It's a Great Feeling


1h 25m 1949
It's a Great Feeling

Brief Synopsis

When nobody at Warner Bros. will work with him, movie star Jack Carson decides to turn an unknown into his co-star.

Film Details

Also Known As
Two Guys and a Gal
Genre
Comedy
Musical
Release Date
Aug 20, 1949
Premiere Information
New York opening: 12 Aug 1949
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 25m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1

Synopsis

Movie producer Arthur Trent asks directors Raoul Walsh, King Vidor, Michael Curtiz and David Butler to direct his new film, Mlle. Fifi , which is to star Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson, and all turn him down because they do not want to work with the egotistical Jack. In desperation, Trent gives Jack the directorial assignment. Dennis and Jack consider each other to be "great guys but big hams." Although Jack begs Dennis to do the film with him because he is broke, Dennis has been offered a show on Broadway, and decides to accept that offer. When no waitress will take Jack's lunch to his bungalow because he is such a wolf, Judy Adams, an aspiring actress, eagerly offers to make the delivery, planning to take the opportunity to audition for him. Judy, who comes from a small town in Wisconsin, discovers that Jack also grew up there, and soon Jack offers her a role playing his real-life pregnant, poverty-stricken, secret wife. He promises that if she can convince Dennis to sign a contract with him, he will give her a part in the film. Although Judy's portrayal of heart-breaking poverty is so convincing that Dennis agrees to appear in Jack's film, Jack reneges on his promise to Judy. Later, when no actress will agree to star in the film, Dennis suggests that Jack use an unknown--Judy. They hurry to the train station and prevent Judy from returning to Wisconsin to get married. Knowing how much Trent likes to discover new talent, Jack and Dennis constantly place him in proximity to Judy, but only succeed in making him think he is crazy because every woman that he sees looks the same. Jack then directs Judy in a screen test, but his inexperience results in a film in which Jack's voice comes out of Judy's image. Jack and Dennis then decide to pretend that Judy is a famous French star named Yvonne Amour. During her performance, however, Judy trips and loses her wig, and the ruse fails. Grace, an older woman who lives in Judy's building, then convinces Jack and Dennis that the best thing for Judy would be to return home and marry her fiancé. The men allow her to overhear them making a job offer to another actress, and the furious Judy takes the next train home. Trent, who has suffered a nervous breakdown, is also on the train and, late that night, hears her singing in the lounge car. Trent offers to put her in pictures, but Judy, who has had her fill of promises, slaps his face. Hearing the story, Jack and Dennis hurry to Judy's hometown to stop the wedding, but they are too late, as Judy marries a man who looks exactly like Errol Flynn.

