An office clerk loves entering contests in the hopes of someday winning a fortune and marrying the girl he loves. His latest attempt is the Maxford House Coffee Slogan Contest. As a joke, some of his co-workers put together a fake telegram which says that he won the $25,000 grand prize.
Writing
Sturges' dialogue snaps like a rubber band—every line lands.
Direction
Tight 67 minutes, zero fat, maximum comic velocity.
Director
Preston Sturges
Dick Powell
Jimmy McDonald
Ellen Drew
Betsy Casey
Raymond Walburn
Dr. Maxford
Alexander Carr
Mr. Shindel
William Demarest
Mr. Bildocker
Ernest Truex
Mr. Baxter
Franklin Pangborn
Don Hartman - Radio Announcer
Rod Cameron
Dick
Adrian Morris
Tom
Harry Rosenthal
Harry
Georgia Caine
Mrs. MacDonald
Ferike Boros
Mrs. Schwartz
Torben Meyer
Mr. Schmidt
Julius Tannen
Mr. Zimmerman
Al Bridge
Mr. Hillbeiner
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Sturges wrote this in 1934 but shelved it; when Paramount needed a quick comedy, he pulled it out and shot it in under a month.
The fake-contest-as-social-mobility plot satirizes Depression-era radio giveaways that dangled wealth to working-class listeners.
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