They Knew What They Wanted

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Movie
Original title They Knew What They Wanted
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1940
length 96 minutes
Age rating FSK k. A.
Rod
Director Garson Kanin
script Robert Ardrey ,
Sidney Howard (original artwork)
production Harry E. Edington ,
Erich Pommer ( RKO Pictures )
music Alfred Newman
camera Harry Stradling Sr.
cut John Sturges
occupation

They Knew What They Want is a 1940 American film directed by Garson Kanin based on Sidney Howard's 1925 Pulitzer Prize- winning play in which Carole Lombard and Charles Laughton play the leading roles.

action

Tony is a successful, albeit uneducated, middle-aged winemaker. He sends the photograph of his handsome young foreman, Joe, to Amy, a waitress in a San Francisco restaurant, instead of his own. He hopes to win Amy over. The two of them get closer by correspondence and Tony invites his “future wife” to visit him.

When she arrives in Napa on his Far , she thinks Joe is the wealthy Tony. When Tony, who only speaks broken English, tries to explain things and win her affection, she is initially furious. In the end, Amy agrees to marry Tony. Things get complicated when Amy discovers her feelings for Joe and Tony, now crippled, needs her help. Amy becomes pregnant by Joe. Although Tony discovers the fraud, he offers Amy to stay with him for the good of the child.

background

They Knew What They Wanted was the third film adaptation of the play of the same name. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for best stage work in 1925 . As early as 1928, the material was brought to the screen as a silent film under the title The Secret Hour with Pola Negri and Jean Hersholt . A year later, a remake was made under the title A Lady To Love with Vilma Bánky and Edward G. Robinson in the leading roles. The piece also provided the basis for that of Frank Loesser composed Broadway - Musical The Most Happy Fella from the year 1956th

Tom Ewell made his film debut in an uncredited minor supporting role.

Awards

For his role as Joe, William Gargan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 1941 Academy Awards, but lost to Walter Brennan in The Westerner .

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