It's a Great Feeling

Last updated
It's a Great Feeling
It's a Great Feeling 1949 poster.jpg
1949 Theatrical Poster
Directed by David Butler
Screenplay by
Story by I. A. L. Diamond
Produced byAlex Gottlieb
Starring
Cinematography Wilfred M. Cline
Edited by Irene Morra
Music by Jule Styne
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • August 20, 1949 (1949-08-20) [1]
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,452,000 [2]
Box office$2,713,000 [2]

It's a Great Feeling is a 1949 American Technicolor musical comedy film starring Doris Day, Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan in a parody of what goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood movie making. The screenplay by Jack Rose and Mel Shavelson was based upon a story by I. A. L. Diamond. The film was directed by David Butler, produced by Alex Gottlieb and distributed by Warner Bros.

Contents

It's a Great Feeling was Day's third film (and her third pairing with Carson) and the first to bring her widespread notice. It's a Great Feeling is a "Who's Who?" of Hollywood in its heyday and glorified the studio system at the peak of its golden age.

Plot

The film begins with a succession of real-life film directors, including Michael Curtiz, King Vidor, Raoul Walsh, and David Butler – refusing to helm a new Warner's film, Mademoiselle Fifi, because Jack Carson has been signed to star in it. Frustrated, fictional studio head Arthur Trent finally decides to let Carson direct it. Seeking the perfect co-star for himself and fellow lead Dennis Morgan, Carson finds her in the person of studio commissary waitress Judy Adams, who has been in Hollywood for three months without even one audition and sneaks her way into Carson's office, where she forces him to give her a chance. A self-proclaimed liar, Carson advises her to pose as his secret bride to Morgan. Fooled at first, Morgan eventually catches on to the ruse. Following an angry outburst, Judy leaves the studio and feels used by the two actors for their entertainment.

Moving on, Carson continues his search for his romantic interest in the film, but nobody seems to be willing to work with him. When Jane Wyman is offered the role, she even faints. Dennis suggests to Carson that he should cast an unknown, because only outsiders are unaware of his image and would be willing to work with him. Judy is the first person that comes to their mind, though they do not know that – because of them – Judy has become disillusioned by Hollywood and is set to return to her home town, Goerke's Corners, Wisconsin. [3] Both Carson and Morgan want to be the one who has discovered Judy officially, and go their separate ways to convince Judy to return to Warner Brothers and assume the role. Arriving at the station at the same time to stop Judy from leaving, and after running into Danny Kaye, both men succeed in making Judy believe that they will help her get her big break in the movies.

Carson and Morgan start by dressing Judy as a film star in order to impress Trent. At a fancy dress shop, Joan Crawford suspects that Judy is being taken advantage of, and condemns both men for it. Carson remembers that Trent likes to discover his own talent, so he dresses Judy in a number of different guises – such as an elevator operator, a cab driver and an oculist's assistant – in the hope Trent will see her, appreciate her potential, and insist Carson cast the unknown. Unfortunately, all Trent keeps seeing is a pretty blonde with a goofy smile and blinking eyes. Morgan, having lost all hope, discourages Judy from becoming an actress, but she is now determined to have her big break, explaining the hard work she has done to afford acting and singing lessons, as well as moving to Hollywood. By this time, both men are now not only fighting over discovering Judy, but also for her romantic attention.

Carson and Morgan attempt to arrange a screen test for Judy and continue their schemes to impress her. They are stopped at the studio, but Edward G. Robinson helps them sneak in. In the studio, they arrange for Judy to perform the song "That Was a Big Fat Lie" on camera directed by a reluctant Ray Heindorf. The screen test undergoes technical difficulties, which startles Trent when seeing it, and, coming on top of his "visions" of the same face everywhere (when Carson and Morgan planted Judy all around him), results in a nervous breakdown and a cancellation of production of Mademoiselle Fifi. As a final attempt, Carson and Morgan conspire to disguise Judy as a famous French film star with dark hair named Yvonne Amour – and an inaccurate accent – but Trent still manages to recognize her despite the great amount of attention that "Yvonne" is receiving, including a meeting with Eleanor Parker and Patricia Neal and a performance of the song "At the Cafe Rendezvous".

Upset with all the backstage shenanigans she's been forced to endure, Judy considers returning home to Goerke's Corners to marry long-time sweetheart Jeffrey Bushdinkle. Carson and Morgan consider stopping her, but Judy's friend Grace makes them realize that she will be much happier with her fiancé in a small town than an uncertain career in Hollywood, and they step back. Judy overhears them promising another girl a career in the pictures, confirming her doubt of having been used by the actors. She leaves in tears and coincidentally shares the train with Trent. Now realizing her talent, Trent offers Judy a career in pictures, but she thinks he is lying as well and rejects him. Nonetheless, Trent announces that the film is back in production with Judy Adams as the only contender for the lead role. Carson and Morgan rush to Goerke's Corners to share the news with Judy, but realize that they have to interfere with her wedding, and decide to leave to let Judy lead a small-town life. Their curiosity as to what her fiancé has to attract her so strongly is satisfied when his face is revealed to be that of Errol Flynn.

