Any thoughts on "If I Had A Million"?

[VP19]

Intriguing film, with a fascinating blend of directors ad stars.

 

For more on the film, including info on a segment that was often (but not always) cut for TV for many years because it was deemed too racy, go to http://community.livejournal.com/carole_and_co/26161.html.

[FredCDobbs]

I think it?s a great film with a good variety of interesting segments.

 

I think I like the May Robson segment the best. The one in the old-ladies home.

 

I first saw this film at a W.C. Fields film festival at a theater in Berkeley around 1969.

[precoder]

I watched this film with my Dad recently ... well, a month ago right after watching "The Bank Dick". He likes WC Fields but never saw that one. After the film, he asked me "Is that considered his best?" I said some think so. He said he didn't like it much ...

 

Then we watched "If I Had A Million" ... I was telling him about the career of Richard Bennett ...

 

Anyway, he laughed like crazy at the WC Fields / Alison Skipworth segment ... almost chocked on his popcorn. I thought the Gene Raymond and George Raft portions were well written but the acting a bit overdone ...

 

Funny, I just mentioned what I thought was the raciest segment of the movie in the thread just below this last night ...

 

Edited by: precoder on Jan 4, 2010 7:33 PM

[PrinceSaliano]

I was surprised that Gene Raymond, Wynne Gibson and Frances Dee did not receive screen credit.

[scottman1932]

> {quote:title=PrinceSaliano wrote:}{quote}

> I was surprised that Gene Raymond, Wynne Gibson and Frances Dee did not receive screen credit.

I believe this is because the print that was used was from a re-issue (from the 1940s) and those scences were cut out. They have since been put back in, but the 1933 titles nologer exist and no one wanted to make new ones for it.

[musicalnovelty]

> {quote:title=Scottman wrote:}{quote}

> > {quote:title=PrinceSaliano wrote:}{quote}

> > I was surprised that Gene Raymond, Wynne Gibson and Frances Dee did not receive screen credit.

> I believe this is because the print that was used was from a re-issue (from the 1940s) and those scences were cut out. They have since been put back in, but the 1933 titles nologer exist and no one wanted to make new ones for it.

>

Yes, Scottman, I agree that's probably the reason.

I posted this response to this same question back on Jan. 4 in another thread:

 

filmloop wrote:

What I found puzzling about If I had a Million is that although Gene Raymond is prominently featured in one of the episodes, his name is nowhere to be found in the credits.

 

(My response):

That's because what we saw on TCM (and seemingly on all existing prints of this 1932 movie) is the 1949 reissue titles. And in addition to that this was the 1949 reissue of the August 1935 reissue in which Gene Raymond and Wynne Gibson's names were dropped from the 1935 cast list, as their scenes were usually cut from the reissue prints.

So we can be grateful that the film survives today with the Raymond and Gibson segments intact.

 

This is the original thread:

 

http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?threadID=150306&start=0&tstart=0

 

If we had a million we could start a world-wide search for the original 1932 titles footage!

[Guest]

A poster for the film I saw had Wynne Gibson listed but not Gene Raymond.. and it listed ALISON KIPWORTH.. not SKIPWORTH....

 

Richard Bennett was a hoot but I liked the May Robson segment best... Too bad we don't (hardly) have spunky old ladies in movies any more....