They Knew What They Wanted (film)
| They Knew What They Wanted | |
|---|---|
 Original lobby card | |
| Directed by | Garson Kanin |
| Screenplay by | Robert Ardrey |
| Based on | They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard |
| Produced by | Harry E. Edington Erich Pommer |
| Starring | Carole Lombard Charles Laughton William Gargan |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling |
| Edited by | John Sturges |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $781,000[2] |
| Box office | $932,000[2] |
They Knew What They Wanted is a 1940 film directed by Garson Kanin, written by Robert Ardrey, and starring Carole Lombard, Charles Laughton and William Gargan. It is based on the 1924 Pulitzer Prize winning play They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard. For his performance Gargan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Plot
[edit]When visiting San Francisco, Tony Patucci, an aging illiterate winegrower from the Napa Valley, sees waitress Amy Peters and falls in love. Returning home, he persuades his foreman Joe, an incorrigible womanizer, to write her a letter in Tony's name. Tony's courtship by mail culminates with a proposal, and when she requests a picture of him, he sends one of Joe. Amy accepts and goes to Napa to be married. Although horrified to discover that her prospective husband is the portly Tony, she decides to go through with the marriage. However, while Tony is in bed after an accident, Amy and Joe have an affair. Two months later, as Tony plans the wedding, she discovers that she is pregnant. Upon learning this, Tony pummels Joe, who leaves the vineyards. but forgives Amy, and insists that they still be married. But she is unable to forgive herself, so she leaves with the priest who has come to marry them, while Tony looks on, hoping that she will return one day.
Cast
[edit]- Carole Lombard as Amy Peters
- Charles Laughton as Tony Patucci
- William Gargan as Joe
- Harry Carey as the Doctor
- Frank Fay as Father McKee
- Joe Bernard as the R.F.D.
- Janet Fox as Mildred
- Lee Tung Foo as Ah Gee
- Karl Malden as Red (his debut role)
- Victor Kilian as the Photographer
Reception
[edit]The film recorded a loss of $291,000.[2] William Gargan was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Other versions of the play
[edit]This marked the only time the play was filmed under its original title. Two previous film versions had been made: a silent film called The Secret Hour (1928), with Jean Hersholt in the Laughton role, and an early talkie entitled A Lady to Love (1930), with Edward G. Robinson in the role.
Years later, in 1956, Frank Loesser turned the play into the semi-operatic musical The Most Happy Fella. This was not filmed, but was videotaped in 1980 and shown on PBS.
References
[edit]- ^ "They Knew What They Wanted: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
- ^ a b c Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931–1951', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1994 p. 57
External links
[edit]
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- 1940 films
- 1940 romantic drama films
- American black-and-white films
- Remakes of American films
- American films based on plays
- American romantic drama films
- 1940s English-language films
- Films about infidelity
- Films directed by Garson Kanin
- Films produced by Erich Pommer
- Films scored by Alfred Newman
- Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Films with screenplays by Robert Ardrey
- RKO Pictures films
- 1940s American films
- English-language romantic drama films
- Romantic drama film stubs