Cast

Cameos

Many of the studio's most popular stars and directors make cameo appearances throughout the movie. Among them are:

Reagan and Wyman's daughter Maureen also makes an appearance in a scene with her mother.

Production

The film's working title was Two Guys and a Gal. [4] The film resembled Day's early career as a waitress struggling to get into the pictures and nearly landing her big break when prepared to leave Hollywood. [5] It's a Great Feeling was Day's third film and third-to-last collaboration with Carson. [5] On working with him, Day wrote in her autobiography:

He helped me enormously with my technical indoctrination into movie acting. He taught me dozens of tricks about how to move to precise camera marks without actually looking for them, how to handle myself in close-ups so that my face or profile rather than the back of my head would be in a shot, how to sustain the evenness of a performed scene. ... Since we were also going together, we'd often discuss some of these things in the evening, and there's no doubt that my relationship with Jack helped me considerably in my early going. [5]

In June 1948, Day's participation in the film was confirmed. By that time, Carson and Morgan were already cast. [6] The film also went under the title Two Guys of the Nineties and, due to insistence of Carson and Morgan as Two Guys from Hollywood (though Morgan had previously stated in an interview that he would never star in another film with "Two Guys" in the title). [7]

Musical numbers

Reception

Variety commented: "Joan Crawford (as herself) does a pip of a bit in a swank gown shop with the three principals, rating plenty of howls." [8] In his book on Doris Day's career, author Tom Santopietro writes that the Crawford's self-parody of her "notoriously dramatic" screen image is the funniest bit in the film. [9] Crawford supposedly overhears Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan discussing Doris Day and thinks they are taking advantage of her. She automatically launches into a clichéd, melodramatic speech typical of her screen persona (in this case, from Mildred Pierce ) and furiously slaps both Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan. Carson asks "What's that for?" and Crawford smiles, shrugs and says: "I do that in all my pictures!"

Box Office

According to Warner Bros. records, the film earned $2,059,000 domestically and $654,000 in overseas markets. [2]

Awards and nominations

The title tune "It's a Great Feeling" (written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn), received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Wyman</span> American actress (1917–2007)

Jane Wyman was an American actress. She received an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Wald</span> American screenwriter and producer (1911–1962)

Jerome Irving Wald was an American screenwriter and a producer of films and radio programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonita Granville</span> American actress and producer (1923–1988)

Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather was an American actress and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Leslie</span> American actress (1925–2015)

Joan Leslie was an American actress and vaudevillian, who during the Hollywood Golden Age, appeared in such films as High Sierra (1941), Sergeant York (1941), and Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Carson</span> Canadian-American actor (1910–1963)

John Elmer Carson, known as Jack Carson, was a Canadian-born American film actor. Carson often played the role of comedic friend in films of the 1940s and 1950s, including The Strawberry Blonde (1941) with James Cagney and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) with Cary Grant. He appeared in such dramas as Mildred Pierce (1945), A Star is Born (1954), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). He worked for RKO and MGM, but most of his notable work was for Warner Bros.

Raymond John Heindorf was an American composer and songwriter who was noted for his work in film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Morgan</span> American actor (1908–1994)

Dennis Morgan was an American actor-singer. He used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame.

<i>Thank Your Lucky Stars</i> (film) 1943 film by David Butler

Thank Your Lucky Stars is a 1943 American musical comedy film made by Warner Brothers as a World War II fundraiser, with a slim plot involving theater producers. The stars donated their salaries to the Hollywood Canteen, which was founded by John Garfield and Bette Davis, who appear in this film. It was directed by David Butler and stars Eddie Cantor, Dennis Morgan, Joan Leslie, Edward Everett Horton and S.Z. Sakall.

<i>Goodbye, My Fancy</i> (film) 1951 film by Vincent Sherman

Goodbye, My Fancy is a 1951 American romantic comedy film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Young, and Frank Lovejoy. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by Henry Blanke. Distributed by Warner Bros., the film was based on the 1948 play of same name by Fay Kanin and adapted for the screen by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts. Reinforcing social changes brought on by World War II and movies portraying women as successful on their own, such as 1945's Academy Award-winning Mildred Pierce, the plot follows an influential Congresswoman who returns to her former college to receive an honorary degree only to find her old flame as the university president.

<i>Romance on the High Seas</i> 1948 film by Michael Curtiz

Romance on the High Seas is a 1948 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore and Doris Day in her film debut. Busby Berkeley was the choreographer. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Original Song for "It's Magic", and Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.

