Kid Millions

Last updated
Kid Millions
Kidmillions2.JPG
VHS cover
Directed by Roy Del Ruth
Written by Nunnally Johnson
Nat Perrin
Produced by Samuel Goldwyn
Starring Eddie Cantor
Ann Sothern
George Murphy
Ethel Merman
Block and Sully
Nicholas Brothers
Goldwyn Girls
Music by Alfred Newman
Production
company
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • November 10, 1934 (1934-11-10)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box officeover $2 million [1]

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.

Contents

Plot

In New York City, 1934, jazz singer Dot Clark and her shady gangster boyfriend, Louie The Lug ("An Earful of Music"), are introduced. After having an affair with the deceased Professor Edward Wilson, Dot is now technically his common-law wife and heiress to $77 million. She has to go to Egypt to claim the money, and sets off with Louie in hopes of getting the cash. Former assistant to Edward Wilson, Gerald Lane, informs the law offices of Benton, Loring, and Slade of Professor Wilson's death and the fact that Edward's son, Eddie Wilson, Jr, is the rightful heir to the money. Mr. Slade, the lawyer, goes to a barge in Brooklyn where Eddie is living with his adopted father, Pops, an old stevedore, and his three sons, Oscar, Adolph, and Herman, who roughhouse Eddie. However, Eddie is managing to live a nice life nonetheless, with his girlfriend, Nora 'Toots', and his care for all the kids on the barge. He dreams of the day when he will have enough money to live his own life outside of the dirty barge ("When My Ship Comes In"). Moments later, Eddie is informed that he has inherited the $77 million and boards a ship bound for Egypt to claim the money. Aboard the ship is Colonel Henry Larrabee, a gentleman from Virginia who sponsored Eddie, Sr's exploration endeavors and wants a share of the money, as well. Eddie befriends his beautiful niece, Joan, and Dot and Louie realize that they are not the only ones traveling to Egypt. In an elaborate scheme to trick Eddie into signing over the inheritance, Dot disguises herself as Eddie's mother and almost succeeds in duping him, but Louie ruins the plan at the last minute. Meanwhile, Gerald Lane has boarded the ship and he is revealed to be in love with Joan Larrabee.

In the ship's bar, the Colonel, Gerald, and Louie realize they are all traveling for the same reason, and Gerald calls Colonel Larrabee a liar. Joan overhears and becomes angry with him, much to Jerry's dismay. Louie tries to get Eddie to hand over the cash by trying to bump him off by pushing him off the ship's deck in a wheelchair. The duo thinks they have succeeded in getting rid of Eddie, but they are foiled again. Eddie tries to help Jerry win back Joan, and suggests they rehearse a number for the ship's concert the next evening. They rehearse ("Your Head On My Shoulder"), but Joan is still frosty toward him. At the ship's concert, Jerry, Eddie, Dot, Joan, and members of the chorus perform a big minstrel show number featuring a specialty tap by the Nicholas Brothers ("Mandy N' Me"). The ship lands in Alexandria, Egypt, and Joan is still angry with Jerry. Eddie, still convinced that Dot is his mother and Louie is his uncle, wants to see a magician performing at the ship's port. When the magician taunts Louie and calls him a coward, Louie gets in the magic basket and ends up getting beaten by Egyptian slaves. Eddie chases a little dog running through the marketplace and lands literally in the lap of the sheikh's daughter, Princess Fanya, who falls instantly in love with Eddie. She forces him to come with her back to the palace, where Eddie meets her father, Sheikh Mulhulla, and her fiancé, Ben Ali, who is extremely jealous. Fanya hyperbolizes the encounter with the dog, saying that Eddie saved her from a lion's attack instead of a puppy.

