The Age of Commercialism

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The first of a series of musical romances over the next decade that centered around the ice skating or skiing of Norway's Sonja Henie. Most of these films included at least one charismatic supporting talent, in addition to a leading man to become her paramour. Here, we have the up and coming leading man Don Ameche as her new beau. He exuded easy charm, looks, and a good singing voice. Former big band singer Leah Ray was the lead female singer in several songs......Adolphe Menjou, as Ted Spencer, was the ever present owner and promoter of a traveling girl's band, traveling in Switzerland, which soon added comedic talent in the form of the Ritz Brothers, and Borrah Minevitch, with his harmonica rascals. Lastly, Adolphe added Sonja and other ice skaters to his shows.......The first part of the film is relatively tame, introducing the various characters. At first, Adolphe fails to grasp the importance of Sonja winning the 1936 Olympic skiing gold metal(Never mind that, in reality, she had already won that honor in the previous 2 Olympics!). Adolphe wants her to join his program immediately, until his wife, Billie(Arline Judge) points out the long term benefit of having a lead skater who can claim to be an Olympic champion. Unfortunately, her participation in an exposition sponsored by Adolphe seemed to jeopardize her status as an amateur, even though she personally didn't receive any money or other perks. This issue would again crop up after she had apparently won the title. The authorities went back and forth as to whether this disqualified her, until it was decided this didn't mark her as a professional skater........The three Ritz brothers put on 2 appearances on ice. In the first, they are dressed up as Charles Laughton(playing Cpt. Bligh), Boris Karloff(playing Frankenstein's monster), and Peter Lorre, respectively. They clown around, singing some wacky songs. Later, during the post-Olympic show, 2 don a bull partial costume, and the third is dressed as a matador. They then have a wacky bull fight on ice skates........Before Sonja skates for the title, Leah Ray sings the best song in the movie: "Who's Afraid of Love". Ameche then follows with his rendition, which is clearly directed at blushing Sonja. Then, Minevitch and his harmonica rascals comically play a variety of songs, which may be too long for you. Previously, Minevitch, alone, had played his harmonica on several occasions......After winning the title, Sonja tells Adolphe she wants to compete in the 1940 Olympics, instead of joining his troupe. But, he says, if that's the case, he will bring up her participation in his exposition, which may disqualify her for the present Olympics, as well as the ones in 1940. She toes the line, and joins his show in Madison Square Garden. ...... The film was a hit with contemporary audiences. But, today, Olympic skaters can do some more difficult tricks, and we see it in color. But, if you want to see the lady who started the modern age of show ice skating, check out one or two of her films. Although seldom shown on TV, nearly all her films are currently available on expensive DVDs. A few, including this one, are also available free, at YouTube. I prefer Sun Valley Serenade, which has the big advantage of including Glenn Miller's orchestra, in a rare film appearance. However, it more features her skiing than ice skating. That film is currently available at YouTube.

'One in a Million' is interesting for being Sonja Henie's first American film and raised her to international stardom. Henie does not disappoint and is one of the top attractions, but the film on the whole does.Henie is one of the two best assets of 'One in a Million'. She is pert and charming, and the camera clearly loves her. Her ice skating is also out of this world. This is advantaged by the choreography for the ice skating sequences, which are enough to make the jaw drop by their imagination and verve.Furthermore, 'One in a Million' is lavishly shot and sumptuously designed, and while not timeless and none of them are standards the songs are pleasant enough, the best of them being "Who's Afraid of Love".Don Ameche is a very likable leading man, and his chemistry with Henie charming. Arline Judge brings snappy line delivery to 'One in a Million's' best lines, while Jean Hersholt is a gently low-key father figure and Ned Sparks is amusingly acerbic.However, the story is wafer thin and lacks energy, with much of the comedy floundering Judge and Sparks aside, while the script is even thinner and even duller. Adolphe Menjou, apart from a few nice moments with Judge, wildly overacts, shouting his way through his lines broadly.There is too much of the Ritz Brothers, and their slapstick is bizarre and irritatingly childish at times. Also could have done without Borrah Minevitch and his Harmonica Rascals, legendary as musicians but comedy, which is tedious and grating, is not even close to being a forte.In conclusion, a mixed bag of a film with great things and poor things. 5/10 Bethany Cox