Cast

Dennis Morgan

Himself

Doris Day

Judy Adams

Jack Carson

Himself

Bill Goodwin

Arthur Trent

Irving Bacon

Information clerk

Claire Carleton

Grace

Mazzone-abbott Dancers

Harlan Warde

Publicity man

Jacqueline De Wit

Trent's secretary

Raoul Walsh

Himself

King Vidor

Himself

Michael Curtiz

Himself

David Butler

Himself

Gary Cooper

Himself

Ronald Reagan

Himself

Jane Wyman

Herself

Maureen Reagan

Herself

Sydney Greenstreet

Himself

Ray Heindorf

Himself

Danny Kaye

Himself

Joan Crawford

Herself

Edward G. Robinson

Himself

Eleanor Parker

Herself

Patricia Neal

Herself

Errol Flynn

Himself

Ray Montgomery

Walsh assistant

Janet Barrett

Curtiz secretary

Buddy Gorman

Warner Bros. messenger

Cosmo Sardo

Barber

Wendy Lee

Manicurist

Robert Cherry

Passenger

Ralph Littlefield

Hayseed

Alfredo Nunez

Pancho

Henry Mirelez

Pedro

Ruben Yuriar

Fernando

Nita Talbot

Model

Eve Whitney

Model

Carol Brewster

Model

Sue Casey

Model

Joan Vohs

Model

Lois Austin

Saleslady

Frank Cady

Oculist

James Holden

Soda jerk

Mark Strong

Man with cigar

Jean Andren

Headwaitress

Forbes Murray

Distinguished man

Tom Dugan

Barfly

Victor Holbrook

Wrestler on television

Al Billings

Wrestler on television

Mickey Mcmasters

Referee

George Sherwood

Reporter

Bunty Cutler

"Variety" reporter

Peter Meersman

Flack

Rod Rogers

Flack

Olan Soule

Flack

Georges Renavent

Andre Bernet

Jan Bryant

Redhead

Dudley Dickerson

Porter

Sandra Gould

Train passenger

Edward Clark

Minister

Shirley Ballard

Beautiful girl on bike

George Calliga

Frenchman

Albert Petit

Frenchman

Carli Elinor

Frenchman

Paul Bradley

Frenchman

Eugene Beday

Frenchman

Waclaw Rekwart

Frenchman

Albert Pollet

Frenchman

Marcel De La Brosse

Frenchman

Photo Collections

It's a Great Feeling - Lobby Card Set
Here is a set of Lobby Cards from Warner Bros' It's a Great Feeling (1949), starring Dennis Morgan, Doris Day, and Jack Carson. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Film Details

Also Known As
Two Guys and a Gal
Genre
Comedy
Musical
Release Date
Aug 20, 1949
Premiere Information
New York opening: 12 Aug 1949
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 25m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1

Award Nominations

Best Song

1949

Articles

It's a Great Feeling


Doris Day's third movie, It's a Great Feeling (1949), has a plot that echoes Day's real-life situation a year earlier. Discouraged by her lack of success in landing a movie role, Day had her bags packed for a return to her hometown of Cincinnati when she received word that she had landed a starring part in her first film, Romance on the High Seas (1948). In It's a Great Feeling Day's character, would-be movie star Judy Adams, is similarly disillusioned with Hollywood and set to return to Gurkey's Corners, Wisconsin -- the difference being that Judy follows through on her threat and goes back to marry her hometown sweetheart, while Doris lingered in Hollywood to become one of the movies' genuine superstars.

It's a Great Feeling, a musical satire of the movie business in general and Warner Bros. studios in particular, was the brainchild of screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond, later to win fame as Billy Wilder's chief collaborator. Frequent costars Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson play themselves, and the movie's conceit is that Carson is such an egomaniac that no director or leading lady wants to work with him on the actor's next film. This provides an excuse for rare cameo appearances by Warner's stable of directors including David Butler (the director of It's a Great Feeling), Michael Curtiz (director of Romance on the High Seas), King Vidor and Raoul Walsh. Adding to the authentic (if exaggerated) atmosphere are many views of the studio lot, plus creatively scripted appearances by Warner stars Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Sydney Greenstreet, Danny Kaye, Patricia Neal, Eleanor Parker, Ronald Reagan, Edward G. Robinson and Jane Wyman. Day's songs in the film include "At the Cafe Rendezvous," "That Was a Big Fat Lie," "Blame My Absent-Minded Heart" and the title tune, which won an Oscar nomination as Best Song.

Day plays a waitress in the Warner commissary who is, of course, a natural for the spot as Morgan and Carson's leading lady. When the two male stars try to outdo each other in vying for her affections, she gets fed up and returns to marry good old Jeffrey Bushfinkle -- who just happens to look a lot like Warner's star Errol Flynn! Day wrote in her autobiography that the "great ending," as the happy couple turn to face the camera and the groom is revealed as Flynn, was for her the movie's most memorable moment.

Day also wrote that she owed a huge debt of gratitude to Jack Carson, who acted with her in her first three movies, which also included My Dream Is Yours (1949). "He helped me enormously with my technical indoctrination into movie acting," she wrote. "He taught me dozens of tricks about how to move to precise camera marks without actually looking for them, how to handle myself in close-ups so that my face or profile rather than the back of my head would be in a shot, how to sustain the evenness of a performed scene.... Since we were also going together, we'd often discuss some of these things in the evening, and there's no doubt that my relationship with Jack helped me considerably in my early going."