Eddie then is invited to stay at the palace, much to Fanya's delight. However, soon Sheikh Mulhulla learns of the Americans being in Egypt who have come to take the $77 million treasure that he believes is rightfully his. He tells Eddie about this and Eddie begins to worry about his mother and his uncle, along with the others. In a comical scene, the sheikh and Eddie smoke a hookah pipe and the sheikh tells him of the affair he is having with a famous dancer who lives in the village. The harem women try to seduce Eddie, but he is steadfast to remain faithful to Nora 'Toots' ("Okay Toots"). Princess Fanya has a plot to get Eddie to marry her, and she tells her father that Eddie kissed her on the camel when they first met. The sheikh then decrees that Eddie must marry Fanya or die, and has him suspended over a large bowl of soup. Eddie then agrees to marry Fanya, and is kept in a room on a dog collar until the next morning, when Ben Ali comes in with a gun in a jealous rage. Eddie convinces Ben Ali that he does not want to marry Fanya, and Ben Ali is convinced and lets him go. However, Joan, Jerry, the Colonel, Dot, and Louie arrive at the palace and are immediately accosted by the guards. In the tomb, Eddie and the men disguise themselves as the spirits of the sheikh's ancestors and tell him to let the Americans go free. The sheikh is so scared by the prophecies, he agrees to let them go on one condition: Eddie will never be able to see Fanya ever again. He agrees and boards a plane home to New York City, where he uses the inheritance to open a free ice cream factory with Toots, thus realizing their lifelong dream ("Ice Cream Fantasy Finale"). [2]

Cast

Production notes

Reception

The film was very successful at the box office. [5]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – nominated [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

Seeing Things is a Canadian comedy-drama mystery television series with a fantasy twist, in that the lead character has postcognitive visions that help solve each episode's mystery. The series originally aired on CBC Television from 1981 to 1987. It was also seen in Europe, South Africa, Singapore, Spain, Australia and the United States. In all, 43 episodes were produced. With the exception of "Seeing R.E.D." episodes were one hour long.

Tom and Jerry is an American animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series centers on the rivalry between the titular characters of a cat named Tom and a mouse named Jerry. Many shorts also feature several recurring characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Lawrence</span> American actor (1910–2005)

Marc Lawrence was an American character actor who specialized in underworld types. He has also been credited as F. A. Foss, Marc Laurence and Marc C. Lawrence.

"The Ziff Who Came to Dinner" is the fourteenth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 14, 2004. The episode focuses on Artie Ziff, who takes residence in the Simpson family's attic after declaring bankruptcy. After playing poker with Homer and losing, he gives Homer all the shares of stock of his bankrupt company. Homer then gets arrested and Marge gets upset with Artie.

<i>The Juror</i> 1996 American film

The Juror is a 1996 American legal thriller film based on the 1995 novel by George Dawes Green. It was directed by Brian Gibson and stars Demi Moore as a single mother picked for jury duty for a mafia trial and Alec Baldwin as a mobster sent to intimidate her. The film received highly negative reviews and Moore won a joint Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for both her performance in this film and in Striptease.

<i>The Glass Wall</i> 1953 film by Maxwell Shane

The Glass Wall is a 1953 American drama film noir directed by Maxwell Shane and starring Vittorio Gassman and Gloria Grahame. The black-and-white film was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The title refers to a design feature of the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

<i>Father Hood</i> 1993 American film

Father Hood is a 1993 American adventure comedy-drama film directed by Darrell Roodt, from a screenplay by Scott Spencer. The movie stars Patrick Swayze and Halle Berry.

<i>Trouble in Store</i> 1953 film

Trouble in Store is a 1953 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom as a department store clerk in his cinema debut. The film also featured Moira Lister, Margaret Rutherford, Jerry Desmonde and Lana Morris. For his performance, Wisdom won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Although it was shown at a West End venue, the film broke box office records at 51 out of the 67 London cinemas in which it played. The film was shot at Pinewood Studios with sets designed by the art director Alex Vetchinsky. It was released by Rank's General Film Distributors and was later released in America by Republic Pictures. The film's success led to Wisdom appearing in a string of films for Rank beginning with One Good Turn.

<i>The Heartbreak Kid</i> (2007 film) 2007 film by the Farrelly brothers

The Heartbreak Kid is a 2007 American romantic black comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers. It is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name and stars Ben Stiller in the main role, Michelle Monaghan, Malin Åkerman, Jerry Stiller, Rob Corddry, Carlos Mencia, Scott Wilson, and Danny McBride. It tells the story of a sports shop owner who ends up in a rushed marriage with a woman and meets a true love interest during a trip to Mexico.

