The Crystal Ball

1943
Approved
1h 21m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Ray Milland and Paulette Goddard in The Crystal Ball (1943)

A woman becomes a fortune teller after losing a beauty contest.A woman becomes a fortune teller after losing a beauty contest.A woman becomes a fortune teller after losing a beauty contest.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

838

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Top cast62

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Ray Milland

Brad Cavanaugh

Paulette Goddard

Toni Gerard

Gladys George

Madame Zenobia

Virginia Field

Jo Ainsley

Cecil Kellaway

Pop Tibbets

William Bendix

Biff Carter

Yvonne De Carlo

Secretary
(scenes deleted)

Maude Eburne

Apple Annie Character
(scenes deleted)

Iris Adrian

Mrs. Angela Martin
(uncredited)

Eric Alden

Ambulance Driver
(uncredited)

Maxine Ardell

Secretary
(uncredited)

Sig Arno

Waiter at Stukov's
(uncredited)

Bobby Barber

Educated Fleas Act Sign Carrier
(uncredited)

May Beatty

Dowager
(uncredited)

William A. Boardway

Elevator Passenger
(uncredited)

Lulu Mae Bohrman

Party Guest
(uncredited)

Hillary Brooke

Friend of Jo Ainsley
(uncredited)

Paul Bryar

Maurice, Captain of Waiters
(uncredited)

Director
- Elliott Nugent
Writers
- Virginia Van Upp
- Steven Vas
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The little convertible driven by Ray Milland is a 2-cylinder Crosley. Paulette Goddard owned one in real life.

Goofs
When the waiter carrying the cake slips and falls, he supposedly does so because Toni Gerard dropped her lipstick on the floor; however, the waiter does not actually step on the lipstick prior to falling.

Quotes
Mrs. Smythe: I'm a phobophobe.
Toni Gerard: You're a what?
Mrs. Smythe: A phobophobe. That means I'm afraid of being afraid.
Toni Gerard: I see.
Mrs. Smythe: Well, I don't understand it either, but according to psychoanalysts, it's all because I was a child.

Crazy credits
Opening credits are shown over a crystal ball & astrology diagram background.

Soundtracks
Tangerine
(uncredited)
Written by Victor Schertzinger (music) and Johnny Mercer (lyrics)
Instrumental version

Paulette Goddard and Ray Milland did several films during the Forties enough they should qualify as a screen team. The Crystal Ball has them as a former beauty contest winner who is down to 38 cents to her name as she arrives in New York. She's befriended by Gladys George who is a fortune teller and also by Cecil Kellaway who runs a shooting gallery and she works for both at times.

Enter Ray Milland lawyer whose main client is Virginia Field, oil heiress and believer in the occult and various folks who make their living off the same. Goddard takes one look at Milland and decides he's the one.

Getting him away from Field will be a problem though. So in a series of Lucy like stunts she does everything she can to win Milland including accidentally giving him some inside information concerning his client's estate. And Field who has her hooks into Milland ain't giving up without a fight.

Always amusing and around is William Bendix playing Milland's chauffeur, butler, and general all around factotum. There isn't a movie or television show that he was in that something special wasn't added.

I think The Crystal Ball might have been a classic if someone like Mitchell Leisen or George Marshall had directed it. It's amusing enough, but lacks that classic spark.