It All Came True is a 1940 crime comedy musical directed by Lewis Seiler. The film stars Ann Sheridan, Jeffryn Lynn, and Humphrey Bogart. It All Came True was based on Louis Bromfield’s 1936 short story “Better Than Life.”
Director: Lewis Seiler
Production Company: Warner Bros.
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Cast: Ann Sheridan, Jeffrey Lynn, Humphrey Bogart, ZaSu Pitts, Una O’Connor, Jessie Busley, Felix Bressart
US Box Office: Unknown
Film Format: Black & White
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Musical
Release Date: April 5, 1940
Plot Summary: After killing a man, gangster “Chips Maguire” Grasselli (Humphrey Bogart) convinces Tommy Taylor (Jeffrey Lynn), a struggling young musician who Grasselli took under his wing, to let him hide at a boarding house run by Tommy’s mother Nora (Jessie Busley) and her friend Maggie Ryan (Una O’Connor). Nora agrees to let Grasselli stay, unware of his criminal past. Maggie’s daughter Sarah Jane (Ann Sheridan), who previously dated Tommy, suspects that there is more to Grasselli than meets the eye.
Production: In 1939, Warner Bros. producer Mark Hellinger began working on a comedy-musical film based on the short story “Better Than Life” (1936) written by Louis Bromfield for Hearst’s International Cosmopolitan. The story was about a gangster who has to hide from the police in boarding house filled with neurotic eccentrics. The screenplay was written by Michael Fessier, Lawrence Kimble, and an uncredited Delmer Daves. The Roaring Nineties and And It All Came True were working titles before It All Came True was chosen. Hellinger chose Lewis Seiler, who was under contract with Warner Bros. at the time, to direct It All Came True.
Actress Ann Sheridan was cast as aspiring singer Sarah Jane Ryan. Sheridan recently became a star for Warner Bros. following her roles in Letter of Introduction (1938) and the gangster film Angels with Dirty Faces (1938). Jeffrey Lynn was cast as Tommy Taylor, Sarah Jane’s love interest. Lynn recently starred in the comedy film Yes, My Darling Daughter (1939). George Raft was originally considered for the part of mobster “Chips McGuire” before Humphrey Bogart was cast. At the time Bogart was primarily known for playing gangsters and similar characters. He and Sheridan previously starred together in Black Legion (1937), The Great O’Malley (1937), San Quentin (1937), Angels with Dirty Faces, and They Drive by Night (1940). Lewis Seiler had previously directed Bogart in Crime School (1938), King of the Underworld (1939), and You Can’t Get Away with Murder (1939).
Lewis Seiler began filming It All Came True in late November of 1939. The film was primarily shot on set at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Seiler would later direct Bogart again in The Big Shot (1942). The Big Shot was the last Warner Bros. film in which Bogart played a gangster, as Bogart finally became a popular leading man following the release of The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Casablanca (1942).
Fun Facts and Trivia: Humphrey Bogart and Jeffrey Lynn previously starred together in the crime drama The Roaring Twenties (1939). Lynn also previously had a bit part in the comedy film Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938), which featured Ann Sheridan. Sheridan and ZaSu Pitts (Miss Flint) previously starred together in Naughty but Nice (1939), and Sheridan had bit parts in two of Pitts’ earlier films: Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934) and Sing Me a Love Song (1936). Una O’Connor had a long career as a character actress and she played supporting roles in a variety of memorable films including The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). O’Connor was also known for appearing in two of John Ford’s films: The Informer (1935) and The Plough and the Stars (1936), and she played comic relief characters in the Universal Monsters films The Invisible Man (1933) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935).
Reception: It All Came True had its premiere on April 5, 1940. Although the film didn’t perform exceptionally well at the box office, it did receive positive reviews from critics at the time. Elena de la Torre of Cine-Mundial (the Spanish language version of Motion Picture Herald) praised Ann Sheridan’s performance. It All Came True was rereleased by Warner Bros. in 1945 after Bogart became a big star for the studio. The opening credits were edited to give Bogart top billing above Sheridan before the title, and Jeffrey Lynn was demoted to the “With” cast members listed after the title.
Why You Should See It: It All Came True is a charming and funny comedy film. The nightclub scene at the end of the film was memorable. Humphrey Bogart gives a good performance as Mr. Grasselli. Prior to Casablanca Bogart frequently played mobsters and similar criminal characters, and he was quite good at it. He had the right voice, appearance, personality, and roughness to properly bring these sort of characters to life. Bogart makes his character tough and threatening, but he’s also good in the comedic scenes. ZaSu Pitts is very funny in her supporting role as the neurotic Miss Flint.