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If I Had a Million

  • 19321932
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
If I Had a Million (1932)
  • Comedy
  • Drama
A dying tycoon gives million-dollar windfalls to eight people picked from the city directory.A dying tycoon gives million-dollar windfalls to eight people picked from the city directory.A dying tycoon gives million-dollar windfalls to eight people picked from the city directory.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • James Cruze(segment Death Cell)
    • H. Bruce Humberstone(segment The Forger)
    • Ernst Lubitsch(segment The Clerk)
  • Writers
    • Robert Hardy Andrews(based on a story by)
    • Claude Binyon
    • Whitney Bolton
  • Stars
    • Gary Cooper
    • Charles Laughton
    • W.C. Fields
Top credits
  • Directors
    • James Cruze(segment Death Cell)
    • H. Bruce Humberstone(segment The Forger)
    • Ernst Lubitsch(segment The Clerk)
  • Writers
    • Robert Hardy Andrews(based on a story by)
    • Claude Binyon
    • Whitney Bolton
  • Stars
    • Gary Cooper
    • Charles Laughton
    • W.C. Fields
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 41User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos74

    Gary Cooper, Joyce Compton, Roscoe Karns, and Jack Oakie in If I Had a Million (1932)
    Grant Mitchell and Gene Raymond in If I Had a Million (1932)
    Richard Bennett, Fred Santley, and John St. Polis in If I Had a Million (1932)
    Blanche Friderici, Richard Bennett, Lillian Harmer, and May Robson in If I Had a Million (1932)
    Blanche Friderici and May Robson in If I Had a Million (1932)
    Effie Ellsler in If I Had a Million (1932)
    Edith Yorke in If I Had a Million (1932)
    Effie Ellsler and May Robson in If I Had a Million (1932)
    May Robson in If I Had a Million (1932)
    Blanche Friderici in If I Had a Million (1932)
    Blanche Friderici, Dewey Robinson, and May Robson in If I Had a Million (1932)
    If I Had a Million (1932)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gary Cooper
    Gary Cooper
    • Steve Gallagheras Steve Gallagher
    Charles Laughton
    Charles Laughton
    • Phineas V. Lambertas Phineas V. Lambert
    W.C. Fields
    W.C. Fields
    • Rollo La Rueas Rollo La Rue
    George Raft
    George Raft
    • Eddie Jacksonas Eddie Jackson
    Jack Oakie
    Jack Oakie
    • Private Mulliganas Private Mulligan
    Richard Bennett
    Richard Bennett
    • John Gliddenas John Glidden
    Charles Ruggles
    Charles Ruggles
    • Henry Peabodyas Henry Peabody
    • (as Charlie Ruggles)
    Alison Skipworth
    Alison Skipworth
    • Emily La Rueas Emily La Rue
    Mary Boland
    Mary Boland
    • Mrs. Peabodyas Mrs. Peabody
    Roscoe Karns
    Roscoe Karns
    • Private O'Brienas Private O'Brien
    May Robson
    May Robson
    • Mrs. Mary Walkeras Mrs. Mary Walker
    Hooper Atchley
    Hooper Atchley
    • Hotel Desk Clerkas Hotel Desk Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    Irving Bacon
    Irving Bacon
    • China Shop Salesmanas China Shop Salesman
    • (uncredited)
    Eddie Baker
    Eddie Baker
    • Second Desk Clerkas Second Desk Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    Reginald Barlow
    Reginald Barlow
    • Otto K. Bullwinkleas Otto K. Bullwinkle
    • (uncredited)
    Ada Beecher
    • Idylwood Residentas Idylwood Resident
    • (uncredited)
    Vangie Beilby
    • Idylwood Residentas Idylwood Resident
    • (uncredited)
    Clara T. Bracy
    Clara T. Bracy
    • Idylwood Residentas Idylwood Resident
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • James Cruze(segment Death Cell) (uncredited)
      • H. Bruce Humberstone(segment The Forger) (uncredited)
      • Ernst Lubitsch(segment The Clerk) (uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Robert Hardy Andrews(based on a story by)
      • Claude Binyon
      • Whitney Bolton
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Tycoon John Glidden, dying though still vigorous, is so dissatisfied with his relatives and associates that, rather than will his money to any of them, he decides to give it away in million-dollar amounts to strangers picked from the city directory. He picks a meek china salesman; a prostitute; a forger; two ex-vaudevilleans who hate road hogs; a condemned man; a mild-mannered clerk; a boisterous marine; and an oppressed inmate of an old ladies' home. —Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
    • screwball comedy
    • guardhouse
    • anthology film
    • omnibus film
    • portmanteau film
    • 194 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • YOU'VE OFTEN SAID IT! NOW SEE WHAT HAPPENS! (Print Ad-Daily Star, ((Long Island City, NY)) 23 January 1933)
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • Passed
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Three sequences intended for the movie were not in the final print: "The Pheeneys" with Cary Grant, Richard Arlen and Miriam Hopkins, "The Man Who Drops Dead" by Oliver H.P. Garrett, directed by Thornton Freeland with Tallulah Bankhead, and Clive Brook, and "The Randall Marshalls" with Sylvia Sidney, Carole Lombard, Randolph Scott and Fredric March, and directed by Lothar Mendes. It is not known if the first two segments were filmed and dropped or simply not filmed. The last sequence was partially filmed, but dropped because March would not participate in retakes without salary.
    • Goofs
      The La Rues purchase 9 vehicles from the used car lot and drive out in one car followed by 8 other vehicles. At the end of the day when they are down to one car, they only pay off 6 drivers.
    • Quotes

      Mrs. Mary Walker: There ain't any jail of steel or stone that can hold a body prisoner as tight as one built of old age... and lack of money.

