''The Big Shot'' is a 1937 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Edward Killy Edward Arthur Killy (January 26, 1903 – July 2, 1981) was an American director, assistant director and production manager in films and television. He was one of the few individuals to be nominated for the short-lived Academy Award for Best ...

from a screenplay by

Arthur T. Horman Arthur T. Horman (September 2, 1905 – November 2, 1964) was an American screenwriter whose career spanned from the 1930s to the end of the 1950s. During that time he wrote the stories or screenplays for over 60 films, as well as writing several ...

and

Bert Granet Bert Granet (July 10, 1910 – November 15, 2002) was an American writer and television producer whose credits included '' The Locket'' (1946) for RKO Radio Pictures. Granet worked with Desilu Productions and was instrumental in getting Rod Serli ...

, based on a story by Lawrence Pohle and

Thomas Ahearn Thomas Ahearn, PC (June 24, 1855 – June 28, 1938) was a Canadian inventor and businessman. Ahearn, a native of Ottawa, Ontario, was instrumental in the success of a vast streetcar system that was once in Ottawa, the Ottawa Electric Railw ...

. The film stars

Guy Kibbee Guy Bridges Kibbee (March 6, 1882 – May 24, 1956) was an American stage and film actor. Early years Kibbee was born in El Paso, Texas. His father was editor of the '' El Paso Herald-Post'' newspaper, and Kibbee learned how to set type at age ...

Cora Witherspoon Cora Witherspoon (January 5, 1890 – November 17, 1957) was an American stage and film character actress whose career spanned nearly half a century. She began in theatre where she remained rooted even after entering motion pictures in the ...

Dorothy Moore Dorothy Moore (born October 13, 1946) is an American blues, gospel, and R&B singer best known for her 1976 hit song, "Misty Blue". Career Moore's parents were Mary Moore and Melvin Hendrex Senior. Her father performed under the stage name Melv ...

, and

Russell Hicks Edward Russell Hicks (June 4, 1895 – June 1, 1957) was an American film character actor. Hicks was born in 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. During World War I, he served in the U.S. Army in France. He later became a lieutenant Colonel in the Cali ...

. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, the film premiered on July 23, 1937.

Plot

Bertram Simms is a veterinarian in a small town, who is quite content with his place in life. When he inherits a large estate and fortune from an unknown relative, he wants to continue living in the small town. His wife, Elizabeth, has other plans, wanting to see their daughter, Peggy, enter into high society in the city where Bertram's relative (an uncle) used to live. Upon their arrival in the uncle's mansion things do not seem to add up properly. Unbeknownst to the Simms, Bertram's uncle was the leader of a criminal gang. When Bertram is persuaded by Peggy's boyfriend, Chet, to purchase the newspaper that Chet works for which had been closed down by the gang, he restarts the paper's crusade to rid the city of its criminal element. When Elizabeth is conned into throwing a massive gala by the leader of the gang, Martin Blake, she believes the party will be the host to the crème de la crème of the city's society. During the party, Bertram is mistakenly identified as the leader of the city's criminal underworld. In spite of the misidentification, Bertram is cleared of any wrongdoing, and Blake and his men are apprehended by the police.

Cast

as Dr. Bertram Simms *

as Elizabeth Simms * Dorothy Moore as Peggy Simms * Gordon Jones as Chester "Chet" Scott *

as Martin Blake *

Frank M. Thomas Frank Marion Thomas (July 13, 1889 – November 25, 1989) was an American character actor of stage, screen and television. He and his wife, actress Mona Bruns, both lived to 100 years old. He died the day before her 90th birthday; she died 11 y ...

as Murdock * Dudley Clements as Honest John McQuade * George Irving as Police Chief *

Maxine Jennings Maxine Bliss Jennings (March 8, 1909 – January 11, 1991) was an American actress. Early years Jennings was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Phillip Bliss Jennings. During her time as a student at the University ...

as Gloria *

Barbara Pepper Barbara Pepper (born Marion Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first Doris Ziffel on the sitcom ''Green Acres''. Early life and career Marion Pepper ...

as Mamie *

Tom Kennedy Thomas or Tom Kennedy may refer to: Politics *Thomas Kennedy (Scottish judge) (1673–1754), joint Solicitor General for Scotland 1709–14, Lord Advocate 1714, Member of Parliament for Ayr Burghs 1720–21 * Thomas Kennedy, 9th Earl of Cassilis ...

as Bugs * John Kelly as Deuces *

Eddie Gribbon Eddie Gribbon (January 3, 1890 – September 29, 1965) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films from the 1910s to the 1950s. Gribbon began working in Mack Sennett films in 1916 and continued through the 1920s. He usuall ...

as Soapy * Al Hill as Spots *

Donald Kirke Donald Kirke (1901–1971) was an American stage, film and television actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern ...

as Johnny Cullen (Cast list as per

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

database)

Production

During production the title of the film was ''Take the Heir''.

Reception

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' gave the film a positive review, stating that the "High content of laughs and able performances mark pleasing comedy". They went on to say that Killy's direction maximized the performances, while applauding the camera work of Nicholas Musuraca. ''

Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...

'' was less flattering, calling it "mildly amusing", and commenting that it was slow-moving and that the plot was less than believable. They did compliment Kibbee on his performance. ''

Modern Screen ''Modern Screen'' was an American fan magazine that for over 50 years featured articles, pictorials and interviews with film stars (and later television and music personalities). Founding ''Modern Screen'' magazine debuted on November 3, 193 ...

'' also felt it was "mildly diverting", and while they thought the concept was amusing, they were less than pleased with the screenplay, and felt that Cora Witherspoon's performance was poor. ''

Motion Picture Daily ''Motion Picture Daily'' was an American daily magazine focusing on the film industry. It was published by Quigley Publishing Company, which also published the ''Motion Picture Herald''. The magazine was formed by the merging of three existing Qui ...

'' was slightly more positive, also calling the film amusing, but felt the plot had several interesting twists, and praised Edward Killey's direction.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Shot, The (1937 film) 1937 films American comedy films 1937 comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by Edward Killy 1930s English-language films 1930s American films