Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

Three American women working in Rome, Italy, share a spacious apartment and the desire to find love and marriage, each experiencing a few bumps in their journeys to romance.

Director:

Jean Negulesco

Writers:

John Patrick (screen play), John H. Secondari (from a novel by)

Stars:

Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Clifton Webb	...	John Frederick Shadwell
Dorothy McGuire	...	Miss Frances
Jean Peters	...	Anita Hutchins
Louis Jourdan	...	Prince Dino di Cessi
Maggie McNamara	...	Maria Williams
Rossano Brazzi	...	Giorgio Bianchi
Howard St. John	...	Mr. Burgoyne
Kathryn Givney	...	Mrs. Burgoyne
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	Principessa

Storyline

Three American women, rooming together while working abroad in Rome, Italy, hope for romance and marriage. Frances, oldest of the three, has been fifteen years a secretary to novelist John Frederick Shadwell, a man whom she loves but whose reclusive nature prompts most people to believe him long since dead. Anita, one week away from returning to America (under the claim of getting married), finally bucks company rules (and gets caught) by finally accepting an invitation from an Italian co-worker to visit his family's farm for his sister's wedding. Newly arrived Maria soon sets her generally innocent eyes on Dino di Cessi, an actual prince with a reputation for womanizing, and makes a play for him by making herself his perfect match.

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Plot Keywords:

fountain | italy | secretary | prince | love | 

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Taglines:

You've Never Lived Until You've Loved in Rome!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

May 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drei Münzen im Brunnen

Filming Locations:

Villa Lante, Passeggiata del Gianicolo, 10, 00165 Roma, Italia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (magnetic prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barbara Stanwyck, Gene Tierney, Vittorio Gassman and Jeanne Crain were originally set to star.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the final scene at the Trevi fountain, the fountain is dry and being cleaned. While the actors are there, the fountain begins flowing again; when the actors leave, the fountain is completely full -- not a possibility given the size of the fountain and the period of time over which the scene occurs.

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Quotes

Maria Williams: He's nice! Oh, I don't believe he's the wolf you say. Why, he looks as innocent as a little boy.
Anita Hutchins: Oh, that he does. But, don't try taking him on your lap and mother him. You'll find yourself suddenly screaming for the police.

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Connections

Referenced in Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

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Soundtracks

Three Coins in the Fountain
(1954)
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Music by Jule Styne
Sung by Frank Sinatra (uncredited) during the opening credits
Sung also by an unseen chorus at the end

User Reviews

Pleasant locales but it's still little more than a travelogue...

Time hasn't been kind to certain films and THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN is one of them. The story at its center is trite and only exists in order to show the splendors of Rome in color and CinemaScope to lure patrons away from their television sets when the film was made, in the mid-'50s.

The only performers emerging from the film unscathed are JEAN PETERS, gorgeous as a secretary looking for romance away from the office, and the two men who are in their physical prime and give the film's most ingratiating performances--ROSSANO BRAZZI and LOUIS JOURDAN, both being the prototypes of the sort of European men American women find so attractive.

DOROTHY McGUIRE is saddled with the role of a spinster (of 38) whose object of affection is CLIFTON WEBB (mid-'60s) who seems an odd choice for any woman and tries hard to be his usual urbane self. Nor is MAGGIE MacNAMARA any help as a conniving American girl who diligently learns the likes and dislikes of the man (Jourdan) she plans to trap into marriage. Miss MacNamara too often seems more annoying than charming.

But it's harmless fluff, nicely staged in real Italian locales so that there's something to look at when things get dull--as they often do. Surprisingly, the film--which gets off to a nice start with a rendition of the title song by Frank Sinatra--was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.

Summing up: No surprises here, just a dull story that gets an occasional lift from the romance between Peters and Brazzi which is the best, but briefest, part of the whole film. As a story, it's all too familiar by now but Jean Negulesco manages to combine story and scenery with a fluid touch, disguising the fact that it's little more than a pleasant travelogue.