    • Alternate versions
      Some local censors deleted objectionable scenes in the "Violet" and "Death Cell" segments. In "Violet," when she throws off the covers and removes her stockings, and in "Death Cell," the preparation for execution and the opening of the door to the execution chamber.
    • Connections
      Featured in Woman of Tokyo (1933)
    • Soundtracks
      (I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You
      (1931) (uncredited)

      Written by Spo-De-Odee

      Sung by an unidentified male voice on a record

    User reviews41

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Something for everyone: comedy, melodrama, a hint of sex and several car crashes
    I love this movie, it's a special favorite of mine, and the memory of my first viewing of it thirty-some years ago is so pleasant that it's hard for me to be objective about its merits. That said, after seeing it again recently I'm more convinced than ever that If I Had a Million is one of the most underrated films of the '30s. As far as I'm concerned this is a movie that has it all: comedy, pathos, irony, melodrama, a hint of sex, several car crashes, and a cast boasting some of the greatest character actors of all time. Maybe it isn't perfect, maybe the tone is erratic and a couple of segments are a bit weak, but taken as a whole it's as entertaining as any film of its era.

    The story concerns millionaire industrialist John Glidden, who is ill and believed to be dying. Sick he may be, but Glidden is nevertheless energized by the contempt he feels for the greedy relatives who have gathered to await his death -- and to collect whatever monies they might inherit, of course. Glidden is so infuriated by this hypocrisy that his anger gives him a new lease on life, and it inspires an idea that fills him with glee: he decides to leave his fortune to total strangers, one million dollars at a time. At first the plan is driven by spite, but as it unfolds Glidden becomes increasingly interested in the people who receive his bequest, in how they react to their unexpected luck and what impact the money has on their lives.

    Made in 1932 in the depths of the Great Depression, If I had a Million surely must have represented a mouth-watering wish-fulfillment fantasy at the time of its release, when even a hundred dollars would have amounted to an amazing windfall for many viewers. The cast of familiar faces in cameo roles was a strong selling point in the wake of Grand Hotel and other star-studded extravaganzas, and naturally it's fun to see Gary Cooper, W.C. Fields, Charles Laughton, etc., among the players, but watching the film again today I am especially struck by the performance of Richard Bennett as millionaire John Glidden. Bennett (father of Joan and Constance) was a veteran stage actor who recognized this role for the plum assignment it was, and threw himself into it with gusto. His exuberant performance really drives the opening scenes and gives the story the strong presence needed to link the segments in a satisfying way. Bennett, wild-eyed and giddy, kicks off the show with all stops out, and this not only grabs our attention immediately but also serves to sharpen the contrast with the more subdued Glidden who returns at intervals throughout.

    Reviewers commenting on this film tend to single out the comedy segments featuring Laughton, Fields, and Charles Ruggles, and they're all terrific -- although Laughton's scene is best recalled for its extreme brevity and resounding punchline -- but some of the dramatic vignettes of If I had a Million are equally notable. Wynne Gibson is poignant as the waterfront prostitute who can't believe Glidden is on the level, while George Raft, never the most nuanced of actors, is surprisingly effective as the small-time crook who comes to realize that his ostensible good fortune is not a blessing but a curse. The maudlin Death Row sequence featuring Gene Raymond has never been anyone's favorite, but at least it's brief. Two older actresses, Alison Skipworth and May Robson, each make a strong impression in separate segments. Skipworth is a joy as an aging vaudevillian settling into retirement, and she more than holds her own alongside W.C. Fields in the crowd-pleasing "road hog" sequence. Robson is gallant and deeply sympathetic in the final vignette, set in a home for old ladies, where she serves as a fierce advocate for the women against the home's repressive, tyrannical director. This last sequence is the longest in the film and teeters on the brink of sentimentality, but ultimately leaves us with the most satisfying denouement of them all.

    As I noted up top my first viewing of this movie was a very pleasant one. In the summer of 1970 I rented a 16mm print of If I had a Million to show at a party, and it scored a big hit. The kids loved the car crashes, Charlie Ruggles' plate-smashing spree, and Laughton's Bronx cheer, while the grown-ups appreciated the clothing, slang, automobiles and general trappings of the early '30s, a period they remembered first-hand. In later years I found that broadcasts of the film on TV usually lacked the sequences featuring Wynne Gibson and Gene Raymond, and still later I found that the movie itself had become scarce, rarely shown anywhere and never officially offered in a home-viewable format. This limbo is apparently due to legal issues involving copyrights, but I do hope the matter will be resolved eventually. If I had a Million is a delightful film that richly deserves rediscovery by a new generation!
    helpful•37
    1
    • wmorrow59
    • Nov 28, 2005

    FAQ1

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 22, 1933 (Sweden)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • China Shop
    • Filming locations
      • Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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