IMDb > You Can't Have Everything (1937)

You Can't Have Everything (1937) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   54 votes
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Director:
Norman Taurog
Writers:
Harry Tugend (screenplay) &
Jack Yellen (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for You Can't Have Everything on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 August 1937 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Musical | Romance more
Plot:
Starving playwright Judith Wells meets playboy writer of musicals, George Macrae, over a plate of stolen spaghetti... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
Classic Fox Musical more (4 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Alice Faye ... Judith Poe Wells
The Ritz Brothers ... Themselves (as Ritz Brothers)

Don Ameche ... George Macrae
Charles Winninger ... Sam Gordon
Gypsy Rose Lee ... Lulu Riley (as Louise Hovick)
David Rubinoff ... Himself (as Rubinoff)
Arthur Treacher ... Bevins
Tony Martin ... Bobby Walker
Phyllis Brooks ... Evelyn Moore
Wally Vernon ... Jerry
Tip Tap & Toe ... Specialty Dancers (as Tip Tap and Toe)

Louis Prima ... Orchestra Leader
George Humbert ... Tony Romano
Jed Prouty ... Mr. Whiteman
Dorothy Christy ... Blonde
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
100 min | USA:95 min (FMC Library Print)
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Italian
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Company:
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film debut of Gypsy Rose Lee. more
Quotes:
Judith Wells: A little exercise won't hurt you.
George Macrae: I get all the exercise I need from going to the funerals of my athletic friends.
more
Soundtrack:
Please Pardon Us, We're in Love more

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User Comments

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful.
Classic Fox Musical, 25 August 2003
Author: Kalaman from Ottawa

"You Can't Have Everything" is a splendidly tuneful, enormously entertaining Fox musical, directed by Norman Taurog, starring Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Charles Winninger, and, of course, the Ritz Brothers. This is one of three splendid & spirited musicals Alice Faye made at Fox in 1937. The other two are "On the Avenue" and "Wake Up and Live".

Faye, sweet and vulnerable, plays an impoverished playwright named Judith Poe Wells, a descendant of Edgar Allan Poe, who writes plays livid with social significance and realism. She is convinced that it is her sacred duty to live up to the talent her family inherits. As the film opens, Judith accidentally meets a handsome Broadway insider named George Macrae (Ameche) in a Romano Italian restaurant when she fails to pay her plate of spaghetti. Macrae falls in love with Judith and persuades her to turn her into a showbiz sensation. But Judith is not interested in musical comedies or what she calls "usual George Macrae tripe". Rather, she wants serious dramas that depict life's struggles and harshness. Much to Judith's dismay, Macrae nevertheless tells his boss Sam Gordon (Winninger) about her play "North Winds" ("a play about the vital problems that confront womanhood in the frozen north") and ways of turning it into a musical comedy. Macrae's former girl Lulu (Gypsy Rose Lee) shows up and spoils the show by revealing something about Macrae's past and one night while he was drunk.

The Ritz Brothers, for once, are immensely enjoyable as their perform their remarkable comic acts and musical numbers. Their acts are perfectly integrated with the story. It was really a hoot to watch them. Also the film features a fantastic dance specialty by Tip, Tap, Toe, which anticipate those by Nicholas Brothers in the later Fox musicals.

Among the musical highlights, my absolute favorites are Faye's poignant rendition of the title tune (which kind of reminded me of her unforgettable "You'll Never Know" number in the classic 1943 musical "Hello, Frisco, Hello"), and the lively "Danger, Love at Work". But that's not all. Also look for "Afraid to Dream" and "Please Pardon Us We are in Love".

Don't miss "You Can't Have Everything" if you love all-time classic musicals.

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