Three Is a Family

Last updated

Three Is a Family
Three Is a Family.jpg
Directed by Edward Ludwig
Screenplay by Harry Chandlee
Marjorie L. Pfaelzer
Based onThree's a Family
by Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron [1]
Produced by Sol Lesser
Starring Marjorie Reynolds
Charlie Ruggles
Fay Bainter
CinematographyCharles Lawton Jr.
Edited byRobert O. Crandall
Music by Werner R. Heymann
Production
company
Sol Lesser Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • November 23, 1944 (1944-11-23)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$850,000 [2] or $1 million (approx) [3]

Three Is a Family is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Marjorie Reynolds, Charlie Ruggles, and Fay Bainter. [4] It is an adaptation of the hit 1943 play Three's a Family by Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron which ran for 497 performances on Broadway. It was distributed by United Artists. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording (W. V. Wolfe). [5]

Contents

Plot

The extended family of Sam Whitaker and his wife Frances all come to live in a crowded apartment in New York City during World War II. A series of chaotic events then ensues.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<i>Woman of the Year</i> 1942 film by George Stevens

Woman of the Year is a 1942 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by George Stevens and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The film was written by Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin, and produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fay Bainter</span> American actress (1893–1968)

Fay Okell Bainter was an American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Jezebel (1938) and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

<i>White Banners</i> 1938 film by Edmund Goulding

White Banners is a 1938 Warner Bros. drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Claude Rains, Fay Bainter, Jackie Cooper, Bonita Granville, Henry O'Neill, and Kay Johnson.

<i>Sleepless in Seattle</i> 1993 film by Nora Ephron

Sleepless in Seattle is a 1993 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Nora Ephron, from a screenplay she wrote with David S. Ward and Jeff Arch. Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the film follows a journalist (Ryan) who, despite being newly engaged, becomes enamored with a recently widowed architect (Hanks), when the latter's son calls in to a talk radio program requesting a new partner for his grieving father. In addition to Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, and Rob Reiner, the film features an ensemble supporting cast also consisting of Rosie O'Donnell, Gaby Hoffmann, Victor Garber, Rita Wilson, Barbara Garrick, and Carey Lowell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nora Ephron</span> American writer and filmmaker (1941–2012)

Nora Ephron was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing romantic comedy films and received numerous accolades including a British Academy Film Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award and three Writers Guild of America Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Ruggles</span> American actor (1886–1970)

Charles Sherman Ruggles was an American comic character actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films, often in mild-mannered and comic roles. He was also the elder brother of director, producer, and silent film actor Wesley Ruggles (1889–1972).

<i>Our Town</i> (1940 film) American drama romance film by Sam Wood (1940)

Our Town is a 1940 American drama romance film adaptation of the 1938 play of the same name by Thornton Wilder, starring Martha Scott as Emily Webb, and William Holden as George Gibbs. The cast also included Fay Bainter, Beulah Bondi, Thomas Mitchell, Guy Kibbee and Frank Craven. It was adapted by Harry Chandlee, Craven and Wilder, and directed by Sam Wood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Byington</span> American actress (1886–1971)

Spring Dell Byington was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of December Bride. She was a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1960s. Byington received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Penelope Sycamore in You Can't Take It with You (1938).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Armstrong</span> British screenwriter (born 1970)

Jesse David Armstrong is a British screenwriter and producer. He is best known for co-creating the British comedy shows Peep Show (2003–2015) and Fresh Meat (2011–2016) alongside his writing partner Sam Bain, and for creating the American comedy-drama series Succession (2018–2023).

The 12th Academy Awards ceremony, held on February 29, 1940 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best in film for 1939 at a banquet in the Coconut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It was hosted by Bob Hope, in his first of nineteen turns as host.

