"The Crystal Ball" is a very light comedy romance made by Paramount in the middle of World War II. Many of the better writers, cameramen, and other technical film people as well as actors were engaged elsewhere at the time, or otherwise in short supply. This film has that feel of second-hand sets and cost-cutting. A reworked and much better screenplay would have done a lot for the comedy aspects. What little humor there is comes from the troubling situations that Paulette Goddard's Toni Gerard gets into. It's too bad, because she and Ray Milland were capable of handling clever dialog very well, as seen in other films. They starred together in two Paramount films that had much witty dialog. "Kitty" of 1946 is a very good caper comedy, and "The Lady Has Plans" of 1942 is a very good early WW II mystery and espionage comedy. And each made several other superb comedies with leading comedy co-stars of the mid-20th century.
Ray Milland's Brad Cavanaugh is the object of Kitty's affections in in this film. But his role is mostly wasted as window-dressing for the foibles and antics of Toni.
This also is one of those questionable films of crime and wrong-doing. In the well-written caper comedies, audiences come away having had many good laughs and without any doubts about the wrong of crime. This film doesn't provide such an ending, so the deceit of the fortune-teller's racket,. Including that applied by Toni, is never clearly righted here. It's sort of an end justifies the means tale.
The rest of the cast are all okay in their roles, but nothing special. And what is that mini-auto that Milland is driving in 1943? It looks like a Fiat convertible. There weren't many of those seen in the States then. The shooting gallery where Toni goes to work for Pop Tibbets (Cecil Kellaway) has a very funny trio of targets. They are images of Mussolini, Hitler and Hirohito.
Even the few funniest lines in this film won't evoke much more than a chuckle. But here they are.
Toni Gerard, "Oh, you're awfully kind. Madame Zenobia." Madame Zenobia, "Don't kid yourself. You've got quite a future. Maybe I wanna tie-in with it." Toni. "Well, did you see that in the crystal ball." Madame Zenobia, "No, baby. I saw that when you crossed your legs."
Dudley, "Gosh, don't you think she's pretty, dad?" Dad in the shooting gallery, "Don't you ever go think a woman's pretty who can shoot like that, Dudley."
Jo Ainsley, "Well, now whadda you think of fortune tellers?" Brad Cavanaugh, "I think you should take your rings off before you wash your hands."
Madame Zenobia, seeing Toni change clothes, "Say, those judges were nuts". Toni Gerard, "Thanks. You wouldn't think so if you'd seen that blonde. She bombed from a very low altitude."
Brad Cavanaugh, "I suppose you find New York quite a bit different." Toni Gerard, "Not very. In Texas it's the coyotes that howl, here it's wolves." Cavanaugh, "Well, you can't really blame them, you know. Waving red hair in front of a wolf is dangerous business."
Brad Cavanaugh, "If there's anything lower than somebody who uses other people's belief in the supernatural to make money, then I - it's like stealing in church."
Brad Cavanaugh, after Toni and Jo both leave him abruptly in the taxi, "Say, what is this?" Taxi driver, "Well, some guys got it, and some ain't. You ain't - just keep tryin', brother."
Ray Milland's Brad Cavanaugh is the object of Kitty's affections in in this film. But his role is mostly wasted as window-dressing for the foibles and antics of Toni.
This also is one of those questionable films of crime and wrong-doing. In the well-written caper comedies, audiences come away having had many good laughs and without any doubts about the wrong of crime. This film doesn't provide such an ending, so the deceit of the fortune-teller's racket,. Including that applied by Toni, is never clearly righted here. It's sort of an end justifies the means tale.
The rest of the cast are all okay in their roles, but nothing special. And what is that mini-auto that Milland is driving in 1943? It looks like a Fiat convertible. There weren't many of those seen in the States then. The shooting gallery where Toni goes to work for Pop Tibbets (Cecil Kellaway) has a very funny trio of targets. They are images of Mussolini, Hitler and Hirohito.
Even the few funniest lines in this film won't evoke much more than a chuckle. But here they are.
Toni Gerard, "Oh, you're awfully kind. Madame Zenobia." Madame Zenobia, "Don't kid yourself. You've got quite a future. Maybe I wanna tie-in with it." Toni. "Well, did you see that in the crystal ball." Madame Zenobia, "No, baby. I saw that when you crossed your legs."
Dudley, "Gosh, don't you think she's pretty, dad?" Dad in the shooting gallery, "Don't you ever go think a woman's pretty who can shoot like that, Dudley."
Jo Ainsley, "Well, now whadda you think of fortune tellers?" Brad Cavanaugh, "I think you should take your rings off before you wash your hands."
Madame Zenobia, seeing Toni change clothes, "Say, those judges were nuts". Toni Gerard, "Thanks. You wouldn't think so if you'd seen that blonde. She bombed from a very low altitude."
Brad Cavanaugh, "I suppose you find New York quite a bit different." Toni Gerard, "Not very. In Texas it's the coyotes that howl, here it's wolves." Cavanaugh, "Well, you can't really blame them, you know. Waving red hair in front of a wolf is dangerous business."
Brad Cavanaugh, "If there's anything lower than somebody who uses other people's belief in the supernatural to make money, then I - it's like stealing in church."
Brad Cavanaugh, after Toni and Jo both leave him abruptly in the taxi, "Say, what is this?" Taxi driver, "Well, some guys got it, and some ain't. You ain't - just keep tryin', brother."