Twenty Million Sweethearts

Last updated
Twenty Million Sweethearts
Twenty million sweethearts.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ray Enright
Written by Paul Finder Moss
Jerry Wald
Starring Pat O'Brien
Dick Powell
Ginger Rogers
Cinematography Sidney Hickox
Edited by Clarence Kolster
Music by Harry Warren
Distributed by First National
Warner Bros.
Release date
  • May 26, 1934 (1934-05-26)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$202,000 [1]
Box office$1,213,000 [1]

Twenty Million Sweethearts is a 1934 American Pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright and starring Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers, and the Mills Brothers. The film was remade in 1949 as My Dream Is Yours .

Contents

Plot

Agent Russell Edward "Rush" Blake (Pat O'Brien) is able to promote the singing tenor waiter Buddy Clayton (Dick Powell) as a major radio star, while Buddy's wife Peggy Cornell (Ginger Rogers) loses out. In the end, Peggy does not lose Buddy to his "twenty million sweethearts" – his female fans.

Cast

Music

The film features the well-known song "I'll String Along with You" by Harry Warren and Al Dubin.

Reception

The film was considered a box-office disappointment for Warner Bros. [2] According to studio records, it earned $821,000 domestically and $392,000 overseas. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Flirtation Walk</i> 1934 film by Frank Borzage, Bobby Connelly

Flirtation Walk is a 1934 American romantic musical film written by Delmer Daves and Lou Edelman, and directed by Frank Borzage. It focuses on a soldier who falls in love with a general's daughter during the general's brief stop in Hawaii but is bereft when she leaves with her father for the Philippines before their relationship can blossom. They are re-united several years later when the soldier is about to graduate from West Point and the general becomes the Academy's Commandant.

The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.

The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first American full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The following is an overview of 1934 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

The following is an overview of 1933 in film, including significant events, a list of films released, and notable births and deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Powell</span> American actor (1904–1963)

Richard Ewing Powell was an American actor, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility and successfully transformed into a hardboiled leading man, starring in projects of a more dramatic nature. He was the first actor to portray private detective Philip Marlowe on screen.

<i>This Is the Army</i> 1943 film by Michael Curtiz

This Is the Army is a 1943 American wartime musical comedy film produced by Jack L. Warner and Hal B. Wallis and directed by Michael Curtiz, adapted from a wartime stage musical with the same name, designed to boost morale in the U.S. during World War II, directed by Ezra Stone. The screenplay by Casey Robinson and Claude Binyon was based on the 1942 Broadway musical written by James McColl and Irving Berlin, with music and lyrics by Berlin. Berlin composed the film's 19 songs, and sang one of them.

<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.

<i>42nd Street</i> (film) 1933 musical film

42nd Street is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon, and a script by Rian James and James Seymour, adapted from the 1932 novel of the same name by Bradford Ropes. Starring an ensemble cast of Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers, the film revolved around the rehearsals of a Broadway show at the height of the Great Depression, and its cast and crew. The film was choreographed by Busby Berkeley, with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin.

<i>Dames</i> (film) 1934 film by Busby Berkeley, Ray Enright

Dames is a 1934 Warner Bros. musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright with dance numbers created by Busby Berkeley. The film stars Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, ZaSu Pitts, and Hugh Herbert. Production numbers and songs include "When You Were a Smile on Your Mother's Lips ", "The Girl at the Ironing Board", "I Only Have Eyes for You", "Dames" and "Try to See It My Way".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat O'Brien (actor)</span> American actor (1899–1983)

William Joseph Patrick O'Brien was an American film actor with more than 100 screen credits. Of Irish descent, he often played Irish and Irish-American characters and was referred to as "Hollywood's Irishman in Residence" in the press. One of the best-known screen actors of the 1930s and 1940s, he played priests, cops, military figures, pilots, and reporters. He is especially well-remembered for his roles in Knute Rockne, All American (1940), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), and Some Like It Hot (1959). He was frequently paired onscreen with Hollywood star James Cagney. O'Brien also appeared on stage and television.

<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.

<i>Gold Diggers of 1933</i> 1933 film by Mervyn LeRoy, Busby Berkeley

Gold Diggers of 1933 is a pre-Code Warner Bros. musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics), staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It stars Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell, and features Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks and Ginger Rogers.

The Golden Boot Awards were an American acknowledgement of achievement honoring actors, actresses, and crew members who made significant contributions to the genre of Westerns in television and film. The award was sponsored and presented by the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Money raised at the award banquet was used to help finance various services offered by the Fund to those in the entertainment industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Foran</span> American actor (1910–1979)

John Nicholas "Dick" Foran was an American actor, known for his performances in Western musicals and for playing supporting roles in dramatic pictures.

<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.

<i>Page Miss Glory</i> (1935 film) 1935 film by Mervyn LeRoy

Page Miss Glory is a 1935 romantic comedy film starring Marion Davies, Pat O'Brien, and Dick Powell. It was based on the play of the same name by Joseph Schrank and Philip Dunning.

<i>Devil Dogs of the Air</i> 1935 film by Lloyd Bacon

Devil Dogs of the Air is a 1935 Warner Bros. film, directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien, playing similar roles as close friends after making their debut as a "buddy team" in Here Comes the Navy. Devil Dogs of the Air was the second of nine features that James Cagney and Pat O'Brien made together. The film's storyline was adapted from a novel by John Monk Saunders.

Buddy's Bearcats is a 1934 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Jack King. The short was released on June 23, 1934, and stars Buddy, the second star of the series.

<i>Boy Meets Girl</i> (1938 film) 1938 film

Boy Meets Girl is a 1938 American screwball comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. The supporting cast features Marie Wilson, Ralph Bellamy, Frank McHugh, Dick Foran and Ronald Reagan. The screenplay by Bella and Sam Spewack is based on their 1935 stage play of the same name, which ran for 669 performances on Broadway. The two zany screenwriters played by Cagney and O'Brien were based on Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, while Ralph Bellamy's part as the producer was based on Darryl Zanuck of 20th Century Fox.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Glancy, H. Mark (1995). "Warner Bros Film Grosses, 1921–51: The William Shaefer Ledger". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 15: 15. doi:10.1080/01439689508604551.
  2. Churchill, Douglas W. (November 25, 1934). "Taking A Look at the Record" . The New York Times. ProQuest   101193306.