It Grows on Trees

  • Dean Jagger: Philip Baxter
  • Joan Evans: Diana Baxter
  • Richard Crenna: Ralph Baxter

It Grows on Trees is an American comedy directed by Arthur Lubin in 1952 with Irene Dunne in her last film role.

Action

Polly Baxter is a housewife and mother of three children. The income of husband Phil is lean and rich hardly to meet the needs of all family members. Despite all the limitations buys Polly one day, two new trees for the garden. Soon it turns out sure that grow on the trees instead of leaves bills. The story is exploited heartily by the media, and finally explains the U.S. Treasury bills for the legal tender. Finally Polly can lead the long-awaited life of luxury. Quickly, however, presents the disadvantage of these natural currency out: the leaves wither and dry up quickly. To support the national currency, the government buys at the end Mrs. Baxter from their trees and lets them cut down. As tempers have calmed down, Polly makes a new, sensational discovery: in the old bottle that she bought at the flea market, apparently lives after a dienbarer spirit.

Background

After the success in I Remember Mama, the career of Irene Dunne also appeared on her 50th birthday also continue without problems. 1949, however, she refused the offer of Darryl F. Zanuck from a nun in the sky ... and laughs to play. Loretta Young took over the role and received for her portrayal of a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Irene Dunne, however, never recovered from the two successive artistic and financial Flops in Never a Dull Moment and The Mudlark, which she experienced in 1950.

The first well-known Hollywood star, she tried in mid- 1952 a career in the emerging medium of television. She served for several episodes of the program Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars as a presenter. Neither the audience nor the critics started to like Dunne, the beginning of each one-hour live broadcast anmoderierte the next program in glamorous presentation. Added to this was in the eyes of their fans a credibility contradiction if such a renowned artist such as Irene Dunne appeared in a show that was sponsored by the slot brewery.

Your last film role eventually took the actress in the produced with little effort comedy It Grows on Trees, she was shooting for Universal Pictures. Dunne acted alongside their regular salary a profit share of 7.5 per cent for off. The working title was There's Nothing Like Money. Universal Pictures had a special permit from the Department of the Treasury, seek, because it was not allowed to film the currency notes as a whole or to photograph.

After It Grows on Trees, the actress withdrew permanently from the screen. Among the reasons it several years later said:

"I 'm not sure why I have withdrawn myself. There was really no need. The scripts were still coming in.. I compare my career with that of Mickey Mantle. As he I went when I was still up. Maybe it was just that I had no desire on the second or third lead role. I never wanted to play character roles. I slipped into the acting and back out again. "

Reviews

The New York Times was not pleased with the silly events.

" Irene Dunne, the indefatigable lady who has played everything from a novelist who really skin on the plaster to Queen Victoria, presented [ ... ] in a silly little fantasy comedy called " It Grows on Trees ", which of course money is meant. [ ... ] For your money you get, however, only served a single joke, which stretches like chewing gum during the course of the action. [ ... ] Miss Dunne exaggerated gentility emphasizes unfortunately how thin the whole story is yet. A single point, which will be ridden by their endless repetition to death "

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