''Anything Can Happen'' is a 1952 American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film directed by

George Seaton George Seaton (April 17, 1911 – July 28, 1979) was an American screenwriter, playwright, film director and producer, and theatre director. Life and career Early life Seaton was born George Edward Stenius in South Bend, Indiana, of Swedish des ...

, starring

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...

and

Kim Hunter Kim Hunter (born Janet Cole; November 11, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar N ...

stars as Giorgi Papashvily, who emigrates from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in the Soviet Union to the United States and gradually becomes Americanized. Based on a 1945 best-selling

biographical novel The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life. Like other forms of biographical fiction, details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fiction ...

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

and

George Papashvily George Papashvily ( ka, გიორგი პაპაშვილი; August 23, 1898 – March 29, 1978) was a Georgian-American writer and sculptor. He was one of the most famous Georgian (emigrants) artists of the 20th century. Life George Pa ...

, the film also stars

, fresh from her Oscar-winning turn in ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of person ...

''.

Plot

Papashvily is an immigrant who arrives for initial immigrant inspection on

Ellis Island Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mi ...

, and starts taking jobs on New York's bustling Lower East Side. His friend, Nuri (

Kurt Kasznar Kurt Kasznar (born Kurt Servischer; August 13, 1913 – August 6, 1979) was an Austrian-American stage, film and television actor who played roles on Broadway, appearing in the original Broadway productions of '' Waiting for Godot'', ''The ...

), who had arrived in New York earlier and speaks English, leads the way, telling Giorgi that he'll help him get an outdoor job with plenty of fresh air. Instead, they find themselves carrying buckets and pouring hot tar on rooftops. Giorgi, who didn't speak a word of English when he arrived, works diligently to learn the language, practicing troublesome consonants ("W" and "V") in the mirror. He also shares a house with fellow Georgians. Cited by the police with some of his fellow countrymen for picking flowers in

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

, he refuses to pay the fine because he didn't pick the flowers (although he was present) and it would be wrong to admit to a crime he did not commit. Appearing before the judge on principle, he explains what happened. The judge, taken by his honesty and obvious character, finds him not guilty after the arresting police officer admits that he didn't actually see Giorgi pick any flowers. The judge shakes Giorgi's hand, thanking him for brightening his courtroom. Giorgi has also caught the eye of the pretty court reporter, Helen Watson (

), who is equally moved by Giorgi's simple but eloquent defense. She invites him over to her house because her hobby is recording folk music and she wants Giorgi to identify some music. It turns out that Giorgi has a pretty good voice as well. A fast but proper friendship develops between Helen and Giorgi. Helen has also recorded another musician who turns out to be Georgi's "Uncle John" (

Oscar Beregi, Sr. Oscar Beregi (born Oszkár Beregi, 24 January 1876 – 18 October 1965) was a Hungarian-Jewish actor who appeared primarily in German films. Biography Beregi was born in Budapest, Hungary, and was the father of actor Oscar Beregi Jr. He a ...

) a friend from the old country and now a chef in New York, who Giorgi has been looking for since his arrival. Giorgi moves into Uncle John's house which he shares with a colorful group of fellow Georgian emigres. Giorgi dreams of becoming a U.S. citizen and noticing the hints from Helen (she calls him "darling"), also dreams of marrying her. But he lacks a bit of self-confidence in the area of romance. A few comic scenes ensue, notably one about an expanding loaf of dough, which Nuri understandably mispronounces as "duff" (i.e. "enough," "rough") There are further scenes of immigrant life. Just when Giorgi is about to reveal his feelings for Helen, at the behest of Uncle John, she announces that she needs to go to California to look after a sick aunt who raised her. She promises to be back shortly. She leaves Giorgi with a plant to take care of for her. Weeks turn into months and Uncle John encourages Giorgi to go out to California. When he hesitates, Uncle John quits his job at the restaurant and announces he is going to California and asks Giorgi if he would like to come. Soon the whole household picks up and decamps to Southern California, where they connect with a reclusive fellow Georgian. Meanwhile, something appears to have changed with Helen, who has taken a job. Giorgi purchases a house and farm he can't afford and becomes an orange tree farmer. He still hasn't asked Helen to marry him. She confesses to her bedridden aunt that she doesn't feel a cold chill down her back with Giorgi and doesn't want to marry anyone until she is sure. The aunt discourages Helen's romanticism, telling her that she can get that chill from a cold shower. A past romance is discussed, which apparently didn't end well. A frost comes and threatens to ruin the orange crop. Helen rushes out to the farm and orders everyone to stop standing around and to light fires to keep the crop warm. Giorgi, deeply moved, asks Helen to marry him. She immediately says yes. Nuri and his friends arrive in a car from New York and Giorgi reveals the news. Uncle John becomes ill and a judge gives him a citizenship test and he becomes a citizen, dying shortly thereafter.

