approves of giving Beauregard an impossibly hard question, but when Beauregard answers it correctly, Waters becomes uneasy. Happy offers to take piano lessons from Gwenn to try to find a weakness in Beauregard. Beauregard sees through the scheme, but Gwenn sneaks out on a date with Happy anyway. When Gwenn tells Happy that she and her brother think that he is just trying to get information from her, he admits that he is but also says that he is glad to have met her. Gwenn tells Happy that Beauregard intends to win $40 million, to take everything that Waters has. Happy tells Waters, who cancels the show and sends Beauregard a check for his current winnings ($40,000), which Beauregard refuses to accept.

Sales for Milady Soap plummet, forcing Waters to reinstate the show. Beauregard reaches $10 million. Waters calls in a scheming "Flame" O'Neill to distract Beauregard. Beauregard catches a cold from being in a rainstorm, so Flame pretends to be a nurse to him. Beauregard is aware of, but nevertheless quickly succumbs to, Flame's charms (as does Waters). The night of the show, Beauregard states that he never mastered Albert Einstein's "space-time theories". The next question is, of course, about Einstein's views of space-time. Realizing Flame has betrayed him, Beauregard initially struggles but eventually comes up with an answer. Happy says that it is incorrect. However, Einstein himself telephones before the end of the show to say that the answer is correct. Afterward, Beauregard confronts Flame, who has fallen for him. Unaware of this, Beauregard spanks her with her hairbrush and informs her that he deliberately misled her, that he actually "spent an entire season with Einstein", but also admits that he has fallen in love with her.

Waters books the Hollywood Bowl for the last show. Happy and Gwenn and Beauregard and Flame each plan to marry. Beauregard and Gwenn caution each other that their would-be spouses could be just after the money. Each calls and suggests marrying before the show, but Happy and Flame each come up with excuses.

For the final question, Happy asks Beauregard what his Social Security number is. Beauregard answers incorrectly. After the show, to the joy of Beauregard and Gwenn, Flame and Happy still want to marry them. Waters shows up at Beauregard's home, bearing gifts, including champagne. (Caesar used to be Waters' pet.) As Beauregard and Flame drive to Las Vegas to get married, Beauregard reveals that he and Waters had made a deal in which Beauregard would lose in exchange for getting his own radio show, some stock, and other considerations. Beauregard was motivated to make such a deal because two Treasury agents had signaled their intent to tax a significant amount of his winnings. Beauregard then admits that he actually did not know the answer.

Cast

  • John Eldredge as Executive No. 1
  • Lyle Talbot as Executive No. 2
  • George Leigh as Executive No. 3
  • John Hart as Executive No. 4
  • Mel Blanc as Caesar (voice)
  • Peter Brocco as Fortune Teller
  • Brian O'Hara as Buck (T man)
  • Jack Daly as Scratch (T man)
  • Gordon Nelson as Lecturer
  • Herbert Lytton as Chuck Johnson
  • George Meader as Mr. Brown

Reception

In his 1950 review of the film in The New York Times , Bosley Crowther panned the film, sparing only Holm:

"Some of his [Vincent Price's] broad aberrations offer faintly satirical thrusts at advertising genius, but most of them are duds. Mr. Coleman's exquisite urbanity wears awfully thin as time goes on. ... With Celeste Holm playing the charmer, there is some evident reason, at least, for the hero's infatuation. But with a chap named Art Linkletter cast as the quiz-master, we cannot fathom the basis for the sister's romance." [1]

Contemporary criticism of the story indicated that the film violated Beauregard's criticism of the nature of quiz shows in its final plot twist, with Beauregard being given his own quiz show [2] [3] - unless Beauregard were to use the opportunity to reform quiz shows by having one that is truly intellectually stimulating.

Nicholas Laham has analysed the treatment of Beauregard as a highly educated, yet unemployable, character in the context of how scholars were regarded in the 1950s, and in anticipation of the unemployment of information-based, highly educated people in later decades in the information age/"new economy". Laham also places Champagne for Caesar in the historical lineage of screwball comedy, over a decade after that genre had reached its peak before World War II. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Linkletter</span> Canadian-born American TV personality (1912–2010)

Arthur Gordon Linkletter was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, which aired on NBC radio and television for 19 years. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1942.