<i>Vivacious Lady</i> 1938 film by George Stevens

Vivacious Lady is a 1938 American black-and-white romantic comedy film directed by George Stevens and starring Ginger Rogers and James Stewart. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures. The screenplay was written by P.J. Wolfson and Ernest Pagano and adapted from a short story by I. A. R. Wylie. The music score was by Roy Webb and the cinematography by Robert De Grasse.

<i>The Shining Hour</i> 1938 film by Frank Borzage

The Shining Hour is a 1938 American romantic drama film directed by Frank Borzage, based on the 1934 play The Shining Hour by Keith Winter, and starring Joan Crawford and Margaret Sullavan. The supporting cast of the MGM film features Robert Young, Melvyn Douglas, Fay Bainter and Hattie McDaniel.

Phoebe Ephron was an American playwright and screenwriter, who often worked with Henry Ephron, her husband, whom she wed in 1934.

<i>June Bride</i> 1948 film by Bretaigne Windust

June Bride is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Bretaigne Windust. The screenplay, which was based on the unproduced play Feature for June by Eileen Tighe and Graeme Lorimer, was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy. The film starred Bette Davis and Robert Montgomery. The Warner Bros. release marked the screen debut of Debbie Reynolds, although her appearance was uncredited.

<i>The Human Comedy</i> (film) 1943 film

The Human Comedy is a 1943 American comedy-drama film directed by Clarence Brown. It began as a screenplay by William Saroyan, who was expected to direct. After Saroyan was removed from the project, he wrote the novel of the same name and published it just before the film was released. Howard Estabrook was brought in to reduce the run time to two hours. The picture stars Mickey Rooney with Frank Morgan; also appearing in the film are James Craig, Marsha Hunt, Fay Bainter, Ray Collins, Van Johnson, Donna Reed and Jackie "Butch" Jenkins. Barry Nelson, Robert Mitchum and Don DeFore appear together as boisterous soldiers in uncredited supporting roles.

<i>The War Against Mrs. Hadley</i> 1942 film by Harold S. Bucquet

The War Against Mrs. Hadley is a 1942 American drama film directed by Harold S. Bucquet and starring Fay Bainter and Edward Arnold. The plot depicts how wealthy society matron Stella Hadley selfishly refuses to sacrifice her family or material comforts during World War II, until tragedy strikes an old rival. The script by George Oppenheimer was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Sudden Money is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Nick Grinde, written by Lewis R. Foster, and starring Charlie Ruggles, Marjorie Rambeau, Charley Grapewin, Broderick Crawford, Billy Lee and Evelyn Keyes. It was released on March 31, 1939, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Exclusive</i> (film) 1937 film by Alexander Hall

Exclusive is a 1937 American drama film directed by Alexander Hall and written by Jack Moffitt, Sidney Salkow and Rian James. The film stars Fred MacMurray, Frances Farmer, Charlie Ruggles, Lloyd Nolan, Fay Holden and Ralph Morgan. The film was released on August 6, 1937, by Paramount Pictures.

Our Neighbors – The Carters is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Ralph Murphy and written by S.K. Lauren. The film stars Fay Bainter, Frank Craven, Edmund Lowe, Genevieve Tobin, Mary Thomas and Mildred Coles. The film was released on November 24, 1939, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Give My Regards to Broadway</i> (film) 1948 film by Lloyd Bacon

Give My Regards to Broadway is a 1948 American Technicolor musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Dan Dailey Charles Winninger and Nancy Guild. It was produced and distributed by Hollywood studio 20th Century Fox and takes its title from the 1904 song Give My Regards to Broadway by George M. Cohan.

References

  1. Three's a family; a comedy in three acts, (Book, 1944). OCLC   1349825 . Retrieved August 2, 2020 via WorldCat.
  2. "Indies $70,000,000 Pix Output". Variety: 3. November 3, 1944. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  3. "Lesser, Poe Distrib Setup for Vidpix". Variety. May 28, 1952. p. 28.
  4. Hal Erickson (2012). "Three Is a Family". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  5. "The 18th Academy Awards (1946) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 19, 2011.

Bibliography