It Shoud Happen to You

[MikeBSG]

I just saw this today on DVD. It was fun, and I really liked Jack Lemmon.

However, it kept reminding me of "The apartment." You had the theme about how to stay genuine, and you had Jack Lemmon with a kookie girlfriend. I think "The Apartment" was the better movie, perhaps because George Cukor didn't have the killer instinct for comedy that Billy Wilder had.

Your thoughts?

[feaito]

I liked it a lot when I watched it. This was one of the films that made me "fall in love" with Judy Holliday. She was really priceless and her rapport with Lemmon was gigantic. I have not seen "The Apartment" though

If you liked Judy, besides her better known films "Adam's Rib" (wonderful supporting role), "Bells are Ringing" and "Born Yesterday", I recommend to you "The Marrying Kind", a very unique, moving film and "The Solid Gold Cadillac" (She's a hoot here!).

I have yet to catch her in "Full of Life" and "Phffft!"

[movieman1957]

This was my introduction to Judy Holliday as well. This is a fun film but it doesn't have the depth of The Apartment.

This does have its serious moments but nothing the equals the tragic elements of The Apartment.

The Gold Cadillac is a hoot and Holliday is wonderful. Pfffft is ok but not as funny as I remember it. It does rank as one of the strangest titles. My kids remember this movie becuase of the bed. Kim Novak is nice too.

[mrsl]

Mike:

You really can't compare The Apartment with It Should Happen to You, as to which is better. It Should . . . is pure comedy, whereas The Apartment is drama with comedic moments. Those moments however, are only there due to Lemmons' comic abilities. I believer Wilder used him in this for that express reason. After The Apartment, Jack launched out into drama, starting with Days of Wine and Roses. But in The Apartment, an actor like William Holden, for example, could not have portrayed Lemmons' 'dorkiness' without endearing him to us. Lemmon could do the facial expressions and body language that another actor would have needed lines to project.

Anne

[Moraldo Rubini]

I love 'em both. Judy Holliday is effervescent in It Should Happen To You. I love the location shooting in Central Park, and think of Holliday when I'm in those areas of the park. I'm also reminded of her whenever I'm at nearby Columbus Circle and how Gladys Glover wanted to go 'round, "Just one more time!"

This is a movie that I always think could be remade today, and its theme of celebrity for the sake of celebrity is just as relevant today. Rula Lenska, Paris Hilton, etc. could make cameo appearances. Though Holliday and Lemmon sings a swell rendition of "Let's Fall in Love", The Apartment is the movie with such a great score by Adolph Deutsch. This is one of my "holy grails" -- to find this on cd (I own it on vinyl). I never thought of Fran Kubelik as "kooky" though. She's a tragic figure of the time. When C.C. Baxter points out that her mirror is broken, she replies, "Yes, I know. I like it that way. Makes me look the way I feel." This gal ain't kooky, she's clinically depressed. This movie is one of my annual Christmas movies. It'd be difficult to find a Christmas party any wilder than the one Wilder staged here.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Good analysis, Anne.
Funny, but on the mark retort about Rula Lenska and Paris Hilton, Moraldo.
Paris may have a future as a haircare products "spokesperson," just like Rula.

I just can't say enough good lines about Judy Holliday, though, and feel she was one of America's greatest talents. And I am glad others feel that way, too.

[feaito]

I don't want to be rude, but when I realize about the general characteristics of a person as Paris Hilton and think about the media coverage she obtains, I can't help thinking that the world is really mad. The same when I watch shows such as "Next", "Dismissed" or "Sweet 16" on MTV. Such superficiality and banality. Is this what the young people like? I'm no prude, but I think that TV in general, in most countries, is full of rubbish.

Sorry for the rant, I usually do not comment on such things but all the Paris Hilton coverage makes me sick; she is the icon (IMO) of ignorance, banality and lack of culture.

And yes, Judy Holliday is magnificent!

[mrsl]

feaito:

Well said, and definitely agreed with! I hate short responses, but can't think of a thing that could be added.

Anne

[feaito]

Thanks Anne.

[Moraldo Rubini]

I don't want to be rude, but when I realize about the general characteristics of a person as Paris Hilton and think about the media coverage she obtains, I can't help thinking that the world is really mad. ...
Sorry for the rant, I usually do not comment on such things but all the Paris Hilton coverage makes me sick; she is the icon (IMO) of ignorance, banality and lack of culture.
And yes, Judy Holliday is magnificent!

No need to apologize Fernando. That was exactly my point. This is what It Should Happen To You is about. It's the lesson that Jack Lemmon's character teaches to Gladys Glover. She became a national sensation on television shows, magazines, etc. Everyone wanted to know about her every move, but no one knew what she was famous for. It's a satire on the celebrity phenomenon. Yesterday's satire would look like today's expose. This is ripe for a remake!

[feaito]

This is ripe for a remake!

I agree Moraldo. I wonder who could play Gladys Glover today. Maybe someone like Reese Witherspoon?