<i>The $64,000 Question</i> American game show

The $64,000 Question was an American game show broadcast in primetime on CBS-TV from 1955 to 1958, which became embroiled in the 1950s quiz show scandals. Contestants answered general knowledge questions, earning money which doubled as the questions became more difficult. The final question had a top prize of $64,000, hence the "$64,000 Question" in the show's title.

<i>Wait Wait... Dont Tell Me!</i> American news panel radio game show

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is an hour-long weekly news radio panel show produced by WBEZ and National Public Radio (NPR) in Chicago, Illinois. On the program, panelists and contestants are quizzed in humorous ways about that week's news. It is distributed by NPR in the United States, internationally on NPR Worldwide and on the Internet via podcast, and typically broadcast on weekends by member stations. The show averages about six million weekly listeners on air and via podcast.

<i>You Bet Your Life</i> American radio and television comedy quiz game show (1947-present)

You Bet Your Life is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio on October 27, 1947, moved to CBS Radio debuting October 5, 1949, and went to NBC-TV and NBC Radio on October 4, 1950. Because of its simple format, it was possible to broadcast the show on both radio and television but not simultaneously. Many of the laughs on the television show were evoked by Groucho's facial reactions and other visual gimmicks; the two versions were slightly different. The last episode in a radio format aired on June 10, 1960. The series continued on television for another year, recording a season on September 22, 1960 with a new title, The Groucho Show.

<i>Twenty-One</i> (game show) American quiz show

Twenty-One was an American game show originally hosted by Jack Barry that aired on NBC from 1956 to 1958. Produced by Jack Barry-Dan Enright Productions, two contestants competed against each other in separate isolation booths, answering general-knowledge questions to earn 21 total points. The program became notorious when it was found to be rigged as part of the 1950s quiz show scandals, which nearly caused the demise of the entire genre in the wake of United States Senate investigations. The 1994 film Quiz Show is based on these events. A new version of the show aired on NBC in 2000 with Maury Povich as host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Carpenter (game show contestant)</span> American millionaire (born 1967)

John Carpenter is an American game show contestant and Internal Revenue Service agent. He is the twelfth highest-earning American game show contestant of all time. Carpenter is best known for becoming the first top-prize winner on the American version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and the first ever top-prize winner in the entire Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise. He held the record for the largest single win in United States game show history, until it was broken by Rahim Oberholtzer who won $1.12 million on another U.S. quiz show, Twenty One.

<i>The Einstein Factor</i> Australian TV series or program

The Einstein Factor was an Australian television quiz show that was broadcast on ABC1. The show's host is comedian and broadcaster Peter Berner. It was first broadcast in 2004 and in 2009 the show commenced its sixth and final season, with the ABC announcing the program would not be renewed in 2010. The final episode aired on 22 November 2009. It was broadcast on Sunday nights at 6:30 pm from 2004 until 2009 & also on Tuesdays at 1:30pm on ABC. The Einstein Factor was created by Australian television producer, Barry O'Brien, and was produced by Sparkz with Ian Duncan and Shaun Levin as Executive Producers.

<i>The Jackpot</i> 1950 film by Walter Lang

The Jackpot is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Walter Lang, with James Stewart and Barbara Hale in the lead roles. It features a young Natalie Wood.

Three on a Match is an American television game show created by Bob Stewart that ran on NBC from August 2, 1971 to June 28, 1974 on its daytime schedule. The host was Bill Cullen and Don Pardo served as announcer on most episodes, with Bob Clayton and NBC staffers Wayne Howell and Roger Tuttle substituting at times.

<i>Who Do You Trust?</i> American TV series or program

Who Do You Trust? is an American television game show.

<i>PokerFace</i> British game show (2006–2007)

PokerFace is a British game show broadcast on ITV, where one person is guaranteed to win £1 million. The show was created by Ant & Dec, who also host it. As implied by the title, PokerFace, is based on the bluffing aspect of poker games. The contestants do not necessarily need to get the questions right in order to win, and can bluff their way through the game and pressure their opponents into folding in order to win.

