Take It or Leave It (1944 film)

Last updated
Take It or Leave It
Take It or Leave It poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Benjamin Stoloff
Screenplay byMac Benoff
Harold Buchman
Snag Werris
Produced by Bryan Foy
Starring Phil Baker
Edward Ryan
Madge Meredith
Stanley Prager
Roy Gordon
Nana Bryant
Cinematography Joseph LaShelle
Edited by Harry Reynolds
Music by Cyril J. Mockridge
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • July 17, 1944 (1944-07-17)
Running time
70 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.1 million [1]

Take It or Leave It is a 1944 American musical-comedy film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and written by Mac Benoff, Harold Buchman, and Snag Werris. It was the screen version of the popular radio quiz show of the same name, whose main feature was "the $64 question." Master of ceremonies Phil Baker played himself in the movie.

Contents

Plot

Sailor Eddie Collins needs $1,000 to pay his wife's obstetrician. He is selected as a contestant on a special edition of Take It or Leave It , and works his way up to the top prize of $64. Emcee Phil Baker, sympathetic to the sailor's plight, allows him to earn more money by asking additional $64 questions.

Cast

Production and reception

Take It or Leave It was produced on an exceptionally low budget for a major-studio motion picture. Twentieth Century-Fox producer Bryan Foy economized by casting inexpensive juveniles in principal roles (Edward Ryan, Marjorie Massow—later known as Madge Meredith—and Stanley Prager), with only a few character players in support and bit roles. The only then-current star was Phil Silvers, who appeared briefly in a pre-credits prologue explaining the film's premise.

Bryan Foy slashed the budget even more by inserting entire chunks of old Fox movies into the narrative. Most of the film has Phil Baker asking contestant Edward Ryan questions about famous motion pictures of the past, and each question is accompanied by a production number shown on a screen. Thus Shirley Temple, Alice Faye, Betty Grable, Buster Keaton, Al Jolson, The Ritz Brothers, and other Fox stars make appearances.

Although three screenwriters are credited, the storyline is very slight. The three writers were really radio jokesmiths, hired to supply star Phil Baker with a running repertoire of puns and one-liners appropriate to each quiz question.

The film was released on July 7, 1944. Fox did not publicize the star names in the cast, inviting the audience to play along with the quiz game and be surprised by the film clips. It was a shrewd strategy and a daring gamble, since such a mixture of old and new film footage was unprecedented. Movie trade papers were wary of the film's chances, and wondered whether audiences might feel cheated at having paid admission for a new film, only to be shown mostly old footage. [2] [3] But the film's audience-participation gimmick worked in the film's favor, and theater owners reported enthusiastic crowds. The film ultimately earned one million dollars.

Related Research Articles

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television, contestants tackle a series of multiple-choice questions to win large cash prizes in a format that twists on many game show genre conventions – only one contestant plays at a time, similar to radio quizzes; contestants are given the question before deciding whether to answer, and have no time limit to answer questions; and the amount offered increases as they tackle questions that become increasingly difficult. The maximum cash prize offered in most versions of the format is an aspirational value in local currency, such as one million pounds in the UK or 75 million rupees in India.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Foy</span> 19th and 20th-century American actor

Edwin Fitzgerald, known professionally as Eddie Foy and Eddie Foy Sr., was an American actor, comedian, dancer and vaudevillian.

<i>Wilson</i> (1944 film) 1944 film by Henry King

Wilson is a 1944 biographical film about Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States. Shot in Technicolor and directed by Henry King, the film stars Alexander Knox, Charles Coburn, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell, Ruth Nelson, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, William Eythe and Mary Anderson.

<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.

<i>The Big Fat Quiz of the Year</i> Annual British comedy TV panel show

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year is an approximately annual British television programme broadcast in the last or first week of the year on Channel 4. The show is a comedy panel game in the style of a pub quiz. Three teams of two celebrities, mostly comedians, are asked questions about the year gone by in various categories, writing answers on an electronic board in front of them. At the end of each round the answers are displayed and points awarded.

<i>The Gangs All Here</i> (1943 film) 1943 film by Busby Berkeley

The Gang's All Here is a 1943 American Twentieth Century Fox Technicolor musical film starring Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda and James Ellison. The film, directed and choreographed by Busby Berkeley, is known for its use of musical numbers with fruit hats. Included among the 10 highest-grossing films of that year, it was at that time Fox's most expensive production.

