Piccadilly Jim (1936 film)
| Piccadilly Jim | |
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Theatrical release lobby card
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| Directed by | Robert Z. Leonard |
| Produced by | Robert Z. Leonard Harry Rapf |
| Written by |
Charles Brackett Edwin H. Knopf |
| Based on |
Piccadilly Jim by P. G. Wodehouse |
| Starring |
Robert Montgomery Frank Morgan Madge Evans Billie Burke Cora Witherspoon |
| Music by | William Axt |
| Cinematography | Joseph Ruttenberg |
| Edited by | William S. Gray |
| Distributed by | MGM |
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Release date
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $466,000 |
| Box office | $1,272,000 |
Piccadilly Jim is a 1936 romantic comedy film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. The film is based on the novel Piccadilly Jim written by P. G. Wodehouse.
In London, American caricaturist Jim Crocker (Robert Montgomery) is a popular man-about-town, known by his pen name 'Piccadilly Jim'. He supports his father James (Frank Morgan), an out-of-work actor with a great admiration for Shakespeare, but also with an inability to remember lines from the Bard's work. Most characters in the film describe James as a ham. Jim lives with his impeccable valet, Bayliss (Eric Blore). Jim is happy when he finds out that his father is to be engaged to Eugenia Willis (Billie Burke), until Eugenia's overbearing married sister, Nesta Pett (Cora Witherspoon), refuses to give permission for the marriage because she has doubts about James' sincerity and financial background. One morning, James tries to introduce the Petts to his son, whom he describes as an artist; but Jim, who has stayed out all night drinking, comes staggering in to find that Nesta Pett has discovered that the "artist" is a caricaturist, which does not impress her.
Meanwhile, Jim meets Nesta Pett's niece, Ann Chester (Madge Evans), in a nightclub and falls in love with her. Ann is engaged to Lord Frederick 'Freddie' Priory (Ralph Forbes) and, therefore, keeps her distance from Jim, despite his several attempts to get to know her better and to woo her. To worsen matters, Jim finds out he is fired because he missed numerous deadlines, and the Petts take Eugenia and Ann with them to the French Riviera for a month, leaving James sad and Jim, who is clueless about Ann's family connection, wondering where she has disappeared to. Jim then develops a comic strip based on the Petts, mainly Nesta, her husband Herbert (Grant Mitchell), and her son Ogden (Tommy Bupp); and it is a huge hit in England. The strip is titled "From Rags to Riches" and features the Richswitch Family. The strip is an instant success, making Jim financially secure: he uses his new wealth to hire a team of detectives to find Ann.
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