ONE IN A MILLION (20th Century-Fox, 1936), directed by Sidney Lanfield, started a new dimension to the movie musical, dancing on ice. It's been said that if Fred Astaire can use dancing shoes, why not one doing the same on ice skates? So marked the motion picture debut of three time Olympic figure skating champion, Sonja Henie (1913-1969) in her adult Shirley Temple, dimple-smiling, curly blonde hair likeness. Though she's the main attraction, acquiring plenty of camera range close-ups, Henie has stiff competition contending with specialty acts incorporated into the plot as the wacky antics of Harry, Jimmy and Al, better known as The Ritz Brothers; Borrah Minevitch ("Javoh") and his harmonica playing rascals; the vocalizing of Leah Ray, and the amiable presence of the up-and-coming Don Ameche, sans mustache, shortly before achieving top leading man status for the studio.Rather than presenting a biographical story of the Norweigian born Henie playing herself, followed by struggles and accomplishments leading to her Olympic skating success, the Leonare Praskins and Mark Kelly screenplay uses a thin ice story centering upon a struggling all girl orchestra troupe traveling through Europe by train lead by quick thinking Thadius "Tad" Spencer (Adolphe Menjou) and his sassy younger wife, Billie (Arline Judge). Arriving in Switzerland for their upcoming engagement, the troupe encounters some bad luck when the Grand Palace Hotel, where they're supposed to be staying and performing, has burned down. With no upcoming jobs in the horizon, they venture over towards a nearby inn run by Heinrich Muller (Jean Hersholt) and his young attractive daughter, Greta (Sonja Henie). Though initially having only one guest, Ratoffsky (Montagu Love), a mysterious man keeping only to himself, the inn is soon filled with forthcoming guests as Bob Harris (Don Ameche), an American reporter from the Paris Herald, and his ace photographer, Daniel Simpson (Ned Sparks), on an assignment. Learning that Muller, a former ice skating champion in the 1908 Olympics with controversy linked to his name, has been training Greta since childhood for the upcoming 1936 Olympics, Spencer schemes his way for some easy money to help pay the bill by promoting Greta's name while Bob comes upon some disturbing news that might disqualify the young ice skater from fulfilling her father's dream in competing.Capitalizing on both the Henie name and the 1936 Olympics, the simple story contains a handful of agreeable new tunes that extend a 60 minute screenplay into a 94 minute production. With music and lyrics by Sidney D. Mitchell and Lew Pollack, the musical interludes consist of: "One in a Million" (sung by Leah Ray); Stephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home" (sung by The Ritz Brothers); "The Moonlight Waltz" (instrumental, skated by Sonja Henie and ensemble); "We're Back in Circulation Again" (sung by Dixie Dunbar, Adolphe Menjou, Sonja Henie, cast); "Lovely Lady in White" (instrumental/skating by Henie); "The Horror Boys from Hollywood: Karloff, Laughton and Lorre" (The Ritz Brothers); "Who's Afraid of Love?" (sung by Leah Ray and Don Ameche); "One in a Million" (six minute harmonica specialty by Borrah Minevitch and his Rascals); "Lovely Lady in White" (instrumental number skated by Henie); "The Skating Waltz," and Georges Bizet's "The Toreador Song" (both with the Ritz Brothers); and "One in a Million" (sung by chorus, skated by Henie).With the title tune getting enough reprises to score a hit, it's interesting to note there was different song titled "One in a Million" by Jack Scholl introduced to the screen by Ross Alexander in a minor Warner Brothers comedy, GOING HIGHBROW (1935). In fact, there was even a very recent programmer titled ONE IN A MILLION (Chesterfield, 1935) starring Dorothy Wilson, but it's this edition of ONE IN A MILLION that became the big event of the season. The ice skating ensembles choreographed by Jack Haskell is quite eye-filling, with the introductory number somewhat influenced by the imaginative Busby Berkeley.Almost forgotten today as the Sonie Henie name herself, ONE IN A MILLION became a handful of Henie musicals (1936-1943) distributed by 20th Century-Fox Home Video during the 1990s. Cable television presentations to ONE IN A MILLION have consisted of the USA Channel (late 1980s); American Movie Classics (1993-94); and eventually the Fox Movie Channel. For being the first ice skating musical, it still gets by for Henie enthusiasts as one in a million. (***1/2 Olympic trophies)

"One in a Million" is a cheery, lighthearted mix of comedy, romance, songs and ice skating dances, directed by Sidney Lanfield ("Sing, Baby, Sing"). It is an admirable vehicle and showcase for the Norwegian Olympic skating champion Sonja Henie in her American debut. The film derives some aspects from Sonja's career. Sonja plays an amateur Swiss skater who is discovered by an American theatrical troupe leader (Adolphe Menjou) and almost spoils her by putting in a professional show until a charismatic reporter (Don Ameche) rescues her and convinces her into making the right decision, leading to her spectacular performance at Madison Square Garden."One in a Million" is not one of the better Fox musicals, but there are enjoyably fine moments, including some very funny comic acts by the Ritz Brothers, especially toward the end, and one memorable musical number "Who's Afraid Of Love", sung by Ameche. Good stuff.