<i>Mr. Troop Mom</i> American TV series or program

Mr. Troop Mom is an American 2009 comedy television film directed by William Dear, written by Thomas Ian Griffith and starring George Lopez, Daniela Bobadilla, April Telek, Julia Anderson, Elizabeth Thai, Geoff Gustafson, and Jane Lynch. It tells of Eddie Serrano (Lopez), a widower, and his teenage daughter Naomi. Eddie joins Naomi and her friends on a camping trip, making Eddie the "Team Mom".

<i>Opposite Day</i> (film) 2009 American film

Opposite Day is an American comedy film starring Billy Unger, Ariel Winter, Pauly Shore, and French Stewart, written by Max Botkin. It was released in October 2009.

<i>Louie</i> (American TV series) American TV series

Louie is an American comedy drama television series that premiered on FX on June 29, 2010. It is written, directed, created, edited, and produced by comedian Louis C.K., who also stars in the show as a fictionalized version of himself, a comedian and newly divorced father raising his two daughters in New York City. The show has a loose format atypical for television comedy series, consisting of largely unconnected storylines and segments that revolve around Louie's life, punctuated by live stand-up performances. The show's comedy consisted of such styles as surrealism, satire, absurdism, and gallows humor.

<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!"

<i>The Tip-Off</i> (film) 1931 film

The Tip-Off is a 1931 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Albert S. Rogell, written by Earl Baldwin, and starring Eddie Quillan, Robert Armstrong, Ginger Rogers, Joan Peers and Ralf Harolde. The film was released on October 16, 1931, by RKO Pictures.

<i>Ill Give a Million</i> (1938 film) 1938 film

I'll Give a Million is a 1938 American romantic comedy film directed by Walter Lang and starring Warner Baxter, Marjorie Weaver and Peter Lorre. It is a remake of the Italian film I'll Give a Million (1935).

<i>Millions in the Air</i> 1935 film by Ray McCarey

Millions in the Air is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Ray McCarey and written by Sig Herzig and Jane Storm. The film stars John Howard, Wendy Barrie, Willie Howard, George Barbier, Benny Baker, Eleanore Whitney and Robert Cummings. The film was released on December 12, 1935, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>The Kid from Kokomo</i> 1939 film by Lewis Seiler

The Kid from Kokomo is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Lewis Seiler and written by Richard Macaulay and Jerry Wald. The film stars Pat O'Brien, Wayne Morris, Joan Blondell, May Robson, Jane Wyman and Stanley Fields. The film was released by Warner Bros. on May 23, 1939.

Ice Cream is a 1993 American surrealist comedy short film written, directed, produced, and edited by Louis C.K. The film stars Laura Kightlinger, Craig Anton, Rick Shapiro, Sheldon Wicowitz, Jim Labrioza, and Mike Ivy. Paul Koestner, who would later work as director of photography on Louie, provided cinematography.

The Stinky & Dirty Show is an animated television series that premiered on January 15, 2015 on Amazon Prime Video. It is a show about vehicles, and is aimed at teaching kids creative methods for solving problems. A preview was shown alongside two other potential series; Sara Solves It and Buddy: Tech Detective. It ultimately won in view, and the other two shows were scrapped. The series premiered in 2015 with its first season, and ended with an extended second season lasting until summer 2019.

References

  1. Sterling, Christopher H. (2011). Biographical Dictionary of Radio. ISBN   978-0-415-99549-8. He also continued appearing in movies; in 1934 Kid Millions grossed more than $2 million even though America was in the midst of the Depression.
  2. Green, Stanley (1999) Hollywood Musicals Year by Year (2nd ed.), pub. Hal Leonard Corporation ISBN   0-634-00765-3 page 37
  3. Biography (p. 4), Nicholas Brothers website
  4. 1 2 "Young Crestfallen Manor Bellhop Is Studio Veteran". Harrisburg Telegraph. March 14, 1942. p. 27. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  5. DOUGLAS W. CHURCHILL (Dec 30, 1934). "THE YEAR IN HOLLYWOOD: 1934 May Be Remembered as the Beginning of the Sweetness-and-Light Era". New York Times. p. X5.
  6. "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-13.