Invitation to Happiness (1939)

An egotistical boxer romances a rich backer's daughter.

Director:

Wesley Ruggles

Writers:

Claude Binyon (screenplay), Mark Jerome (story)

Stars:

Irene Dunne, Fred MacMurray, Charles Ruggles

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Irene Dunne	...	Eleanor Wayne
Fred MacMurray	...	Albert 'King' Cole
Charles Ruggles	...	Henry 'Pop' Hardy
Billy Cook	...	Albert Cole Jr.
William Collier Sr.	...	Mr. Wayne
Marion Martin	...	Lola Snow
Oscar O'Shea	...	Divorce Judge
Burr Caruth	...	Butler
Eddie Hogan	...	The Champ

Storyline

Trainer Pop Hardy thinks his heavyweight boxer 'King' Cole could be champ...some day; he wants to sell a half interest in Cole to his rich friend Wayne. Wayne's daughter Eleanor is disdainful, but brash Cole manages to get under her skin. Can a society dame and a mug find happiness together? And can she wait for his slow rise to fame?

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Plot Keywords:

boxer | daughter | boxing | 1930s

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 1939 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Convite à Felicidade

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of over 700 Paramount productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

User Reviews

A screenwriter's review

Invitation to Happiness, my first evening flick. I was eight and already a sports fan and, during an earlier matinée preview, Invitation to Happiness flashed on - a prizefight movie.

Fifteen or twenty seconds of solid slam-bang action were shown. I had to see it. It was only playing for two nights in the middle of the week and I understood the importance of school the next day. But I knew I had to go. Problem: I couldn't go alone. I launched a campaign of such ferocity that my parents gave in. Grudgingly, we trooped off to Invitation to Happiness- -and it wasn't a prizefight movie, it was a kissing movie. All they did was kiss, the hero and the lady. Those precious fifteen seconds of slam-bang action were there, all right, but that was the sum total of prizefighting. I never dreamed a preview would snooker you that way.

The kisses went on and on. I began to groan. Then I started counting. Eleven kisses. Now a quick buss on the nose, but that counted. Twelve. On and on they went, and by now I was counting out loud.

There were twenty-three kisses in Invitation to Happiness and I hated every one.

-- from William Goldman's Adventures in Screen Trade