One in a Million

"One in a Million" is a cheery, lighthearted mix of comedy, romance, songs and ice skating dances, directed by Sidney Lanfield ("Sing, Baby, Sing"). It is an admirable vehicle and showcase for the Norwegian Olympic skating champion Sonja Henie in her American debut. The film derives some aspects from Sonja's career. Sonja plays an amateur Swiss skater who is discovered by an American theatrical troupe leader (Adolphe Menjou) and almost spoils her by putting in a professional show until a charismatic reporter (Don Ameche) rescues her and convinces her into making the right decision, leading to her spectacular performance at Madison Square Garden.

"One in a Million" is not one of the better Fox musicals, but there are enjoyably fine moments, including some very funny comic acts by the Ritz Brothers, especially toward the end, and one memorable musical number "Who's Afraid Of Love", sung by Ameche.

Good stuff.

"You don't need a phone!" complains Arline Judge to screen husband Adolphe Menjou, and she's right - he bellows many of his lines in a state of high excitement in the musical comedy that introduced Olympic ice skating champion Sonja Henie to moviegoers. Henie's a little wooden off the ice rink, so 20th Century Fox called in big guns like Menjou and a young Don Ameche, who not only sports a naked philtrum but sings (or possibly mimes) for his Norwegian co-star. Supposedly comical interludes are provided by the woeful Ritz Brothers. It's ok, but completely unmemorable.

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.

ONE IN A MILLION (20th Century-Fox, 1936), directed by Sidney Lanfield, started a new dimension to the movie musical, dancing on ice. It's been said that if Fred Astaire can use dancing shoes, why not one doing the same on ice skates? So marked the motion picture debut of three time Olympic figure skating champion, Sonja Henie (1913-1969) in her adult Shirley Temple, dimple-smiling, curly blonde hair likeness. Though she's the main attraction, acquiring plenty of camera range close-ups, Henie has stiff competition contending with specialty acts incorporated into the plot as the wacky antics of Harry, Jimmy and Al, better known as The Ritz Brothers; Borrah Minevitch ("Javoh") and his harmonica playing rascals; the vocalizing of Leah Ray, and the amiable presence of the up-and-coming Don Ameche, sans mustache, shortly before achieving top leading man status for the studio.

Rather than presenting a biographical story of the Norweigian born Henie playing herself, followed by struggles and accomplishments leading to her Olympic skating success, the Leonare Praskins and Mark Kelly screenplay uses a thin ice story centering upon a struggling all girl orchestra troupe traveling through Europe by train lead by quick thinking Thadius "Tad" Spencer (Adolphe Menjou) and his sassy younger wife, Billie (Arline Judge). Arriving in Switzerland for their upcoming engagement, the troupe encounters some bad luck when the Grand Palace Hotel, where they're supposed to be staying and performing, has burned down. With no upcoming jobs in the horizon, they venture over towards a nearby inn run by Heinrich Muller (Jean Hersholt) and his young attractive daughter, Greta (Sonja Henie). Though initially having only one guest, Ratoffsky (Montagu Love), a mysterious man keeping only to himself, the inn is soon filled with forthcoming guests as Bob Harris (Don Ameche), an American reporter from the Paris Herald, and his ace photographer, Daniel Simpson (Ned Sparks), on an assignment. Learning that Muller, a former ice skating champion in the 1908 Olympics with controversy linked to his name, has been training Greta since childhood for the upcoming 1936 Olympics, Spencer schemes his way for some easy money to help pay the bill by promoting Greta's name while Bob comes upon some disturbing news that might disqualify the young ice skater from fulfilling her father's dream in competing.

Capitalizing on both the Henie name and the 1936 Olympics, the simple story contains a handful of agreeable new tunes that extend a 60 minute screenplay into a 94 minute production. With music and lyrics by Sidney D. Mitchell and Lew Pollack, the musical interludes consist of: "One in a Million" (sung by Leah Ray); Stephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home" (sung by The Ritz Brothers); "The Moonlight Waltz" (instrumental, skated by Sonja Henie and ensemble); "We're Back in Circulation Again" (sung by Dixie Dunbar, Adolphe Menjou, Sonja Henie, cast); "Lovely Lady in White" (instrumental/skating by Henie); "The Horror Boys from Hollywood: Karloff, Laughton and Lorre" (The Ritz Brothers); "Who's Afraid of Love?" (sung by Leah Ray and Don Ameche); "One in a Million" (six minute harmonica specialty by Borrah Minevitch and his Rascals); "Lovely Lady in White" (instrumental number skated by Henie); "The Skating Waltz," and Georges Bizet's "The Toreador Song" (both with the Ritz Brothers); and "One in a Million" (sung by chorus, skated by Henie).

With the title tune getting enough reprises to score a hit, it's interesting to note there was different song titled "One in a Million" by Jack Scholl introduced to the screen by Ross Alexander in a minor Warner Brothers comedy, GOING HIGHBROW (1935). In fact, there was even a very recent programmer titled ONE IN A MILLION (Chesterfield, 1935) starring Dorothy Wilson, but it's this edition of ONE IN A MILLION that became the big event of the season. The ice skating ensembles choreographed by Jack Haskell is quite eye-filling, with the introductory number somewhat influenced by the imaginative Busby Berkeley.

Almost forgotten today as the Sonie Henie name herself, ONE IN A MILLION became a handful of Henie musicals (1936-1943) distributed by 20th Century-Fox Home Video during the 1990s. Cable television presentations to ONE IN A MILLION have consisted of the USA Channel (late 1980s); American Movie Classics (1993-94); and eventually the Fox Movie Channel. For being the first ice skating musical, it still gets by for Henie enthusiasts as one in a million. (***1/2 Olympic trophies)

Sometimes, you look back at something that was popular in Hollywood in the old days and you find it hard to understand it. A great example is the career of Sonja Henie. Henie was an Olympic champion figure skater who was signed to a multi-film contract by Twentieth Century-Fox...and she starred in about a dozen pictures even though she was Norwegian and didn't seem at all the movie star type. Another inexplicable Hollywood decision was to put the Ritz Brothers in films, as they were about as appealing as syphilis.

"One in a Million" is one of Henie's films....and unfortunately she was given the god-awful Ritz Brothers as supporting actors. While this might sound like hyperbole, I consider them the absolute worst comedy team in movie history...and only marginally less annoying than a case of ringworm! Most of their schtick consisted of being annoying, brash and singing humorous (???) ditties. Fortunately, the team never was that popular and they only made a few more movies than Henie.

Tad Spencer (Adolph Menjou) is a theatrical manager traveling through Europe with a bunch of talented folks...as well as the Ritz Brothers. When they stay at a small hotel in Switzerland, Tad discovers a very talented lady practicing for the upcoming Olympics. Soon, a lonely newspaper man (Don Ameche) arrives and discovers her as well...and the two work together to make Greta (Henie) a star.



Today, you wonder how folks could enjoy and even love Henie and her films. It was simply a product of the times...much like the Esther Williams movies of the 1940s and 50s....hard to understand now but which really clicked with audiences. And, while Henie's films were odd, they also were likable...and Henie's non-threatening smile and 'nice girl' looks endeared her to folks. Overall, I found the film a mildly enjoyable films...even with the Ritz Brothers doing their best to make me want to stop watching the picture!