Take It or Leave It (1944)

Anecdotes

Take It or Leave It is a 1944 American musical-comedy film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and written by Mac Benoff, Harold Buchman, and Snag Werris. It was the screen version of the popular radio quiz show of the same name, whose main feature was "the $64 question." Master of ceremonies Phil Baker played himself in the movie.

Production and reception

Take It or Leave It was produced on an exceptionally low budget for a major-studio motion picture. Twentieth Century-Fox producer Bryan Foy economized by casting inexpensive juveniles in principal roles (Edward Ryan, Marjorie Massow—later known as Madge Meredith—and Stanley Prager), with only a few character players in support and bit roles.

Bryan Foy slashed the budget even more by inserting entire chunks of old Fox movies into the narrative. Most of the film has Phil Baker asking contestant Edward Ryan questions about famous motion pictures of the past, and each question is accompanied by a production number shown on a screen. Thus Shirley Temple, Alice Faye, Betty Grable, Buster Keaton, Al Jolson, The Ritz Brothers, and other Fox stars make appearances.

Although three screenwriters are credited, the storyline is very slight. The three writers were really radio jokesmiths, hired to supply star Phil Baker with a running repertoire of puns and one-liners appropriate to each quiz question.

The film was released on July 7, 1944. Fox did not publicize the star names in the cast, inviting the audience to play along with the quiz game and be surprised by the film clips. It was a shrewd strategy and a daring gamble, since such a mixture of old and new film footage was unprecedented.

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