A Million to One
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Lynn Shores
Herman Brix
Joan Fontaine
Monte Blue
Kenneth Harlan
Suzanne Kaaren
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
After he lost the Gold Medal for the Decathlon in the 1912 Olympics, John Kent devoted his life to training his son Johnny to be successful in the event. As a young man, Johnny meets Joan, the daughter of William Stevens, John's rival, who won the 1912 Gold Medal after John was disqualified for briefly working as a professional athlete. Johnny's rival for Joan's affections is Duke Hale, who is also entered in the Decathlon. Johnny is distracted from training by some society-crowd friends, and soon argues with his father over excessive drinking and partying. On the first day of the Decathlon, Johnny comes in second to Duke on points, then goes to his father and asks him to return as his coach for the 1,500 meter race the next day. John works with his son, but has a heart attack and is sent to the hospital. Listening to the race over the radio, John and Joan are delighted when Johnny wins.
Director
Lynn Shores
Cast
Herman Brix
Joan Fontaine
Monte Blue
Kenneth Harlan
Suzanne Kaaren
Reed Howes
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to information in news items in Daily Variety and Hollywood Reporter in 1936, and the file on the film in the MPAA/PCA Collection in the AMPAS Library, the picture was shot in September 1936 and certified in October 1936, under the title Olympic Champ. A news item during production noted that Helen LeBerthon of the Daily News editorial staff was cast in the picture, however, her participation in the completed film has not been confirmed. No reviews have been located for the film prior to the June 1938 Variety review, although the picture was approved for exhibition by the New York state censor board in 1937. In her autobiography, No Bed of Roses, Joan Fontaine describes an incident during the filming of the picture in which she received a serious head injury after being hit by a shotput during rehearsals. Though Fontaine did not name the picture in which she was acting at the time, her description of it as a "quickie" starring an Olympic athelete would seem in indicate A Million to One.