Producer: Alex Gottlieb
Director: David Butler
Screenplay: Jack Rose, Mel Shavelson, from story by I.A.L. Diamond
Cinematography: Wilfred M. Cline
Art Direction: Stanley Fleischer
Original Music: Jule Styne, Howard Jackson (uncredited)
Editing: Irene Morra
Costume Design: Milo Anderson
Principal Cast: Dennis Morgan (Himself), Doris Day (Judy Adams), Jack Carson (Himself), Bill Goodwin (Arthur Trent), Irving Bacon (RR Information Clerk). Uncredited Guest Appearances: David Butler, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Michael Curtiz, Sydney Greenstreet, Ray Heindorf, Danny Kaye, Patricia Neal, Eleanor Parker, Ronald Reagan, Edward G. Robinson, King Vidor, Raoul Walsh, Jane Wyman.
C-85m.

by Roger Fristoe
It's A Great Feeling

It's a Great Feeling

Doris Day's third movie, It's a Great Feeling (1949), has a plot that echoes Day's real-life situation a year earlier. Discouraged by her lack of success in landing a movie role, Day had her bags packed for a return to her hometown of Cincinnati when she received word that she had landed a starring part in her first film, Romance on the High Seas (1948). In It's a Great Feeling Day's character, would-be movie star Judy Adams, is similarly disillusioned with Hollywood and set to return to Gurkey's Corners, Wisconsin -- the difference being that Judy follows through on her threat and goes back to marry her hometown sweetheart, while Doris lingered in Hollywood to become one of the movies' genuine superstars. It's a Great Feeling, a musical satire of the movie business in general and Warner Bros. studios in particular, was the brainchild of screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond, later to win fame as Billy Wilder's chief collaborator. Frequent costars Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson play themselves, and the movie's conceit is that Carson is such an egomaniac that no director or leading lady wants to work with him on the actor's next film. This provides an excuse for rare cameo appearances by Warner's stable of directors including David Butler (the director of It's a Great Feeling), Michael Curtiz (director of Romance on the High Seas), King Vidor and Raoul Walsh. Adding to the authentic (if exaggerated) atmosphere are many views of the studio lot, plus creatively scripted appearances by Warner stars Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Sydney Greenstreet, Danny Kaye, Patricia Neal, Eleanor Parker, Ronald Reagan, Edward G. Robinson and Jane Wyman. Day's songs in the film include "At the Cafe Rendezvous," "That Was a Big Fat Lie," "Blame My Absent-Minded Heart" and the title tune, which won an Oscar nomination as Best Song. Day plays a waitress in the Warner commissary who is, of course, a natural for the spot as Morgan and Carson's leading lady. When the two male stars try to outdo each other in vying for her affections, she gets fed up and returns to marry good old Jeffrey Bushfinkle -- who just happens to look a lot like Warner's star Errol Flynn! Day wrote in her autobiography that the "great ending," as the happy couple turn to face the camera and the groom is revealed as Flynn, was for her the movie's most memorable moment. Day also wrote that she owed a huge debt of gratitude to Jack Carson, who acted with her in her first three movies, which also included My Dream Is Yours (1949). "He helped me enormously with my technical indoctrination into movie acting," she wrote. "He taught me dozens of tricks about how to move to precise camera marks without actually looking for them, how to handle myself in close-ups so that my face or profile rather than the back of my head would be in a shot, how to sustain the evenness of a performed scene.... Since we were also going together, we'd often discuss some of these things in the evening, and there's no doubt that my relationship with Jack helped me considerably in my early going." Producer: Alex Gottlieb Director: David Butler Screenplay: Jack Rose, Mel Shavelson, from story by I.A.L. Diamond Cinematography: Wilfred M. Cline Art Direction: Stanley Fleischer Original Music: Jule Styne, Howard Jackson (uncredited) Editing: Irene Morra Costume Design: Milo Anderson Principal Cast: Dennis Morgan (Himself), Doris Day (Judy Adams), Jack Carson (Himself), Bill Goodwin (Arthur Trent), Irving Bacon (RR Information Clerk). Uncredited Guest Appearances: David Butler, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Michael Curtiz, Sydney Greenstreet, Ray Heindorf, Danny Kaye, Patricia Neal, Eleanor Parker, Ronald Reagan, Edward G. Robinson, King Vidor, Raoul Walsh, Jane Wyman. C-85m. by Roger Fristoe

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

The film's working title was Two Guys and a Gal. Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn's song "It's Great Feeling" was nominated for an Academy Award. The picture marked the screen debut of actress Nita Talbot.