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.

It would be well to remember Sonia Henie as the prototype ice performer in her day. It would also be well to remember the times this film was made. Certainly it is devoid of all of the special effects and layers of pictorial events contained in todays films (which, by the way, are entirely unrealistic to us who are knowledgeable.)

Of course the script follows mid 1930s writing and I did not find any of the actors giving less than other of their performances of the times. Given that this was Sonia's first film, her acting must be given some forgiveness there, though I did not see what others apparently viewed as less than optimal. As to the "other 1936 Olympics film," it was merely a propaganda documentary and therefore not a comparison by any means.

As to Sonia's universal appeal, she went on to make many such films, and was known as a very smart businesswoman who went on to build great riches from investments and was the benefactor of many philanthropic ventures which was virtually unknown among actors of that era. On the strength of her appeal alone, I would rate her among the great women actresses of the time. I would recommend this film to any families who want wholesome "G" rated entertainment shown to their children.

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)

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.

It's the stuff of Hollywood legend how shrewd a businesswoman Sonia Henie was. She had just won her third gold medal for figure skating in the 1936 Olympics and was an international superstar, not to mention a national heroine in her native Norway. Darryl F. Zanuck beat off competition from the other studios for her and she made him pay dear because she was well aware of her star status. Very much like that other international sensation from Scandinavia, Jenny Lind in the previous century.

Zanuck hedged his bets a bit on her. One In A Million did not quite have the budget that Sonia's succeeding vehicles did. You can tell by looking at it. What he didn't cheapen was her skating routines because that purportedly is what the movie-going public was paying to see. He also gave her good support with a cast that included Don Ameche, Jean Hersholt, Ned Sparks, Arline Judge, the Ritz Brothers, Montagu Love, and Adolphe Menjou.

Sonia's life was destined to change dramatically in One In A Million. Adolphe Menjou, a Barnum style promoter is stranded in a small Swiss town after a mysterious fire burns down the town's leading hotel. That owner's bad luck is good luck for Jean Hersholt who owns a small inn and suddenly finds himself booked with Menjou's troupe. A pair of reporters, Don Ameche and Ned Sparks, also arrive smelling a story about that hotel fire. Their appetites for a story are whetted with the presence of a mysterious stranger also at the hotel, Montagu Love.

Hersholt is a former Olympic champion who is training his daughter for the 1936 Olympics. He was disqualified like Jim Thorpe for being a professional and he's worried about his daughter's amateur status. That's not of concern to Adolphe Menjou who sees a meal ticket as a professional. Ameche gets sidetracked from his hotel fire story to follow Henie's progress when he finds out who she is.

Arline Judge gets some of the best sharp shooter lines in this film as Menjou's wife, constantly deflating her ego ridden husband.

As was known to the world Sonia Henie won her third gold medal and this film was raced into production to capitalize on the event. The only mention of the German location is the presence of someone in a Nazi uniform in the crowd behind Ameche and Sparks. Also the Ritz Brothers get into an argument with some folks in the stand and one of them tells the other two very obviously Jewish looking siblings that 'we're not in Brooklyn'.

With the success of this film, especially in the European market, Sonia got bigger budgets for her succeeding films at 20th Century Fox. She was a bona fide movie star like no other the figure skating world ever produced. I do recall Carol Heiss the champion from the 1960 Olympics trying, but failing in a film career. Somehow I can't envision any of today's figure skaters doing what Henie did.

I could be wrong though.