It All Came True

It All Came True finds Humphrey Bogart as a gangster on the lam from killing a police stoolie and using a gun that was registered to club piano player Jeffrey Lynn to do the deed. With the stoolie probably telling the cops about his regular hideouts, Bogart has Jeffrey Lynn under a blackmail threat about the weapon hide him in a boarding house that is run jointly by Lynn's mother Jessie Burley and Una O'Connor who is the mother of Ann Sheridan.

Sheridan and Lynn were childhood sweethearts, she's a chorus girl, he's an aspiring composer and the Moms hoped that they'll be joint grandmothers some day. Bogart is hiding under an assumed name at the boardinghouse, but Sheridan recognizes him.

Perhaps the fact that he's away from the police spotlight, fooling them even temporarily makes Bogart fall under the charms of the place which is a theatrical boardinghouse. O'Connor and Burley wax nostalgic about the Gay Nineties and Bogart kind of does also. Bear in mind that this was probably when he was a kid in the film.

It All Came True is the kind of film that would have been better suited to James Cagney. In fact he did several fine nostalgic type films in his career like Frisco Kid, Johnny Come Lately, Strawberry Blonde, and The Time Of Your Life. I'm betting this was a property that Warner Brothers developed for Cagney, but for some reason or other Cagney couldn't do it.

Sheridan's feet are firmly in the 20th century however, she delivers a few zingers that were quite up to date for the audience. Until Rita Hayworth was established, Ann was Hollywood's number one redhead and she had a bit more wit in her scripts than Rita got at Columbia.

Maybe with Cagney in the lead and someone like Frank Capra directing and someone like Damon Runyon doing the screenplay, It All Came True could have been a real classic. It's an amusing comedy as it is with Ann Sheridan at her career height and Humphrey Bogart on the crest of becoming a legend.

This is a really offbeat idea for a Humphrey Bogart movie, but it ends up working pretty well as light entertainment and as something of a showcase for co-star Ann Sheridan. It combines a lighter version of the kind of gangster character that used to be Bogart's specialty, a pleasant if silly scenario, and ample opportunities for Sheridan and some of the supporting cast to steal a few scenes.

The story is lightweight and goofy, with barely any plausibility at all (if that much). Fortunately, the good acting makes all of the oddball characters likable, and makes the story worth following for the sake of entertainment. Sheridan gets a good character and a chance to sing a few songs, and the minor characters include good roles for Zasu Pitts and Felix Bressart, among others.

Elderly friends Nora Taylor and Maggie Ryan own a weird boarding house full of wacky characters but the bank is threatening to take it away. Maggie's daughter Sarah Jane (Ann Sheridan) is trying to be a showgirl while still being a good girl. Nora's aspiring songwriter son Tommy Taylor (Jeffrey Lynn) plays the piano at a nightclub owned by gangster Chips Maguire (Humphrey Bogart). Tommy is tired of Chips' empty promises. When Chips kills a police snitch, he blackmails Tommy into getting him a room at the boarding house.

The problem with this movie is that Tommy is a complete stiff. Bogie has more charisma in his little pinky finger than that man's whole body. For a cinematic romantic pairing, Sheridan needs to get together with Bogie but the story requires that Sarah gets together with Tommy. That's the rub with this movie. Bogie is the most compelling actor and his character has the most compelling redemption arc. In a certain light, this should be his movie and this should be a character study of Chips.

Humphrey Bogart plays 'Mr. Grasselli'--a man who is sick and living in a rooming house while supposedly recuperating. In reality, he's Chips Maguire-a wanted thug who is hiding from the law. This sort of role is hardly surprising for Bogart in 1940, as he'd been playing gangsters in a variety of Warner Brothers films during the last few years. What is surprising, though, is that this film is a light comedy--with Bogie playing a less menacing sort of thug. While it's not a great film, considering that he'd been playing so many mobsters , it was nice to see a bit of a change.

Despite Maguire wanting to remain alone in his room all the time, the two nice old ladies who run the place urge him to come out and meet the other tenants. Eventually, he slowly emerges and begins socializing--and makes friends with the harmless residents and vice-versa. One of them, Ann Sheridan, however, knows who he is and you'd expect her to turn him in to the police. However, she doesn't and what she and this thug have in mind is something you'll need to see for yourself. It's all a little ridiculous, but also great fun.

With such residents as Felix Bressart, Una O'Connor (in one of her more restrained roles)and Zasu Pitts, the movie has a lot of colorful characters and give the film a certain charm and likability. This, combined with an unusual script make this film well worth seeing--especially people who love classic Hollywood or the films of Bogart.

Fun WB comedy with Humphrey Bogart playing a gangster who blackmails piano player Jeffrey Lynn into hiding him out at his mother's boarding house. The boarding house is full of colorful characters such as Zasu Pitts, Felix Bressart, Grant Mitchell, and Una O'Connor. Not to mention beautiful Ann Sheridan. Before long Bogie gets the bright idea to turn the place into a night club, in part out of boredom and in part to impress Sheridan.

Bogie seems to be having a great time in a lighter role. He was really good with comedy. Sheridan is the real star of the picture. Her brassy character has all the best lines and even gets to sing some songs. The assorted kooks at the boarding house are lots of fun to watch. Great comedic character actors all. Even Jeffrey Lynn shines in this one. If you like WB gangster movies you'll surely like this. Lots of snappy dialogue and plenty of laughs too.