It Should Happen to You (1954)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

George Cukor

Writer:

Garson Kanin (writer)

Release Date:

18 January 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

In 'Born Yesterday' I got two mink coats - this time I get everything!

Plot:

Gladys Glover has just lost her modelling job when she meets filmmaker Pete Sheppard shooting a documentary in Central Park...

Plot Keywords:

Billboard | Advertising | Filmmaker | Central Park | Macy's Department Store

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Judy Holliday	...	Gladys Glover
Peter Lawford	...	Evan Adams III
Jack Lemmon	...	Pete Sheppard
Michael O'Shea	...	Brod Clinton
Vaughn Taylor	...	Entrikin
Connie Gilchrist	...	Mrs. Riker
Walter Klavun	...	Bert Piazza
Whit Bissell	...	Robert Grau
Constance Bennett	...	Herself
Ilka Chase	...	Herself
Wendy Barrie	...	Herself
Melville Cooper	...	Dr. Manning, TV panelist

Also Known As:

A Name for Herself (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #16586, Adult Audience) | West Germany:o.Al. | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The site of the "Gladys Glover" billboard in Columbus Circle is now occupied by the new AOL-Time Warner Building.

Quotes:

Gladys Glover: I haven't changed. I'm the same as I was before - only in a different way.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Lady with the Torch (1999)

Soundtrack:

Let's Fall in Love

Carefree in Manhattan

This immensely funny comedy, which we had seen years ago, popped up suddenly on cable. It was just a reminder of those innocent years of New York in the 50s. It shows what a great director, George Cukor, working with a frequent collaborator, Garson Kanin, can do as they bring magic to Manhattan.

New York is a magnet for people with dreams and ambitions that come to the city to make their name known, as is the case of Gladys Glover, a transplant from upstate that hasn't yet made her mark in Gotham. It doesn't take long before Gladys is a minor celebrity because of her name being plastered all over town in billboards that only show her name.

There's a funny scene that takes place in Macy*s where Gladys had gone shopping with Pete Sheppard. She's buying towels that are on sale for 54 cents! Oh, and there are others for 64 cents! When she gives her name to the sales lady, the woman immediately realizes she has a celebrity in her department because she can see Gladys' name through an open window! Talk about logic, Mr. Kanin, or even Mr. Cukor, probably never set foot on the Herald Square store: there are no windows in any of the big Manhattan department stores!

The brilliant Judy Holliday makes this picture her own. She was such an accomplished comedienne that she could do anything and outshine anyone near her. It's a shame this funny lady's life was cut short of an impressive career in the stage and in movies. Ms. Holliday was an actress who brought a lot of joy to any of the roles she undertook, as proved here; we don't doubt for a moment she is Gladys because she acts without any effort.

Jack Lemmon, in his first movie, is also very likable as the documentary photographer, Pete Sheppard, who can't help himself falling in love with Gladys. Mr. Lemmon showed his huge talent from the beginning. Playing opposite Ms. Holliday must have been the answer to any aspiring young actor starting in films. He was also a natural who could do anything at all on the stage and later in his long years in front of the camera.

Watching this film is like taking a nostalgic trip to the New York of that era.