One in a Million (1936)

Director:

Sidney Lanfield

Writers:

Leonard Praskins (story) and
Mark Kelly (story) ...

Release Date:

1 January 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Plot:

American theatrical manager (Menjou) discovers Henie preparing for the Olympics in Switzerland and brings her to Madison Square Garden. |

Plot Keywords:

St. Moritz Switzerland | Photographer | Alps | Fire | Olympic Games

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Sonja Henie	...	Greta 'Gretchen' Muller
Adolphe Menjou	...	Thaddeus 'Tad' Spencer
Don Ameche	...	Robert 'Bob' Harris (reporter for 'Paris Herald')
Ned Sparks	...	Daniel 'Danny' Simpson (photographer)
Jean Hersholt	...	Herr Heirich Muller (hotel proprietor and Greta's father)
The Ritz Brothers	...	The Ritz Brothers
Al Ritz	...	Al, one of the Ritz Brothers (as The Ritz Brothers)
Harry Ritz	...	Harry, one of the Ritz Brothers (as The Ritz Brothers)
Jimmy Ritz	...	Jimmy, one of the Ritz Brothers (as The Ritz Brothers)
Arline Judge	...	Billie Spencer
Borrah Minevitch	...	Adolphe (as Borrah Minevitch and His Rascals)
Borrah Minevitch and His Harmonica Rascals	...	Harmonica Ensemble (as Borrah Minevitch and His Rascals)
Dixie Dunbar	...	Goldie (girl in band)
Leah Ray	...	Leah (singer in band)
Shirley Deane	...	Girl in band

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #2850)

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Film debut of Sonja Henie.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Take It or Leave It (1944)

Soundtrack:

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

Don't judge Henie by this debut movie...awfully dull script...

SONJA HENIE made a few very dazzling skating films but this is not one of them. The only saving grace for watching this is to see DON AMECHE as her singing co-star who does nicely with an uninspired song number and gives his usual charming and natural performance.

Unfortunately, surrounding Henie with a talented supporting cast did not work in this case. THE RITZ BROS. routines wear thin pretty fast and carry on for much too lengthy a time. The Harmonica Gang is a clever act but, again, too much footage devoted to their antics which, I believe, were shown to better advantage later on by The Ed Sullivan Show TV appearances.

The thin story is loosely based on Henie's own beginning as an Olympic Champion but is strictly formulaic in the telling. Henie's skating routines are hardly the best she ever offered on film. Indeed, one has to sit through long stretches of film dominated by the supporting actors in order to see even a glimpse of her on ice.

Adolphe Menjou must have thought the microphones weren't carrying his voice properly. He shouts all of his lines in what has to be one of his poorest performances in a comedy role. Arline Judge has some snappy one-liners to throw at him, but most of them are so mild that they fall flat. Fortunately, Jean Hersholt gives a nice, low-key performance as Sonja's caring dad.

Sorry to be so negative, but I did look forward to seeing Sonja in her American debut on film. She was later given much better material in her subsequent films--especially in SUN VALLEY SERENADE and WINTERTIME.

Her camera style had not yet been developed. The make-up artist has given her an unflattering hairdo (the plastered down curls in typical '30s style) and the cameraman did not capture the Henie personality as was done in all of her later films. Zanuck obviously decided to keep her lines to a minimum and throw most of the story and routines to the supporting cast. It doesn't work.

Strictly thumbs down on this one. Thankfully, there were better films in her future.