Cast

as Giorgi *

as Helen *

as Nuri Bey *

as Uncle John *

Eugenie Leontovich Eugenie Leontovich (born Evgenia Konstantinovna Leontovich; russian: Евге́ния Константиновна Леонто́вич, tr. ; March 21 or April 3 "Eugenie Leontovich, 93; actress, writer, director", ''Chicago Tribune'', April ...

as Anna *

Oskar Karlweis Oskar Leopold Karlweis (often credited Oscar Karlweis; 10 July 1894 – 24 January 1956) was an Austrian-American stage and film actor, active internationally. Career Born in Hinterbrühl, Austria-Hungary, he was the son of playwright Carl Ka ...

as Uncle Besso *

Mikhail Rasumny Mikhail Rasumny (May 13, 1884, in Odessa, Russian empire – February 17, 1956, in United States) was a Soviet and American film actor. Biography Rasumny was born in Odessa, son of the famous cantor Ephraim Zalman (Solomon) Razumny, who was chief ...

as Tariel Godiedze *

Nick Dennis Nick Dennis (April 26, 1904 – November 14, 1980) was a Greek American film actor born in Thessaly, Greece. Biography The supporting actor, who began in films in 1947, was known for playing ethnic types (usually Greek) in films such as ''Kiss ...

as Chancho * Gloria Marlowe as Luba Godiedze *

Otto Waldis Otto Waldis (born Otto Glucksmann-Blum, May 20, 1901 – March 25, 1974) was an Austrian-American character actor in films and television from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was also billed as Otto Blum. Years in Germany Waldis was born Otto ...

as Sandro *

George Voskovec Jiří Voskovec (), born Jiří Wachsmann and known in the United States as George Voskovec (June 19, 1905 – July 1, 1981) was a Czech actor, writer, dramatist, and director who became an American citizen in 1955. Throughout much of his career ...

as Pavli * Alexander Danaroff as Eliko Tomavily *

Natasha Lytess Natasha Lytess (born 16 May 1911, Berlin, Germany – died 12 May 1963, Zurich, Switzerland) was an actress, writer and drama coach. Life Born Natalia Postmann and also known as Tala Forman, she had studied with the director Max Reinhardt and app ...

as Madame Greshiani

Reception

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' panned the film, writing that Seaton had "borrowed and invented a series of episodes that are quaintly sentimental and romantic but they have the strong flavor of myth. Furthermore, they are strung together in such a loose and senseless way and are played with such calculated cuteness that the monotony of them palls." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it "a heart-warming comedy, engagingly acted, slickly produced and directed." "A pleasant, heart-warming comedy drama," agreed ''

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 ...

''. "Much of the picture's charm and warmth stems from the sympathetic characterizations, particularly that of Jose Ferrer, who does an outstanding job as the immigrant."

John McCarten John McCarten (September 10, 1911, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – September 25, 1974, New York City) was an American writer who contributed about 1,000 pieces for ''The New Yorker'', serving as the magazine's film critic from 1945 to 1960 and B ...

of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' called the film "somewhat superficial," adding, "There are funny scenes, and if broken English amuses you, you might find more of the film palatable than I did. However, I'm afraid things go entirely too sweetly for this immigrant to make for much suspense, and the accent José Ferrer uses in the role of the hero makes him sound more Chinese than Georgian." ''Anything Can Happen'' won a Golden Globe Award for Promoting International Understanding.

References

External links

* {{George Seaton 1952 films 1952 comedy-drama films American comedy-drama films Films about immigration to the United States Films based on American novels Films directed by George Seaton Films scored by Victor Young Films set in California Films set in New York City Georgian-American culture Paramount Pictures films American black-and-white films Films produced by William Perlberg 1950s English-language films 1950s American films