It's a Pleasure (1945)

Don Martin is a star hockey player with the Wildcats until he is barred from Hockey for hitting a referee. Through the actions of Chris, Don is able to get a job with Buzz Fletcher's ... See full summary »

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writers:

Lynn Starling (screenplay), Elliot Paul (screenplay)

Stars:

Sonja Henie, Michael O'Shea, Marie McDonald

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sonja Henie	...	Chris Linden
Michael O'Shea	...	Don Martin
Marie McDonald	...	Gale Fletcher
Bill Johnson	...	Buzz 'Buzzard' Fletcher
Gus Schilling	...	Bill Evans
Iris Adrian	...	Wilma
Cheryl Walker	...	Loni
Peggy O'Neill	...	Cricket
Arthur Loft	...	Jack Weimar
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Donald Kerr	...	Hoofer (scenes deleted)
Nelson Leigh	...	Waiter (scenes deleted)
Alphonse Martell	...	Maitre d' (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Don Martin is a star hockey player with the Wildcats until he is barred from Hockey for hitting a referee. Through the actions of Chris, Don is able to get a job with Buzz Fletcher's ice-show as the novelty act. Chris trains with Don and he is a success, and they marry. But Gale is also interested in Don and when Don has a chance to leave and join Jack's premiere show, Gale takes him drinking. As an alcoholic, he is in no shape to skate for Jack; so Buzz has Chris do a routine. Her act is great and Jack wants her, without Don, for his ice skating show. Don leaves her to allow her to go on to stardom.

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Plot Keywords:

train | stardom | ice skating | ice show | skating | 

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Taglines:

STAR OF THE ICE...STAR OF THE DANCE...AND A WOMAN AGLOW WITH ROMANCE! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rausch der Farben

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Sonja's only Hollywood movie to be filmed in Technicolor. The rest were black and white.

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Connections

Featured in Tank Girl (1995)

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Soundtracks

Rosen aus dem Süden, Op. 388 (Roses from the South)
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauss
Played when the skaters take to the ice and Don and Chris begin to roast weenies

User Reviews

pleasant and maybe a tad miscast

Sonja Henie stars with Michael O'Shea and Marie McDonald in "It's a Pleasure," a 1945 film done for RKO.

Naturally the focus is on skating, and lots of it, as Sonja, playing Chris Linden, falls in love and marries a down and out hockey player named Don Martin (O'Shea). The two work for an ice show, run by Buzz (William Johnson). His wife Gale (McDonald) is madly in love with Don, and when he gets a chance to skate for an impresario and possibly leave the country, she sabotages him. The result brings problems for Don and Chris -- as well as Buzz and Gale.

Nothing much here on plot, but the film is in color and the skating shows are dazzling. Henie's skating seems old-fashioned now because she didn't have the double axels and salchows they have now. However, she was one heck of a spinner, a fast skater, a graceful dancer, and a sparkling presence on ice.

Marie McDonald is absolutely stunning and just made for the vivid color. My one quibble is the casting of the likable Michael O'Shea. He was cute, good at comedy, and must have had something - after all, he was married to Virginia Mayo -- but it was hard to see why both Henie and McDonald were drooling after him. The character had been banned from hockey after getting into a fight, plus he had a drinking problem. It would have been more believable if he'd been a more typical leading man, but a bad boy. Glenn Ford and William Holden come to mind.

Fun watching.