Bill Lawrence wins a slew of prizes on a radio quiz program. His happiness is short-lived when he discovers he'll have to sell the prizes in order to pay the taxes on them.
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Title: The Jackpot (1950)
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1 nomination.
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| James Stewart | ... | William J. 'Bill' Lawrence | |
| Barbara Hale | ... | Amy Lawrence | |
| James Gleason | ... | Harry Summers | |
| Fred Clark | ... | Mr. Andrew J. Woodruff | |
| Alan Mowbray | ... | Leslie | |
| Patricia Medina | ... | Hildegarde Jonet / Hilda Jones | |
| Natalie Wood | ... | Phyllis Lawrence | |
| Tommy Rettig | ... | Tommy Lawrence | |
| Robert Gist | ... | Pete Spooner | |
| Lyle Talbot | ... | Fred Burns | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Bill Lawrence wins a slew of prizes on a radio quiz program. His happiness is short-lived when he discovers he'll have to sell the prizes in order to pay the taxes on them. Written by Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>
Taglines:
The Prize-Winning Comedy of the Year! See more »Genres:
ComedyParents Guide:
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William: "Then I'll quit my job and live on soup."
Lawyer: "They might detach this house."
William: "Then I'll burn down the house!"
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(uncredited)
Music by James P. Johnson
Hummed and danced by Amy in the parlor
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The house interior used as Jimmy Stewart's character's residence was previously used as the interior of the home of the main characters in the Mr. Belvedere film "Sitting Pretty" (1948). The secretarial desk by the staircase is used by characters in both films. See more »Goofs
The shadows of trees and other objects on the street in front of the Lawrence home face the same direction in both the opening-shot of the movie, which is set in the morning, and in the scene late that afternoon when Bill comes home from work. See more »Quotes
Lawyer: "They might detatch your salary."William: "Then I'll quit my job and live on soup."
Lawyer: "They might detach this house."
William: "Then I'll burn down the house!"
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Connections
Referenced in HBO First Look: The Making of 'You've Got Mail': A Conversation with Nora Ephron (1998) See more »Soundtracks
Charleston(uncredited)
Music by James P. Johnson
Hummed and danced by Amy in the parlor
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
1 November 1950 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Jackpot See more »Filming Locations:
20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USACompany Credits
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"The Jackpot" is a story about Bill Lawrence, an ordinary man with a lovely wife, two growing kids, a regular job and a good group of friends. But this ordinary man thinks his life is too ordinary, too boring. Then one night he has an opportunity to answer a question on a radio quiz show. Once he gives the correct answer and begins to receive the prizes, his life is no longer boring or ordinary. Of course he soon wishes things were back to normal. Jimmy Stewart is such a pleasure to watch as he runs through a whole gamut of emotional upheavals. He goes from his routine life to the stress of trying to win the contest, to the euphoria of winning, to the turmoil when the prizes arrive, and then to the shocking discovery that he'll have to pay taxes on them. Barbara Hale is wonderful as his patient wife, who gets a little fed up with him as he laments his life decisions. James Gleason is also noteworthy as Bill's friend and adviser. While the story in itself isn't top notch, the acting more than makes up for it.