If I Had a Million
Directed by James Cruze, H. Bruce Humberstone, Ernst Lubitsch, Norman Z. McLeod, Stephen Roberts, William A. Seiter, and Norman Taurog
Written by a host of different writers including Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1932/US
Paramount Pictures
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel
Mrs. Mary Walker: You wouldn’t fool an old lady, would you?
John Glidden: Not for a million dollars.
This is an anthology film meant to showcase the creative talent at Paramount Pictures.
The gimmick is that an ailing old multimillionaire (Richard Bennett) is on his last legs. He cannot find anybody worthy to take over his business. So he decides to start handing out million dollar checks to random strangers. It’s not so easy cashing a million dollar check. The effect of the gift varies in each story.
The cast includes: Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton, George Raft, Jack Oakie, Charles Ruggles, Alison Skipworth, W. C. Fields, Mary Boland, Roscoe Karns and May Robson.
The stars are appealing and you get to see a lot of them even if it’s only in bits and pieces.
Tribute to Wynne Gibson with very good big band music from Artie Shaw
