They Knew What They Wanted (1940)

Director:

Garson Kanin

Writers:

Robert Ardrey (screenplay)
Sidney Howard (play)

Release Date:

19 October 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

You have seen great motion pictures! We believe you have not seen a greater motion picture than this!

Plot:

Tony (Charles Laughton), a successful but illiterate middle-aged grape farmer, sends the photograph of his handsome young foreman...

Plot Keywords:

Pulitzer Prize Source | Remake | Based On Play

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Carole Lombard	...	Amy Peters
Charles Laughton	...	Tony Patucci
William Gargan	...	Joe
Harry Carey	...	The doctor
Frank Fay	...	Father McKee
Joseph E. Bernard	...	The R.F.D. (as Joe Bernard)
Janet Fox	...	Mildred
Lee Tung Foo	...	Ah Gee, the Cook (as Lee Tung-Foo)
Karl Malden	...	Red
Victor Kilian	...	The photographer

Runtime:

USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Screen debut of Karl Malden.

Movie Connections:

Remake of A Lady to Love (1930)

Charles not in charge

Charles Laughton goes sort of over the top in this little movie. The plot is reminiscent of "Postman Always Rings Twice", i.e. sweet lil' immigrant meets girl & loses girl to employee, but without James M Cain's violence. Laughton's Tony really is a most happy fella, & Lombard is as usual, steamy. Totally by chance, I happened to do a double bill of this and the 1935 Mutiny On The Bounty. I should have added Ruggles Of Red Gap, Hunchback, Hobson's Choice, and Witness For The Prosecution for a total Laughton immersion. This was filmed on location in an incredibly rural Napa Valley, and if you're familiar with Napa Valley, you may recognize what is now the Calistoga Inn/Napa Valley Brewing as Tony's local cantina/bar. I'd like to see a cleaned up version of this, as the print I saw was verrry dark. Good little movie.