314:), J.C.'s freeloading brother-in-law, have little trouble locating Florie. Willie tells her that they are cousins and that the family wants her to spend the holidays with them. Florie recognizes Marchand's name and confides to him, one trouper to another, that she knows she is not related to the Pidgeons, but as she is broke and behind on her rent, she is eager to play along.
439:, but was shelved and later recast after the deaths of both stars; ultimately, the story was sold to Republic Pictures. At a time when the studio specialized in low-budget westerns, it was an odd choice for Republic to take on a "screwball comedy". Many of the stars had to be borrowed from other studios, including Schildkraut, a legendary stage and
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before passing out from too much drink. All of the
Pidgeons are ashamed of themselves and finally confess everything to Florie. Later, Marchand wakes up and departs, leaving a note explaining his divided loyalties. Florie tracks him down at a bar in the nearest town and tells him she is going to give
317:
After the search ends up on the front page of the newspaper, the
Pidgeons hastily relocate to an isolated house in the country to keep Florie in the dark. When they arrive, they discover that all of their servants have quit. J.C., having been raised there, refuses to hire new ones, fearing that they
463:
Republic wasn't kidding when it titled the vapid little film which it delivered yesterday to the Gotham "The
Cheaters." It's a swindle, all right. ... the whole thing is trashy—just a compound of witless platitudes. And several good actors are wasted in it.
303:. Reggie worries about a blackmail attempt, but Marchand makes a seemingly heartfelt speech about honor and his gratitude to the Pidgeons. He then eavesdrops and walks away without his customary limp, but is spotted by Angela (
295:, J.C. conspires to limit the search to just placing newspaper ads for a week without mentioning the inheritance. Furthermore, the executor believes the woman is in New York City, not Denver, where Uncle Henry died.
298:
J.C. decides to look for Florie himself, so he can better keep the news from her. Marchand (awakening from an alcoholic binge) overhears the whole scheme and suggests he can probably find her easily through
249:, and when the Republic film catalogue was sold in the 1950s as late night television fodder, it appeared consistently for years as a Christmas staple throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
268:) persuades the rest of the family to take in a charity case for the holidays, not out of the goodness of her heart but to impress her upper-class boyfriend Stephen Bates (
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Meanwhile, two private detectives are closing in. When they show up at the house, they are lied to, but the detectives are not fooled and set about getting a
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was much more charitable: "Excellent cast in enjoyable tale of wealthy family of snobs humanized by downtrodden actor they invite for
Christmas dinner."
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264:) is on the verge of bankruptcy. His only hope is rich uncle Henry, who is on his deathbed. J.C.'s daughter Therese (
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may be people he grew up with. The family, with the exception of Angela, pitch in. Soon, even Angela is helping out.
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tale about a has-been actor invited to
Christmas dinner by a rich family. The film was atypical of the
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That night
Marchand alludes to the situation, implicitly comparing the family's deception to
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The original story by
Frances Hyland and Albert Ray was written in 1941 as a vehicle for
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star. Principal photography for the production ran from
February 1 to mid-March 1945.
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Christmas at the Movies: Images of
Christmas in American, British and European Cinema
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St. Luke's
Choristers as the Choir (featuring a solo by Philip D. Haynes)
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272:) and his mother. From a newspaper list, they pick Anthony Marchand (
596:"Leonard Maltin Ratings & Review: 'The Cheaters'."
243:. The film was re-released in 1949 under a new title,
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580:"The Screen: Cheating Cheaters at the Rialto."
468:In a later review, film critic and historian
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546:"Cast & crew: 'The Cheaters' (1945)."
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565:"Articles: 'The Cheaters' (1945)."
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659:from the original on 2021-12-10.
343:half the money to the Pidgeons.
78:Joseph Kane (associate producer)
805:American screwball comedy films
800:American Christmas comedy films
603:. Retrieved: November 23, 2015.
570:. Retrieved: December 20, 2023.
551:. Retrieved: December 20, 2023.
795:American black-and-white films
310:Marchand and Willie Crawford (
260:businessman James C. Pidgeon (
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815:Films scored by Walter Scharf
810:Films directed by Joseph Kane
356:as Mr. M aka Anthony Marchand
835:1940s English-language films
790:1940s screwball comedy films
785:1940s Christmas comedy films
764:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
536:Connelly 2000, pp. 111–112.
856:
820:Films set in New York City
483:has been released on DVD.
34:Theatrical release poster
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16:1945 film by Joseph Kane
825:Republic Pictures films
493:List of Christmas films
451:The unnamed critic for
153:July 14, 1945
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215:The Magnificent Mr. M.
203:MR. M. and the Pigeons
200:(1945), also known as
600:Turner Classic Movies
568:Turner Classic Movies
549:Turner Classic Movies
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221:The Magnificent Rogue
840:1940s American films
235:studio, directed by
105:Richard L. Van Enger
646:The Cheaters (1945)
459:a scathing review:
368:as James C. Pidgeon
279:J.C.'s son Reggie (
741:TCM Movie Database
583:The New York Times
453:The New York Times
392:as Therese Pidgeon
380:as Willie Crawford
354:Joseph Schildkraut
274:Joseph Schildkraut
241:Joseph Schildkraut
229:"screwball comedy"
209:The Amazing MR. M.
87:Joseph Schildkraut
830:1945 comedy films
710:978-1-86064-397-2
594:Maltin, Leonard.
585:, July 21, 1945.}
404:as Reggie Pidgeon
396:Robert Livingston
386:as Angela Pidgeon
339:A Christmas Carol
289:Uncle Tom's Cabin
270:Robert Livingston
233:Republic Pictures
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614:Ghostarchive
612:Archived at
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169:Running time
146:Release date
22:The Cheaters
702:I.B. Tauris
441:silent film
384:Anne Gillis
305:Anne Gillis
237:Joseph Kane
75:Produced by
45:Joseph Kane
41:Directed by
780:1945 films
774:Categories
700:. London:
499:References
476:Home media
419:Production
402:David Holt
390:Ruth Terry
372:Ona Munson
285:Ona Munson
281:David Holt
266:Ruth Terry
173:87 minutes
157:1945-07-14
122:Production
69:Albert Ray
524:Citations
447:Reception
226:Christmas
101:Edited by
752:AllMovie
704:, 2000.
657:Archived
616:and the
487:See also
293:executor
186:Language
111:Music by
83:Starring
61:Story by
761:at the
739:at the
678:YouTube
672:YouTube
652:YouTube
630:YouTube
224:, is a
189:English
178:Country
155: (
124:company
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504:Notes
455:gave
730:IMDb
706:ISBN
435:and
347:Cast
253:Plot
218:and
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556:^
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