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Invitation to Happiness

  • 19391939
  • K-16K-16
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
160
YOUR RATING
Irene Dunne and Fred MacMurray in Invitation to Happiness (1939)
DramaRomance
An egotistical boxer romances a rich backer's daughter.An egotistical boxer romances a rich backer's daughter.An egotistical boxer romances a rich backer's daughter.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
160
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Wesley Ruggles
  • Writers
    • Claude Binyon(screenplay)
    • Mark Jerome(story)
  • Stars
    • Irene Dunne
    • Fred MacMurray
    • Charles Ruggles
  • Director
    • Wesley Ruggles
  • Writers
    • Claude Binyon(screenplay)
    • Mark Jerome(story)
  • Stars
    • Irene Dunne
    • Fred MacMurray
    • Charles Ruggles
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos11

    "Invitation to Happiness" Irene Dunne 1939 Paramount
    "Invitation to Happiness" Irene Dunne 1939 Paramount
    Irene Dunne, Billy Cook, and Fred MacMurray in Invitation to Happiness (1939)
    Irene Dunne and Fred MacMurray in Invitation to Happiness (1939)
    Irene Dunne and Fred MacMurray in Invitation to Happiness (1939)
    Irene Dunne and Fred MacMurray in Invitation to Happiness (1939)
    Irene Dunne and Fred MacMurray in Invitation to Happiness (1939)
    Irene Dunne and Fred MacMurray in Invitation to Happiness (1939)
    Wesley Ruggles in Invitation to Happiness (1939)
    Invitation to Happiness (1939)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Irene Dunne
    Irene Dunne
    • Eleanor Wayne
    Fred MacMurray
    Fred MacMurray
    • Albert 'King' Cole
    Charles Ruggles
    Charles Ruggles
    • Henry 'Pop' Hardy
    Billy Cook
    Billy Cook
    • Albert Cole Jr.
    William Collier Sr.
    William Collier Sr.
    • Mr. Wayne
    Marion Martin
    Marion Martin
    • Lola Snow
    Oscar O'Shea
    Oscar O'Shea
    • Divorce Judge
    Burr Caruth
    • Butler
    Eddie Hogan
    • The Champ
    Virginia Brissac
    Virginia Brissac
    • Eleanor's Nurse
    • (uncredited)
    Joe Caits
    Joe Caits
    • Man in Office
    • (uncredited)
    Wheaton Chambers
    • Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    Russ Clark
    Russ Clark
    • Referee
    • (uncredited)
    Heinie Conklin
    Heinie Conklin
    • Joe, the Cook
    • (uncredited)
    Joe Cunningham
    • Announcer
    • (uncredited)
    Bob Evans
    • Galliette
    • (uncredited)
    Jerry Fletcher
    • Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    Joseph Franz
    Joseph Franz
    • Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Wesley Ruggles
    • Writers
      • Claude Binyon(screenplay)
      • Mark Jerome(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      There are incorrect accounts that state that Irene Dunne replaced Marlene Dietrich on this picture. Dietrich was assigned to a different film also called "Invitation to Happiness," but it had no connection with the Dunne project. Since the title had been already registered, Paramount recycled it for the Dunne movie although there was no other connection.
    • Connections
      Referenced in The First Days (1939)

    User reviews6

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Lady and The Champ
    This is a tale of opposites attracting and the course of true love flowing like a river of doubt. Irene Dunne plays the lady and Fred MacMurray the boxing champ. Although they come from different worlds, they can't help falling in love--he with her ladylike ways, quiet charm and elegant beauty and she with his sheer manliness and out and out sex appeal. Their wedded/bedded bliss is snatched away all too soon as trainer/manager Charlie Ruggles (best remembered by us baby boomers as Daddy Farquahr on "The Beverly Hillbillies") yanks MacMurray back into his training regimen. Ruggles explains to Dunne why a fighter's wife can't follow him to camp. And although it is unspoken in this 1930s flick, we know that it is because their continued sexual activity would rob him of the strength he needs to vanquish all foes. Ha! Dunne relinquishes MacMurray to Ruggles but only after we learn that she is pregnant. To her this is a greater prize than MacMurray can ever hope to attain in the ring and she hopes that having a child will bond MacMurray even closer to her. Wrong! He doesn't make it to the hospital on time and she is alone, except for her faithful father played here by William Collier. Things only go further south from there. MacMurray spends years chasing the heavyweight championship and misses out on seeing his son grow up, all the while growing more and more estranged from Dunne who is for all practical purposes abandoned. Even when he is home, he seeks out female companionship with the floozy he ran around with before he was married. Dunne rightly divorces him and they share custody of their young son, the only person smart enough to see the wisdom of a reconciliation and their becoming a family once more. This is how the movie ends and just in the nick of time as the closing credits roll as they embrace on the staircase of the family home. This film while well acted feels like a retread, one that Dunne and MacMurray perhaps only fulfilled under contractual terms. Dunne is treated rather like a doormat and her usually strong character is somewhat too submissive to MacMurray's lug nut of a man. Oh well, it is not a total miss. A good enough movie for a way rainy/cold day but that's about it.
    helpful•1
    0
    • lbbrooks
    • Feb 18, 2017

    Details

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    • Release date
      • January 21, 1940 (Finland)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mannen som slog igenom
    • Filming locations
      • Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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