''She Knew All the Answers'' is a 1941 romantic comedy film made by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mult ...

, directed by Richard Wallace, and starring by

Joan Bennett Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She came from a show-business family, one of three acting sisters. Beginning her career on the stage, Bennett appeared in more t ...

and

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

. The film tells a story about a chorus girl who wants to marry a rich playboy, but first has to prove herself to his financial advisor. The screenplay was written by Kenneth Earl, Curtis Kenyon, and Harry Segall, adapted from a short story written by Jane Allen entitled "A Girl's Best Friend Is Wall Street," published in 1938 in Cosmopolitan Magazine.

Plot

A chorus girl, Gloria Winters (

), is overjoyed that wealthy young Randy Bradford ( John Hubbard) is so eager to marry her, he's asked her to elope. Before they can leave, Randy is contacted by Mark Willows (

), a partner with the

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...

financial organization that Randy's father founded, as well as Randy's financial advisor. Willows stipulates that Randy will be disinherited should he elope with this girl. Gloria is naturally upset. She comes up with a plan to gain Willows approval through work and receive a letter of recommendation, which can then be used as their marriage license. When she goes to see Willows, she expects an older man and is thrown off-balance by his youth and charm. Without revealing her true identity, Gloria lands a job at Willows' firm as a switchboard operator. A slip of the tongue on her part, however, costs Willows a great deal of money and she is fired. Willows calms down and tries to make it up to her, visiting the apartment Gloria shares with Sally Long, another chorus girl. While there, Willows offers Gloria her job back, in which she accepts. Gloria and Willow continue to advance both their professional and personal relationships, both in and out of the office. Randy starts to see the chemistry forming between the two and gets jealous. He goes to Willows and demands a job as well. Willows learns Gloria's true identity and agrees to allow Randy and Gloria to get married, in an attempt to mask his feelings for Gloria. While walking down the aisle at the wedding, a ghost like figure of each character acts as a personification of their inner thoughts and the viewer learns that Randy no longer wants to get married and Gloria and Willows have both fallen for each other. Randy pretends to faint in hopes of ending the wedding, and Gloria and Willows take this opportunity to run away together.

Cast

as Gloria Winters *

as Mark Willows * John Hubbard as Randy Bradford *

Eve Arden Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades. Beginning her film career in 1929 ...

as Sally Long *

William Tracy William Tracy (December 1, 1917 – June 18, 1967) was an American character actor. Early life and career Tracy was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is perhaps best known for the role of Pepi Katona, the delivery boy, in ''The Shop ...

as Benny *

Pierre Watkin Pierre Frank Watkin (December 29, 1887 – February 3, 1960) was an American character actor best known for playing distinguished authority figures throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood. He is best remembered for his roles of Mr. Skinner the ...

as George Wharton * Almira Sessions as Elaine Wingate *

Thurston Hall Ernest Thurston Hall (May 10, 1882 – February 20, 1958) was an American film, stage and television actor.Aylesworth, Thomas G. and Bowman, John S. (1987). ''The World Almanac Who's Who of Film''. World Almanac. . Pp. 186-187. Career Stag ...

as J.D. Sutton *

Grady Sutton Grady Harwell Sutton (April 5, 1906 – September 17, 1995) was an American film and television character actor from the 1920s to the 1970s. He appeared in more than 180 films. Early years Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sutton was raised ...

as Ogleby *

Luis Alberni Luis Alberni (October 4, 1886 – December 23, 1962) was a Spanish-born American character actor of stage and films. Early years Alberni was born in Barcelona, Spain, on October 4, 1886. He acted in stock theater for four years in Marseill ...

as Inventor * Francis Compton as Tompkins *

Dick Elliott Richard Damon Elliott (April 30, 1886 – December 22, 1961) was an American character actor who played in over 240 films from the 1930s until the time of his death. Early years Elliott was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Career Elliott p ...

as Broker *

Selmer Jackson Selmer Adolf Jackson (May 7, 1888 – March 30, 1971) was an American stage film and television actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1921 and 1963. His name was sometimes spelled Selmar Jackson. Jackson was born in Lake Mills, Iowa an ...

as Broker * Forbes Murray as Broker *

Roscoe Ates Roscoe Blevel Ates (January 20, 1895 – March 1, 1962) was an American vaudeville performer, actor of stage and screen, comedian and musician who primarily featured in western films and television. He was best known as western character S ...

as Gas Station Attendant *

Chester Clute Chester Lamont Clute (February 18, 1891 – April 2, 1956) was an American actor familiar in scores of Hollywood films from his debut in 1930. Diminutive, bald-pated with a bristling moustache, he appeared in mostly unbilled roles, consis ...

as Butter and Egg Man * George Lloyd as Cop *

Frank Sully Francis Thomas Sullivan (June 17, 1908 December 17, 1975), known professionally as Frank Sully, was an American film actor. He appeared in over 240 films between 1934 and 1968. Today's audiences know him best as the dumb detective in the ''Bost ...

as Cop * Eddie Conrad as Waiter *

Patti McCarty Lois Patricia McCarty (February 11, 1921 - July 7, 1985) was an American actress. Biography Baker was born in Bakersfield, California, and grew up in Healdsburg. She graduated from Covina High School in Covina, California, and she attended Lo ...

as Hat Check Girl *

William 'Billy' Benedict William Benedict (April 16, 1917 – November 25, 1999), was an American actor, perhaps best known for playing "Whitey" in Monogram Pictures' The Bowery Boys series. Early years Benedict was born in Haskell, Oklahoma, After his father's de ...

as Singing Telegraph Boy *

Fern Emmett Fern Emmett (March 22, 1896 – September 3, 1946) was an American film actress. She appeared in 212 films between 1930 and 1946. Emmett's film debut came with Universal in a two-reel production in 1914. Personal life Emmett was married t ...

as Woman Applicant * Walter Soderling as Building Utility Man *

Don Beddoe Donald Theophilus Beddoe (July 1, 1903 – January 19, 1991) was an American character actor. Early years Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Beddoe was the son of Dan Beddoe, a Welsh classical singer, and his wife Mary. He graduated from the ...

as Barber * Patricia Hill as Manicurist * Onest Conley as Shoeshine Boy * George Hickman as Elevator Operator * Don Marion as Elevator Operator * Alice Keating as Telephone Operator *

Dave Willock David Willock (August 13, 1909 – November 12, 1990) was an American character actor. He appeared in 181 films and television series from 1939 to 1979. Biography Born in 1909, Willock began his professional career in vaudeville in 1931, teaming ...

as Messenger Boy * Thom Metzetti as Milkman *

George Beranger George Beranger (27 March 1893 – 8 March 1973), also known as André Beranger, was an Australian silent film actor and director in Hollywood.Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central ...

as Head Waiter * Charles Lane as Coney Island Bus Driver (uncredited)

Adaptions

''She Knew All The Answers'' was adapted from a short story by Jane Allen entitled "A Girls Best Friend Is Wall Street". This story was printed in

Cosmopolitan Magazine ''Cosmopolitan'' is an American monthly fashion and entertainment magazine for women, first published based in New York City in March 1886 as a family magazine; it was later transformed into a literary magazine and, since 1965, has become a wome ...

in December, 1938. On January 11, 1943,

Lux Radio Theater ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...

ran a 56-minute adaption of the movie, starring

and

Preston Foster Preston Stratton Foster (August 24, 1900 – July 14, 1970), was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist. Early life Born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

References

*
''She Knew All the Answers''
at

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

External links

* {{Richard Wallace 1941 films American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures films 1941 romantic comedy films Films directed by Richard Wallace American romantic comedy films 1940s American films