Something Always Happens

1934
TV-G
1 Std. 9 Min.

IMDb-BEWERTUNG

6,4/10

420

IHRE BEWERTUNG

Ian Hunter and John Singer in Something Always Happens (1934)

On this IMDbrief we trace the origin of the B-Movie, how it evolved, and what it takes to earn the B-Movie badge of honor.

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Romantische Komödie Screwball-Komödie Komödie Romanze

Füge eine Handlung in deiner Sprache hinzuWhile trying to impress a woman, a man stumbles upon an idea that would double the profits of gas stations. Being rebuffed by the woman's father, he takes his idea to a rival company, who hi... Alles lesenWhile trying to impress a woman, a man stumbles upon an idea that would double the profits of gas stations. Being rebuffed by the woman's father, he takes his idea to a rival company, who hires him and runs his competition out of business.While trying to impress a woman, a man stumbles upon an idea that would double the profits of gas stations. Being rebuffed by the woman's father, he takes his idea to a rival company, who hires him and runs his competition out of business.

Siehe Produktionsinformationen bei IMDbPro

IMDb-BEWERTUNG

6,4/10

420

IHRE BEWERTUNG

Siehe Produktionsinformationen bei IMDbPro

Videos1

Clip 5:23

Cowboys! Detectives! Giant Bugs! B-Movie History!

Fotos1

Topbesetzung18

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Ian Hunter

Peter Middleton

Nancy O'Neil

Cynthia Hatch

Peter Gawthorne

Mr. Hatch

John Singer

Billy

Muriel George

Mrs. Badger

Barry Livesey

George Hamlin
(as Barrie Livesey)

Louie Emery

Mrs.Tremlett
(Nicht genannt)

Alec Finter

Man Refusing to Employ Peter
(Nicht genannt)

Janet Fitzpatrick

Girl
(Nicht genannt)

Arthur Hambling

First Duped Waiter
(Nicht genannt)

Anthony Holles

Tony
(Nicht genannt)

Jack Lambert

Card Player
(Nicht genannt)

Maire O'Neill

Tenement Mother
(Nicht genannt)

Percy Walsh

Brent - Hatch's Colleague
(Nicht genannt)

Naunton Wayne

Man Refusing to Help Peter
(Nicht genannt)

Townsend Whitling

Blue Point Executive
(Nicht genannt)

Millicent Wolf

Glenda
(Nicht genannt)

George Zucco

Proprietor of the Maison de Paris
(Nicht genannt)

Benutzerrezensionen17

6,4420

Empfohlene Bewertungen

6boblipton

A Pious Hope

Ian Hunter is broke, and that's how he likes it. He befriends young John Singer, they charm landlady Muriel George, and Hunter has a meet cute with Nancy O'Neil. Hunter has a big idea to make petrol stations busier. Miss O'Neil suggests he take it to Peter Gawthorne. Gawthorne throws him out of his office, so Hunter takes it to the failing competition. He also takes Miss Neil into the office as his private secretary. He doesn't know she's Gawthorne's daughter.

Michael Powell's movie for Warner's Teddington branch bumps along at a good pace, with people speaking fast, things happening, and so forth. Yet the art deco look and lack of urgency about the characters' problems makes it feel a lot like the lesser stuff that RKO would be turning out in a year. I am struck by the idea that this is more a burlesque of the urban romcom than an example of the form itself, Matters fall into place far too quickly, then it's on to the next plot point. As facilely and pleasantly as it's directed, it feels insincere, as if everyone said "let's make this movie, and maybe the next one will be more interesting." And then everyone put in a full day's work, and did their best, and then just forgot about it when they came in to work the day after. But I feel that way about a lot of the lesser RKO romcoms too.

6barnesgene

Powell Mastering his Trade

It's always interesting to experience the work of an artist before he really comes into his own, and so this little gem from director Michael Powell is a welcome addition to our knowledge of the man's genius. He has a boldness of vision, a sureness of hand, and an audacity far ahead of its time. Particularly telling are the way he cuts from one thread of the story to another. Not a single scene is one frame too long. Notice how, at the end, the scene of the butler closing the door as he just begins his knowing smile is suddenly interrupted by the final scene of the boy on the phone. A director with less moxie might be inclined to hold that butler scene a little longer so the audience can get all warm and sentimental, but not Powell. He knows he's got us where he wants us, and it's time to move on. A better story (hey, where'd that nice landlady go?) and a bit better acting (by which I mean, less American style acting) could possibly have garnered a few more stars, but it isn't important for a "quota quickie." I enjoyed it simply for what it was -- a lark.

