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IMDb > One in a Million (1936)

One in a Million (1936) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   87 votes
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Up 7% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Sidney Lanfield
Writers:
Leonard Praskins (story) and
Mark Kelly (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for One in a Million on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 January 1937 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Musical | Romance more
Plot:
American theatrical manager (Menjou) discovers Henie preparing for the Olympics in Switzerland and brings her to Madison Square Garden. | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
User Comments:
Interesting as Henie's debut, nothing else more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Sonja Henie ... Greta 'Gretchen' Muller

Adolphe Menjou ... Thaddeus 'Tad' Spencer

Don Ameche ... Robert 'Bob' Harris (reporter for 'Paris Herald')
Ned Sparks ... Daniel 'Danny' Simpson (photographer)
Jean Hersholt ... Herr Heirich Muller (hotel proprietor and Greta's father)
The Ritz Brothers ... The Ritz Brothers
Al Ritz ... Al, one of the Ritz Brothers (as The Ritz Brothers)
Harry Ritz ... Harry, one of the Ritz Brothers (as The Ritz Brothers)
Jimmy Ritz ... Jimmy, one of the Ritz Brothers (as The Ritz Brothers)
Arline Judge ... Billie Spencer
Borrah Minevitch ... Adolphe (as Borrah Minevitch and His Rascals)
Borrah Minevitch and His Harmonica Rascals ... Harmonica Ensemble (as Borrah Minevitch and His Rascals)
Dixie Dunbar ... Goldie (girl in band)
Leah Ray ... Leah (singer in band)
Shirley Deane ... Girl in band
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Additional Details

Runtime:
95 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)
Certification:
Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #2850)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Film debut of Sonja Henie. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults (1997) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf more

FAQ

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4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful:-
Interesting as Henie's debut, nothing else, 13 January 2006
Author: vandino1 from United States

This first Sonja Henie film was a surprise hit in 1936 and launched her onto a successful film career. Not bad considering how rare it was for those coming from successful sports careers to sustain such a thing (Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe possibly the only others---Esther Williams' sports background was negligible). This film's release coincided with her third straight gold medal performance at the Winter Olympics (she was champ in 1928 and 1932). (As a side note, it should be remembered that not only were the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Nazi Germany, so were that year's Winter Olympics. Granted this has nothing to do with Ms. Henie, but reviewers are bringing up the subject, so this note may quell any potential confusion over the Olympics issue.) As for "One in a Million" it is a light concoction that features Don Ameche in only his third film role and the Ritz Brothers in only their second feature film. So, lots of early work here. The results: miserable to okay. Ameche already shows his easy charm, here playing a reporter tracking an anarchist bomber story to Switzerland where he meets up with hotel proprietor Hersholt and his "gifted amateur" ice skating daughter Henie. The anarchist story fizzles but Ameche moves on to romance with Henie and her shot at the Olympics. Menjou is the brassy (maybe too much so) wheeler-dealer showman who gets Henie to perform in his show and nearly costs her the amateur standing that she needs in order to qualify for the Olympics. Along for the knockabout ride is the inimitable Ned Sparks, as Ameche's photographer partner, doing what he does best: providing that Buster Keaton-lookalike face and steely foghorn monotone delivery. Also, as part of Menjou's show, we get the Ritz Brothers who provide some strenuously awful comedy (Harry Ritz mugging so ferociously he looks as if he's herniating himself). Henie acquits herself adequately. Strangely enough, she was Norway's golden girl athlete, yet the film makes her Swiss for no apparent reason. Couldn't she be a Norwegian hotel proprietor's daughter? The other interesting aspect is her skating. We see the Olympic caliber work of a 1930's era skater, which is far simpler and less dazzling than what we've grown accustom to. Her "show-stopping" number at the end would be a warm-up for today's super-skaters. So, as a time capsule involving Henie this film is worth watching, but otherwise it's mostly light-headed knockabout nonsense not worth your time.

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