<i>Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?</i> (British game show) British television quiz show

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a British television quiz show, created by David Briggs, Steven Knight and Mike Whitehill for the ITV network. The programme's format has contestants taking on multiple-choice questions based upon general knowledge, winning a cash prize for each question they answer correctly, with the amount offered increasing as they take on more difficult questions. If an incorrect answer is given, the contestant will leave with whatever cash prize is guaranteed by the last safety net they have passed, unless they opt to walk away before answering the next question with the money they had managed to reach. To assist in the quiz, contestants are given a series of "lifelines" to help answer questions.

<i>Who Wants to Be a Millionaire</i> (American game show) American television game show

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television game show based on the format of the same-titled British program created by David Briggs, Steven Knight and Mike Whitehill and developed in the United States by Michael Davies. The show features a quiz competition with contestants attempting to win a top prize of $1,000,000 by answering a series of multiple-choice questions, usually of increasing difficulty. The program has endured as one of the longest-running and most successful international variants in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Baker (comedian)</span> American comedian (1896–1963)

Phil Baker was an American comedian and emcee on radio. Baker was also a vaudeville actor, composer, songwriter, accordionist and author.

Skatoony is a children's live action/animated game show, pitting live-action kids against cartoons. The series was co-produced by Talent TV and FremantleMedia Animation, Blink Studios, and Marblemedia with Smiley Guy Studios. The series used to air on Cartoon Network in the UK until 2017, with new episodes airing every Friday until the series cancellation in 2008. Skatoony has also aired as re-runs in the UK on Boomerang and Cartoon Network Too until the channel itself closed down in 2014. The show aired on Starz Kids & Family in the US until 2019. Reruns were occasionally shown on Teletoon in Canada until August 5, 2017. It also aired on Boomerang in Australia and New Zealand.

<i>Queen of the Night Clubs</i> 1929 film

Queen of the Night Clubs is a 1929 American Pre-Code musical drama film produced and directed by Bryan Foy, distributed by Warner Bros., and starred legendary nightclub hostess Texas Guinan. The picture, which featured appearances by Eddie Foy, Jr., Lila Lee, and George Raft, is now considered a lost film. A still existing vintage movie trailer of this film displays no clip of the feature.

<i>Alexanders Ragtime Band</i> (film) 1938 film by Henry King

Alexander's Ragtime Band is a 1938 American musical film released by 20th Century Fox that takes its name from the 1911 Irving Berlin song "Alexander's Ragtime Band" to tell a story of a society boy who scandalizes his family by pursuing a career in ragtime instead of "serious" music. The film generally traces the history of jazz music from the popularization of Ragtime in the early years of the 20th century to the acceptance of swing as an art form in the late 1930s using music composed by Berlin. The story spans more than two decades from the 1911 release of its name-sake song to some point in time after the 1933 release of "Heat Wave", presumably 1938.

Iris Meredith was a B-movie actress of the 1930s and 1940s film era. She starred mostly in heroine roles, in westerns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Hope filmography</span>

This is a selection of films and television appearances by British-American comedian and actor Bob Hope (1903-2003). Hope, a former boxer, began his acting career in 1925 in various vaudeville acts and stage performances

Take It or Leave It is a radio quiz show, which ran from April 21, 1940, to July 27, 1947, on CBS. It switched to NBC radio in 1947, and on September 10, 1950, the name of the program was changed to The $64 Question.

<i>A Fig Leaf for Eve</i> 1944 film by Don Brodie

A Fig Leaf for Eve is a 1944 American film directed by Don Brodie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madge Meredith</span> American actress

Madge Meredith was an American film actress who appeared in numerous films and television series between 1944 and 1964. However, she may have been best known for her wrongful conviction for kidnapping.

Martian Manhunter: American Secrets is a three-issue prestige format comic book miniseries published in 1992 by DC Comics. Written by Gerard Jones and drawn by Eduardo Barreto, it stars Martian Manhunter, set in paranoid Cold War-era America. It takes place outside the mainstream DC Universe.

References

  1. Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 220
  2. Showmen's Trade Review, July 15, 1944, p. 15.
  3. The Exhibitor, September 6, 1944, p. 1576.