7Handlinghandel

Enormously Appealing Relic

I call this a relic not because it is old. Oh no: Old movies are my thing. Nor because it has been essentially unknown in the United States until now, though that is interesting.

It's because the mores have changed distinctly in 73 years. This relates to the little boy we first see in the film. He is a street orphan and is touchingly written, acted -- and directed, though what else would one expect from the great Michael Powell? Ian Hunter, quite charming as a loafer from a higher class, finds him on the street. He is down on his luck too; so he takes the boy under his wing. The first thing that would not pass muster with censors and/or would upset some viewers today is that he rents a room and has this child share it with him. Oh my! What a scandal that would create! And in addition, he makes pajamas for the child from the softhearted landlady's rug.

Then, when things look up, he seems to have hired the child to work for the car company where he's wangled a job. (The film is primarily about his romance with the daughter of an auto magnate and his change in fortune.) The boy wears a uniform, no less! Child labor laws would make such employment for a little boy unacceptable.

The acting is excellent throughout. The young woman, the boy, the landlady -- all are good. And Hunter shows himself a much more interesting actor than his roles in Kay Francis vehicles a few years hence would have suggested.

10Enrique-Sanchez-56

What A Glorious Discovery!

I was just about floored with this wonderful movie! Utterly charming and engaging cast...starting with that little mudlark that really sparks the entire show, Johnny Singer. He reminds me of a combination of that wonderful English actor in "The Mudlark" and the Italian actor in Katherine Hepburn's "Summertime".

I must say that even though the plot is familiar, something that rings fresh and true really captivated me about this movie. Ian Hunter and Nancy O'Neil were just perfect, in my opinion. And the funny parts were simply delightful.

TCM must simply show more of these wonderful movies! Thank you, Robert Osborne and TCM!

8planktonrules

Very clever and fun.

"Something Always Happens" is a British quota film. Let me explain what this means. The British government adopted a law long ago (1930s if I remember correctly) and it said that a certain percentage of films playing in their cinemas MUST be domestically made. So, to get around this, several big American studios (in this case, Warner Brothers) opened up British studios and made films to meet this quota. And, fortunately, they lined up the great British director Michael Powell to made the film...though at the time he was just a young and struggling guy in the movie industry.

Peter Middleton (Ian Hunter) is broke when the story begins...broke and without a job. Despite this, he soon finds himself with a little boy...a boy who is homeless and hungry. With no funds at all, he manages to find a softhearted landlord who lets the pair stay....but what is he going to do for money and food? Well, he's not that worried, as his life motto is 'Something always happens'...and he assumes with some hard work, they will be just fine. Of course, this IS during the worst period of the Great Depression! Fortunately for him, he finds the right person to help him out of this mess when he meets Cynthia.

This is a cute rags to riches tale and I really have nothing negative to say about it. Clever, fun and a film I highly recommend.

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Wissenswertes
Directed by Michael Powell, Something Always Happens (1934) is one of 23 "quota quickies" he was hired to helm for Teddington Studios, all of which were typically one-hour features needed to satisfy a legal requirement that cinemas in England exhibit a certain quota of British movies.

The film's producer Irving Asher was an American who oversaw film production at Warner Brothers' British Studios. According to Powell in his autobiography, "A Life in Movies," Irving "had to make about 20 films a year to fulfill his British quota ... He went back to California each year with the head of his scenario department, raided the story department at Burbank and came back to Teddington with perhaps 50 scripts that had already been turned into films by those satanic mills and were already playing at Palaces and flea-pits all around the world, many of them with big stars like Bette Davis, Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney. Everything was run like a machine at Burbank and the average length of a script was 80 pages ... All that Irving had to do was hand the script to his story department, who cut it down to 50 pages and handed it over to a director like me. This was how tight little dramas like my Crown v. Stevens (1936), or comedies like "Something Always Happens"... arrived on the British screen. I made six or seven of these for Irving, slotting them in between other assignments. Jerry [Jackson] and he, both young Americans both in the quota-quickie business, were good friends. They carved me up between them, dovetailing their schedules so that I could work for both of them."

Patzer
When Peter pushes over the fruit cart vendor and goes to duck through a doorway, a clear moving shadow of the boom microphone is visible to the left of the doorway.