The Fortune Cookie (1966)

A crooked lawyer persuades his brother-in-law to feign a serious injury.

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond

Stars:

Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ron Rich

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Lemmon	...	Harry Hinkle
Walter Matthau	...	Willie Gingrich
Ron Rich	...	Luther 'Boom Boom' Jackson
Judi West	...	Sandy Hinkle
Cliff Osmond	...	Purkey
Lurene Tuttle	...	Mother Hinkle
Harry Holcombe	...	O'Brien
Les Tremayne	...	Thompson
Lauren Gilbert	...	Kincaid
Marge Redmond	...	Charlotte Gingrich
Noam Pitlik	...	Max
Harry Davis	...	Dr. Krugman
Ann Shoemaker	...	Sister Veronica
Maryesther Denver	...	Nurse
Ned Glass	...	Doc Schindler

Storyline

A CBS cameraman is accidentally knocked out during a football game in Cleveland. His brother-in-law, William "Whiplash Willie" Gingrich, is the king of the ambulance chasing lawyers and starts a suit while he's still unconscious. The cameraman is against it until he hears that his ex-wife will be coming to see him. He pretends to be injured to get her back, but also sees what the strain is doing to the Cleveland Browns player who injured him.

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Plot Keywords:

crooked lawyer | lawyer | cameraman | injury | brother in law brother in law relationship | 

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Taglines:

Why was she planted in Harry Hinkle's bedroom?

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

For later shots of the game, the Browns were playing elsewhere, so Billy Wilder substituted the Kent State football team. Spectators were lured to the stadium to serve as unpaid extras with the promise of free prizes, ranging from transistor radios to a new car. The latter was awarded to Wilder's wife, Audrey.

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Goofs

Keith Jackson never called NFL games for CBS. However in the credits he is listed as "Football Announcer", not as himself, so this is not necessarily a mistake.

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Quotes

Sister Veronica: Doesn't it do your heart good? I have a hunch he'll be up and around in no time.
Willie Gingrich: Huh, huh, huh. Now look, sister, I asked you to pray for him, but we don't want any miracles.

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Connections

Featured in Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough (1997)

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Soundtracks

You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Sung by Judi West
Also strains played throughout the movie

User Reviews

Mix a shyster with a nitwit...

Little-known, but has fine performances by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Lemmon is a not-too-bright sports cameraman who gets knocked over by a football player (Ron Rich) and is persuaded by his crooked, ambulance-chasing brother-in-law lawyer (Matthau) to fake an injury for the insurance money. Lemmon tries to go along with the scam, but is consumed by guilt because the guilt Rich feels for the "injury" is quickly wrecking his life. Added to this is the return of Lemmon's ex-wife (Judi West), with whom he is still obviously in love. He is completely oblivious to the fact she is a gold-digger--in his case, love truly is blind. Everything resolves itself as it should, but not as you might think. It's a funny, dramatic, and touching film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 October 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Fortune Cookie

Filming Locations:

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,705,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Phalanx-Jalem, The Mirisch Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1