It's a Wonderful World (1939 film)
| It's a Wonderful World | |
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1939 original movie poster
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| Directed by | W. S. Van Dyke |
| Produced by | Frank Davis |
| Written by |
Ben Hecht Herman J. Mankiewicz |
| Starring |
Claudette Colbert James Stewart |
| Music by | Edward Ward |
| Cinematography | Oliver T. Marsh |
| Edited by | Harold F. Kress |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
It's a Wonderful World (1939) is a romantic screwball comedy-mystery, starring Claudette Colbert and James Stewart and directed by W. S. Van Dyke.
Private detective Guy Johnson (James Stewart) is well paid to watch over Willie Heywood (Ernest Truex), a wealthy man who likes to drink a bit too much and gets into trouble as a result. However, when Heywood's recent ex-girlfriend Dolores Gonzalez (Cecilia Callejo) makes a public nuisance of herself over their relationship, a drunk Heywood goes to see her. It is a setup. Dolores is being held at gunpoint by a man, and when Heywood enters her apartment, the mystery man kills Dolores and frames Heywood for the murder. The only clue is a half of a dime incorporated into a piece of jewelry that the victim managed to snatch from her assailant. Guy hurries to the scene soon after and hides his client so he can catch the real killer, but both of them are nabbed by the police, tried, convicted and sentenced: Guy to prison for a year, Heywood to be executed.
It is revealed to the audience that Heywood's new wife Vivian (Frances Drake) and her lover, Al Mallon (Sidney Blackmer), are behind the whole thing. She stands to inherit Heywood's millions. In addition to her lover, the unfaithful woman discovers that her husband Ned Brown, whom she thought was dead, is alive. Brown, an actor, unexpectedly arrives from Australia and starts blackmailing her.
On the way to jail, Guy comes across a clue, a newspaper personal ad from "Half a Dime" asking to be contacted at a certain location. Guy jumps from the moving train into a river, taking along the bumbling policeman handcuffed to him, Sergeant Fred Koretz (Nat Pendleton).
His struggle with Koretz is witnessed by noted poet Edwina Corday (Claudette Colbert). After knocking Koretz out and freeing himself from the handcuffs, he has no choice but to kidnap her to prevent her from sounding the alarm. At first, she believes him to be a dangerous criminal, but she soon discovers he is telling the truth about his mission, and insists on sticking with him, much to his annoyance, as he has a low opinion of the intelligence of women.
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Wikipedia