<i>My Dream Is Yours</i> 1949 film by Friz Freleng, Michael Curtiz

My Dream Is Yours is a 1949 American Technicolor musical romantic comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Jack Carson, Doris Day, and Lee Bowman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucille Norman</span> Musical artist

Lucille Norman was an American mezzo-soprano, radio personality, and stage and film actress active in the 1940s and 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doris Day filmography</span>

American actress Doris Day appeared in 39 feature films released between 1948 and 1968. Day began her career as a band singer and eventually won the female lead in the Warner Bros. film Romance on the High Seas (1948), for which she was selected by Michael Curtiz to replace Betty Hutton. She starred in several minor musicals for Warner Bros., including Tea for Two (1950), Lullaby of Broadway (1951), April in Paris (1952), By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953) and the hit musical Calamity Jane, in which she performed the Academy Award-winning song "Secret Love" (1953). She ended her contract with Warner Bros. after filming Young at Heart (1954) with Frank Sinatra.

<i>Hollywood Canteen</i> (film) 1944 film by Delmer Daves

Hollywood Canteen is a 1944 American musical romantic comedy film starring Joan Leslie, Robert Hutton, Dane Clark and features many stars in cameo roles. and produced by Warner Bros. The film was written and directed by Delmer Daves and received three Oscar nominations.

<i>Two Guys from Texas</i> 1948 film by David Butler

Two Guys from Texas is a 1948 American comedy musical western film directed by David Butler, and starring Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson and Dorothy Malone. The film was written by Allen Boretz and I.A.L. Diamond, produced by Alex Gottlieb, and released by Warner Bros. Pictures on September 4, 1948. This was a follow-up to the 1946 film Two Guys from Milwaukee, also starring Morgan and Carson, which in turn was an attempt to capture some of the appeal of Paramount's Bing Crosby and Bob Hope Road pictures.

<i>The Hard Way</i> (1943 film) 1943 film by Vincent Sherman

The Hard Way is a 1943 Warner Bros. musical drama film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Ida Lupino. The film was based on a story by Irwin Shaw which was reportedly based on Ginger Rogers' relationship with her first husband, Jack Pepper and her own mother, Lela.

<i>Two Guys from Milwaukee</i> 1946 film by David Butler

Two Guys from Milwaukee is a 1946 American comedy film directed by David Butler, and starring Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson and Joan Leslie. It was distributed by Warner Bros. The film is about a Balkan prince who wants to see for himself what America is really like. So he slips away from his entourage in New York City and pretends to be an average guy. The film closely mimics the style of Paramount's popular Road pictures, with Morgan in the Bing Crosby romantic straight role and Carson as the comedic Bob Hope sidekick.

<i>Starlift</i> 1951 film by Roy Del Ruth

Starlift is a 1951 American musical film released by Warner Bros. starring Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Virginia Mayo, Dick Wesson, and Ruth Roman. It was directed by Roy Del Ruth and written by John D. Klorer and Karl Kamb, from a story by Klorer. The film was made during the beginning of the Korean War and centers on a U.S. Air Force flyer's wish to meet a film star, and her fellow stars' efforts to perform for injured men at the air force base.

<i>Cheyenne</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Raoul Walsh

Cheyenne is a 1947 American western mystery film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyman, Janis Paige and Bruce Bennett. It was produced and released by Hollywood major Warner Bros.

<i>One More Tomorrow</i> (film) 1946 film by Peter Godfrey

One More Tomorrow is a 1946 American drama film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Charles Hoffman and Catherine Turney from the play The Animal Kingdom by Philip Barry. The film, starring Ann Sheridan, Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, Alexis Smith, Jane Wyman and Reginald Gardiner, is a remake of the 1932 film The Animal Kingdom. It was released by Warner Bros. on June 1, 1946.

References

  1. ↑ "It's a Great Feeling". American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films . Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  2. 1 2 3 Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 30 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
  3. ↑ McDonald, Tamar Jeffers (2013). Doris Day Confidential: Hollywood, Sex and Stardom. I.B.Tauris. p. 78. ISBN   978-1-848-85582-3. in [It's a Great Feeling], Day's 'Judy Adams' has come to Hollywood from a small town, to which she eventually returns: Goerkes Corner, Wisconsin
  4. ↑ "Notes for It's a Great Feeling (1949)". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  5. 1 2 3 "It's a Great Feeling: Overview Article". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  6. ↑ "Doris Day Is Featuring Star of Warner Pictures" by Bob Thomas. The Evening Independent , June 15, 1948. p. 16
  7. ↑ "Laraine Day In A Stew; She Dislikes Newsmen" by Hedda Hopper. The Miami News , June 4, 1948. p. 10
  8. ↑ Quirk, Lawrence J.. The Films of Joan Crawford. The Citadel Press, 1968.
  9. ↑ Santopietro, Tom (2007). Considering Doris Day (trade paperback ed.). New York: Thomas Dunne Books. p. 37. ISBN   978-0-312-38214-8.
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.