Miss Grant Takes Richmond
Encyclopedia
Miss Grant Takes Richmond is a 1949
comedy film
starring Lucille Ball
and William Holden
, directed by Lloyd Bacon
and released by Columbia Pictures
. The film was released under the title Innocence is Bliss in the UK.
Determined to become a good secretary, Ellen puts an ambitious venture into motion to help the business and the people of the town by creating affordable housing. Little does she know her plans are ruining Dick's organization. He cannot fire her for being efficient and cannot get her to quit. Ellen will withstand anything (even passes from the boss) to see the housing project through. Dick's trouble really begins when Ellen unwittingly places a bet placed by the malicious Mrs. Donato (Janis Paige), putting him in debt to her for $50,000. Mrs. Donato, who would rather have Dick than the winnings, tells him that if he does not go away with her or pay her, her gang will deal with him.
Dick now allows Ellen to continue with her housing plan so he can pay off the debt by stealing the down payments on the new homes. So that no one will get wise to the scam, he puts the trusted Ellen in charge of the development. It becomes a nightmare for her when the funds run out before the houses are built and she cannot return the money to her friends. Ellen feels terrible, thinking that her own incompetence was to blame. Seeing the girl he comes to love suffer, Dick decides to go away with Mrs. Donato and pay the people back.
Ellen discovers the truth behind the missing money and the betting racket, but forgives Dick and cooks up an elaborate scheme involving her own "gang" to keep him from sacrificing himself to Mrs. Donato. With the stolen money returned, the new homes can finally be constructed. Dick's partner comes up with $50,000 to pay Mrs. Donato the same way they lost it—with a bet on a horse. Best of all, the love of a good woman makes Dick an honest man.
Filmed two years before Lucille Ball's super-stardom on television in I Love Lucy
, this film offers her a chance to showcase her comedic talents. Ball and Holden have terrific on-screen chemistry, and Miss Grant Takes Richmond was well received by critics and movie-goers in 1949.
William Holden's career, like Ball's, would mushroom in the 1950s. He was just a year away from filming the blockbuster Sunset Boulevard, and Ball was at the peak of her pre-television movie career. In the late 1940s, Ball had a string of hit comedies such as Sorrowful Jones
with Bob Hope
and The Fuller Brush Girl
(1950) with Eddie Albert
, her first major release showcasing her talents for physical comedy.
1949 in film
The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
and William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
, directed by Lloyd Bacon
Lloyd Bacon
Lloyd Francis Bacon was a screen, stage, and vaudeville actor and film director.-Life:Bacon was born in San Jose California, the son of actor Frank Bacon, later the co-author and star of the long running Broadway show 'Lightnin' , and Jennie Bacon. He was not related to actor Irving Bacon whom he...
and released by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. The film was released under the title Innocence is Bliss in the UK.
Overview
For Ellen Grant (Ball), the worst pupil at the Woodruff Secretarial School, it comes as a great surprise when Dick Richmond (Holden) selects her to work at his realty company. Actually, it is her apparent empty-headedness that wins her the position. The real estate firm, and now Ellen, are merely fronts for a bookmaking operation run from the back of the office, where Dick and his cohorts take bets on races.Determined to become a good secretary, Ellen puts an ambitious venture into motion to help the business and the people of the town by creating affordable housing. Little does she know her plans are ruining Dick's organization. He cannot fire her for being efficient and cannot get her to quit. Ellen will withstand anything (even passes from the boss) to see the housing project through. Dick's trouble really begins when Ellen unwittingly places a bet placed by the malicious Mrs. Donato (Janis Paige), putting him in debt to her for $50,000. Mrs. Donato, who would rather have Dick than the winnings, tells him that if he does not go away with her or pay her, her gang will deal with him.
Dick now allows Ellen to continue with her housing plan so he can pay off the debt by stealing the down payments on the new homes. So that no one will get wise to the scam, he puts the trusted Ellen in charge of the development. It becomes a nightmare for her when the funds run out before the houses are built and she cannot return the money to her friends. Ellen feels terrible, thinking that her own incompetence was to blame. Seeing the girl he comes to love suffer, Dick decides to go away with Mrs. Donato and pay the people back.
Ellen discovers the truth behind the missing money and the betting racket, but forgives Dick and cooks up an elaborate scheme involving her own "gang" to keep him from sacrificing himself to Mrs. Donato. With the stolen money returned, the new homes can finally be constructed. Dick's partner comes up with $50,000 to pay Mrs. Donato the same way they lost it—with a bet on a horse. Best of all, the love of a good woman makes Dick an honest man.
Filmed two years before Lucille Ball's super-stardom on television in I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
, this film offers her a chance to showcase her comedic talents. Ball and Holden have terrific on-screen chemistry, and Miss Grant Takes Richmond was well received by critics and movie-goers in 1949.
William Holden's career, like Ball's, would mushroom in the 1950s. He was just a year away from filming the blockbuster Sunset Boulevard, and Ball was at the peak of her pre-television movie career. In the late 1940s, Ball had a string of hit comedies such as Sorrowful Jones
Sorrowful Jones
Sorrowful Jones is a 1949 film directed by Sidney Lanfield. The film stars Lucille Ball and Bob Hope.Sorrowful Jones was a remake of a 1934 Shirley Temple film, Little Miss Marker. In the film, a young girl is left with the notoriously cheap Sorrowful Jones as a marker for a bet...
with Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
and The Fuller Brush Girl
The Fuller Brush Girl
The Fuller Brush Girl is a 1950 slapstick comedy starring Lucille Ball and directed by Lloyd Bacon. Animator Frank Tashlin wrote the script. Ball plays a quirky door-to-door cosmetics salesperson for the Fuller Brush Company...
(1950) with Eddie Albert
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing...
, her first major release showcasing her talents for physical comedy.