It Should Happen to You
Directed by George Cukor
Written by Garson Kanin
1954/USA
Columbia Pictures Corportation
First viewing/Amazon Instant

Gladys Glover: The way it looks to me, Mr. Adams… there are two kinds of people. The ones who would do anything to make a name for themselves and the ones who would do almost anything.

This OK comedy gave us our first look at Jack Lemmon.  Judy Holliday isn’t bad either.

Gladys Glover (Holliday) has just lost her modeling job and is feeding the pigeons in Central Park and contemplating her future.  Documentary film maker Pete Sheppard finds her there and is quickly charmed.  She tells him she came to New York because she wanted to make a name for herself.  After he leaves, she spots an empty billboard and gets a brainstorm.  Gladys proceeds to use most of her savings to have her name advertised in giant letters on Columbus Circle for a month.

It turns out that the space had been traditionally been used by a big soap company that accidentally failed to renew its contract.  Playboy Evan Adams III (Peter Lawford) tries to pay Gladys to give up the space but no dice.  In the meantime, Pete has moved into Gladys’s apartment building and is trying to woo her.  He is dismayed by her lust for fame however.  Then Evan trades Gladys six other spaces for the one she has.  Gladys has finally made a name for herself.  Will she live to regret it?

I would have liked this better if the dialogue had been more realistic.  It feels very over-written.  Holliday is always charming though and Lemmon is appealing as a romantic lead and shows a budding talent for comedy.

It Should Happen to You was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White.

Trailer