It Happened to Jane (1959)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Norman Katkov (screenplay)
Norman Katkov (story)

Release Date:

14 July 1959 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Jane Osgood is trying to support her two young children by running a lobster business. After one of...

Plot Keywords:

Railway | Beautiful Woman | Train | Character Name In Title

Cast

Doris Day	...	Jane Osgood
Jack Lemmon	...	George Denham
Ernie Kovacs	...	Harry Foster Malone
Steve Forrest	...	Lawrence Clay 'Larry' Hall
Teddy Rooney	...	Billy Osgood
Russ Brown	...	Uncle Otis
Walter Greaza	...	Crawford Sloan
Parker Fennelly	...	Homer Bean
Mary Wickes	...	Matilda Runyon
Philip Coolidge	...	Wilbur Peterson
Max Showalter	...	Selwyn Harris (as Casey Adams)
John Cecil Holm	...	Aaron Caldwell
Gina Gillespie	...	Betty Osgood
Dick Crockett	...	Clarence Runyon
Napoleon Whiting	...	Eugene, the waiter

Also Known As:

Jane from Maine (USA)
Twinkle and Shine (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | West Germany:6 | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Chester, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Arwin Productions

Trivia:

Doris Day wrote that her manager/husband Martin Melcher was terribly concerned over the box-office failure of this film and The Tunnel of Love (1958). Their failures caused Day to drop out of the Top Ten Box Office Stars. Day and Melcher had words about him hustling her into almost any film for the money instead of waiting to find good scripts that would have produced better results.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mr Malone is talking with his colleague about the poster and adding more "broads", he has a piece of lobster in his left hand, when the camera goes back to him, a split second later, the piece of lobster is missing, his hand never left the screen so we would have seen him put it down.

Movie Connections:

References "I've Got a Secret" (1952)

Wonderful Team Effort By Doris Day and Jack Lemmon

After watching this film several times -- one wonders why the natural talents of Doris Day and Jack Lemmon weren't paired more often. Their totally believable portrayals really hold the viewer -- one can't overlook the fact that these two were at the top when it came to natural talent on the screen. Day's fight with railroad magnate (Ernie Kovaks fits his role like an old shoe) brings to the fore "corporate/community greed" vs. "human rights" as the townfolk and eventually the "nation" get behind Doris' quest to save her lobster business in Maine. The humor is mixed with some thought-provoking questions. In 2001, the film is almost a glimpse at the last vestage of the "town hall meeting" government. The supporting cast is fine (Mary Wickes, in particular adds great comic touch) -- but it's Day and Lemmon together that make this film a must see.