Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949)

A bookie uses a phony real estate business as a front for his betting parlor. To further keep up the sham, he hires dim-witted Ellen Grant as his secretary figuring she won't suspect any ... See full summary »

Director:

Lloyd Bacon

Writers:

Nat Perrin (screenplay), Devery Freeman (screenplay),

Stars:

Lucille Ball, William Holden, Janis Carter

Cast

Cast overview:
Lucille Ball	...	Ellen Grant
William Holden	...	Dick Richmond
Janis Carter	...	Peggy Donato
James Gleason	...	Timothy P. Gleason
Gloria Henry	...	Helen White
Frank McHugh	...	Mr. Kilcoyne
George Cleveland	...	Judge Ben Grant
Stephen Dunne	...	Ralph Winton

Storyline

A bookie uses a phony real estate business as a front for his betting parlor. To further keep up the sham, he hires dim-witted Ellen Grant as his secretary figuring she won't suspect any criminal goings-on. When Ellen learns of some friends who are about to lose their homes, she unwittingly drafts her boss into developing a new low-cost housing development.

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Plot Keywords:

character name in title

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Taglines:

She was never so insulted in all her life...and it was wonderful!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

El empleo de la Srta. Grant

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rita Hayworth was going to star in this movie, but Hayworth requested script revisions, and went on suspension to avoid making it.

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Quotes

Hood: [answering the phone] It's Dick. Are you in?
Peggy Donato: I'm always in for Dick.

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Connections

Featured in The Lady with the Torch (1999)

User Reviews

A comedy disappointment for Ball and Holden fans...

Unemployed Lucille Ball, the worst student at secretarial school, is hired by a phony reality company precisely due to her innocent ignorance--and her nice legs! William Holden is her boss who doesn't mind if she can't type, as long as she provides a good cover for his private bookie joint in the back room. It took four writers to concoct this slapstick un-merriment, which has very few jokes (never mind good ones). It's a treat to see Ball and Holden together in a film, but the movie has been conceived on the most basic comedic level (and even there it fails, what with Lucy suddenly becoming an office firebrand and whipping Holden's non-business into shape). It gives several fine character actors (like Gloria Henry and Charles Lane) fairly decent supporting roles, but nobody gave much thought to the heroine, and Ball can't carry the movie on charm and legs alone. ** from ****