The Mole: The Next Betrayal is the second season of the American version of The Mole produced by Stone Stanley Entertainment. The second season featured a team of 14 players, one of whom was the Mole.

<i>People Are Bunny</i> 1959 film

People Are Bunny is a 1959 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson The short was released on December 19, 1959, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? was a game show franchise, that was co-created, and produced, by Mark Burnett, Barry Poznick and John Stevens. Adult contestants answer questions, as if they came from an elementary grade school quiz. The original U.S. version debuted on the Fox Broadcasting network on February 27, 2007, with host Jeff Foxworthy, airing on Fox until 2009, as a syndicated TV series, between 2009 and 2011, and then revived on Fox in 2015, and again on Nickelodeon in 2019, with new host, John Cena. The Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? format, has since been replicated in several other countries, some versions under the same title, and some under modified ones.

Break the Bank is an American quiz show which aired variously – and sometimes co-existed in separate radio and television forms – on Mutual Radio, ABC Radio and NBC Radio Network, as well ABC, CBS and NBC television, from 1945 to 1957. From October 1956 to January 1957, NBC aired a short-lived prime-time television version called Break the $250,000 Bank.

Nothing But the Truth is a 1929 American sound comedy film starring Richard Dix, loosely adapted from the play by James Montgomery and the 1914 novel of the same title by Frederic S. Isham. The play was adapted again as Nothing But the Truth (1941) starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.

<i>Tipping Point</i> (game show) British television quiz show

Tipping Point is a British quiz show that is broadcast on the ITV network, with repeats also on W and Really. First airing on 2 July 2012, the programme is presented by Ben Shephard and features three players answering questions on the subject of general knowledge to win counters which they use on a large coin pusher arcade-style machine. Only the winner at the end has a chance to take home any money; the others leave with nothing except any non-cash prizes they may have won during the game.

L'eredità is an Italian Rai 1 game show currently hosted by Marco Liorni. It premiered on 29 July 2002. From 29 July 2002 to 10 June 2006, it was hosted by Italian presenter Amadeus. He was succeeded by Carlo Conti, who hosted the show until 14 April 2014, when he was replaced by Fabrizio Frizzi. Frizzi hosted until 23 October 2017, when he became ill during the taping of the next show and was taken to the hospital. Carlo Conti substituted for Frizzi from 30 October 2017 to 15 December 2017, and he hosted the special episode in tandem with Fabrizio Frizzi when the latter returned to host the quiz. On 16 December 2017, Fabrizio Frizzi resumed hosting the show by himself until 25 March 2018. The next day, Frizzi died of a brain haemorrhage. Following a hiatus due to Frizzi's death, the game returned from 3 April 2018 until the end of the season with the host Carlo Conti. Flavio Insinna presented the show from 24 September 2018 until 2023.

<i>Per Seconde Wijzer</i> Dutch television quiz

Per Seconde Wijzer is a Dutch television quiz show. The show first aired on October 7, 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Freedman</span> American television producer

Albert Freedman was an American television producer who was involved with the 1950s quiz show scandals. He became a central figure in the cheating scandals and was the first person indicted. He was arrested for perjury after lying about giving contestants questions, and then recanted his grand jury testimony which led to the arrests of 14 former contestants. After the quiz show investigations concluded, Freedman moved to London to work in pornography publications.

References

  1. ↑ Bosley Crowther (1950-05-12). "The Screen: Ronald Colman Plays Winner of Quiz Program in Popkin's Champagne for Caesar". The New York Times . Retrieved 2009-12-16.
  2. ↑ Review of Champagne for Caesar. Life, 10 April 1950, pp 119-122.
  3. ↑ "The New Pictures, May 8, 1950". Time . 8 May 1950. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  4. ↑ Laham. Nicholas, Currents of Comedy on the American Screen. McFarland & Company (Jefferson, North Carolina, USA), p 49 ( ISBN   978-0-7864-4264-5, 2009).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.