Thanks A Million (1935)
Director:
Roy Del Ruth
Writer:
Nunnally Johnson (screenplay)
Stars:
Dick Powell, Ann Dvorak, Fred Allen
A sharp satire of small-town politics,Thanks a Million stars Dick Powell as the leading man of a travelling musical show. During a short stopover, the troupe witnesses a political rally where a pompous candidate (Raymond Walburn) is wallowing in ineptitude. Sensing a quick-buck opportunity, the show's manager (Fred Allen) offers to entertain on the politician's behalf. The upshot of all this is that Powell, rather than the political hack, becomes the party's candidate for governor! Thanks a Millionwas remade in 1946 as If I'm Lucky, with Perry Como and Phil Silvers, respectively, in the Dick Powell and Fred Allen roles.