By Violet LeVoit
Next Time I Marry
Brief Synopsis
To secure a huge fortune, an heiress has to find a husband fast.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Garson Kanin
Director
Lucille Ball
Nancy Crocker Fleming
James Ellison
Anthony "Tony" J. Anthony
Lee Bowman
Count Georgi
Granville Bates
H. E. Crocker
Mantan Moreland
Tilby
Film Details
Also Known As
Trailer Romance
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Dec
9,
1938
Premiere Information
New York opening: week of 1 Dec 1938
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 5m
Sound
Mono (RCA Victor System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Synopsis
From the driver's seat of her convertible, New York heiress Nancy Crocker Fleming offers ditchdigger Anthony "Tony" J. Anthony $1,000 to marry her. Without asking any questions, Tony accepts the offer, but insists that all he needs is $793, and a few minutes later, he and Nancy are married by a justice of the peace. Nancy then abandons Tony on a street corner and speeds away with his dog, Mike. Determined to retrieve Mike, Tony tracks Nancy to her exclusive residence, unaware that she has married him in order to satisfy a condition of her father's will, which stipulates that she must marry an ordinary American to assure her inheritance. Nancy, who over the objections of her uncle, H. E. Crocker, wants to marry the fortune-hunting Count Georgi, tries to dismiss the ditchdigger, but he forces her to take him to the kennel where she has left Mike.
After one of Nancy's friends sees Tony shove the heiress into his car, Tony is accused of kidnapping and is stopped by the police. At the police station, Nancy's marriage to Tony is revealed, as is her scheme to divorce him in Reno so that she and Georgi can marry and keep her father's fortune. When a newspaper reporter refers to Tony as a "Cinderella Man," however, the prideful Tony announces that he will be the one to file for divorce, not Nancy. As assurance that he will reach Reno first, Tony kidnaps Nancy again and, in spite of her loud protests, locks her in his trailer and drives toward Reno. At a gas station, Nancy, dressed in Tony's suit, slips away and takes a ride with two men. When the men discover Nancy's true sex, they attempt to assault her but are soundly routed by Tony.
Impressed by Tony's bravura, Nancy warms toward her captor, but is disturbed by an accounting sheet on which Tony has written the name Caroline. After Tony refuses to explain his relationship to Caroline, Georgi, who has been following the couple in his chauffeur-driven car, arrives at their campsite. Jealous over reports that Tony has a wife in Chicago, whom she assumes is Caroline, Nancy returns to Georgi's side and plots with him to steal Tony's license plates and report him to the police. Tony, however, overhears their scheming and takes off during the night. Once in Reno, Tony is cleared of all bigamy suspicion and hires a lawyer to help him contest Nancy's divorce proceedings. At the divorce trial, however, Nancy's uncle rushes in and declares that the marriage has been annulled. After learning that Caroline is the name of the sailboat that Tony has been paying for in installments, Nancy plots to have a preacher marry them in earnest on the road back to New York.
Director
Garson Kanin
Director
Cast
Lucille Ball
Nancy Crocker Fleming
James Ellison
Anthony "Tony" J. Anthony
Lee Bowman
Count Georgi
Granville Bates
H. E. Crocker
Mantan Moreland
Tilby
Elliott Sullivan
Red
Murray Alper
Joe
Florence Lake
Witness
Dick Elliott
Justice of the peace
Crew
John L. Cass
Recording
Albert D'agostino
Art Director Associate
Eddie Donohue
Assistant Director
Jack Hively
Editing
Lee Marcus
Prod Executive
Helen Meinardi
Screenwriter
Russell Metty
Photography
Van Nest Polglase
Art Director
Cliff Reid
Producer
Renié
Gowns
John Twist
Screenwriter
Roy Webb
Music Director
Thames Williamson
Story
Videos
Movie Clip
Film Details
Also Known As
Trailer Romance
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Dec
9,
1938
Premiere Information
New York opening: week of 1 Dec 1938
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 5m
Sound
Mono (RCA Victor System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Articles
Next Time I Marry
Lucille Ball is justifiably most famous for I Love Lucy, but it's not true that she was only a struggling starlet before hitting it big on TV. In this, one of three starring roles she had in1938, Ball plays a madcap heiress who, per instructions in her father's will, has to marry a regular Joe instead of her choice, the gold-digging Count Georgi (Lee Bowman), if she wants to see any of her $20 million inheritance. Hatching a scheme to find some "pick and shovel" schmuck who can be conned into a hasty Reno divorce, she snatches up ditchdigger Anthony J. Anthony (James Ellison) and marries him on the spot -- only to find out, as many people on their way to Reno do, that what's done impulsively can't easily be undone. Ball's wacky exploits -- setting a trailer on fire in order to draw attention to herself, sneaking around disguised as a man, and fuming over a mysterious "Caroline" in her new husband's past -- will satisfy any fans of her slapstick work on the small screen.
By Violet LeVoit
By Violet LeVoit
Next Time I Marry
Lucille Ball is justifiably most famous for I Love Lucy, but it's not true that she was only a struggling starlet before hitting it big on TV. In this, one of three starring roles she had in1938, Ball plays a madcap heiress who, per instructions in her father's will, has to marry a regular Joe instead of her choice, the gold-digging Count Georgi (Lee Bowman), if she wants to see any of her $20 million inheritance. Hatching a scheme to find some "pick and shovel" schmuck who can be conned into a hasty Reno divorce, she snatches up ditchdigger Anthony J. Anthony (James Ellison) and marries him on the spot -- only to find out, as many people on their way to Reno do, that what's done impulsively can't easily be undone. Ball's wacky exploits -- setting a trailer on fire in order to draw attention to herself, sneaking around disguised as a man, and fuming over a mysterious "Caroline" in her new husband's past -- will satisfy any fans of her slapstick work on the small screen.
By Violet LeVoit
Quotes
I guess ham just brings out the poetry in me. In some people poetry brings out the ham.- Tony Anthony
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Trailer Romance. According to a July 1938 Hollywood Reporter news item, Jean Bartlett was assigned to work the script of the picture, which was originally intended as a vehicle for Miriam Hopkins. In production charts and news items, Dudley Nichols is credited as co-screenwriter with John Twist. The contribution of these writers to the final film has not been confirmed. RKO borrowed James Ellison from Harry Sherman's production company. Hollywood Reporter news items and production charts add the following actors to the cast: Frank Shannon, Ann Evers, Helen Lynd, Gus Glassmire and Grace Hayle. The participation of these actors in the final film has not been confirmed.
