Those radio programs of yesterday had call in features about guessing on the air a question of different topics. If the person called answered it correctly, he, or she, would stand to win fabulous prizes which were always quoted in dollars. Most of the unsuspecting participants had no clue of what really was in store for them if they won.
That is exactly what happens to Bill Lawrence. He is happily married to Amy, a wonderful woman. They have two children and they are the picture of happiness American style. It was the boom years after WWII, so Bill had a nice job in his town's biggest department store. When he receives a call during the day to stay tuned to a radio station, he thought it was a big joke. After he realizes it is not, he frets when he has no clue as to what the right answer identifying a celebrity. With a little help of his friend, Harry Summers, he gets it right. The mystery man is none other than Harry James.
Little did Bill know what his life would turn out to be. The next day all his gifts start arriving. They go from the sublime to the ridiculous. The problem is the Lawrences do not have a house big enough to store all the goodies courtesy of the different sponsors of the radio program. Not only that, but an internal revenue agent appears to explain to them they owe seven thousand dollars because of all the gifts they received, money they do not have. The Lawrences are the victims of their own fortune! Bill must come with a solution to get them out of debt using whatever methods in his power.
This 1950 Twenty Century Fox comedy is hardly seen on television these days. It is a forgotten gem that will delight everyone. It is a story about innocence when a bonanza befalls a person who is not prepared what to do with his good fortune. Directed by Walter Lang, with a screenplay by Henry and Phoebe Ephron, a distinguished comedy writers with a long career in the movies. The idea for the film came out of an article that appeared in The New Yorker by John McNulty.
The film was obviously a vehicle for James Stewart who makes his Bill a delightful character. The film works because Mr. Stewart, a wonderful film actor, was an asset in anything he played. Barbara Hale appears as Amy Lawrence. The veteran James Gleason is on hand to give life to Harry Summers, the newspaper man who realizes what Bill is going through. Natalie Wood, Alan Mowbray, the wonderful Fred Clark, and Patricia Medina are seen in supporting roles.
That is exactly what happens to Bill Lawrence. He is happily married to Amy, a wonderful woman. They have two children and they are the picture of happiness American style. It was the boom years after WWII, so Bill had a nice job in his town's biggest department store. When he receives a call during the day to stay tuned to a radio station, he thought it was a big joke. After he realizes it is not, he frets when he has no clue as to what the right answer identifying a celebrity. With a little help of his friend, Harry Summers, he gets it right. The mystery man is none other than Harry James.
Little did Bill know what his life would turn out to be. The next day all his gifts start arriving. They go from the sublime to the ridiculous. The problem is the Lawrences do not have a house big enough to store all the goodies courtesy of the different sponsors of the radio program. Not only that, but an internal revenue agent appears to explain to them they owe seven thousand dollars because of all the gifts they received, money they do not have. The Lawrences are the victims of their own fortune! Bill must come with a solution to get them out of debt using whatever methods in his power.
This 1950 Twenty Century Fox comedy is hardly seen on television these days. It is a forgotten gem that will delight everyone. It is a story about innocence when a bonanza befalls a person who is not prepared what to do with his good fortune. Directed by Walter Lang, with a screenplay by Henry and Phoebe Ephron, a distinguished comedy writers with a long career in the movies. The idea for the film came out of an article that appeared in The New Yorker by John McNulty.
The film was obviously a vehicle for James Stewart who makes his Bill a delightful character. The film works because Mr. Stewart, a wonderful film actor, was an asset in anything he played. Barbara Hale appears as Amy Lawrence. The veteran James Gleason is on hand to give life to Harry Summers, the newspaper man who realizes what Bill is going through. Natalie Wood, Alan Mowbray, the wonderful Fred Clark, and Patricia Medina are seen in supporting roles.