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The Cheaters

Released Jan 1, 1945 1h 27m Holiday Comedy List
Tomatometer 1 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
When aristocrat James C. Pidgeon (Eugene Pallette) runs into money trouble, he thinks his dying uncle's fortune will save him, only to find out that it has been left to an unnamed actress. While lawyers search for the actress, James' daughter (Ruth Terry) convinces him to invite a destitute man, Mr. M., to Christmas dinner to appear generous. The man turns out to be a former actor (Joseph Schildkraut) who is also able to locate the mysterious actress heir, Florie Watson (Ona Munson).

Critics Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews An uplifting almost forgotten Christmas tale Rated: C+ Feb 4, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Sandi H We loved this movie. Not only is it a good family movie, it was humorous, heartwarming and had a great ending. The actors and actresses offered an outstanding performance! This one is now part of our favorite Christmas movies. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/24 Full Review Richard C Despite the 'it passed the time' 2 1/2 stars I gace it , it was better than the 2 1/2 star description. The script was weak but the actors , mostly character actors, did well with it. I iked the actors, among them Billie Burke who was Glinda inThe Wizard of Oz, Eugene Palette of My Man Godfrey and the lead character who I had never seen perform , Joseph Schildkraut. He was obviously classically trained and it showed to the film's advantage. A ham yes, but the script needed a ham . The surprise casting was Ona munson who played Belle Watling in Gone With the Wind. A better , stronger script and a defter hand on direction and character intrepretation would have yielded a better film; yet despite all, I am glad I watched it. Yeah, it passed the time as the 2 1/2 stars indicate but it was worth the time too. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/21/23 Full Review Tom M Unknown (if you asked a 1000 people on the street - one might know it) Christmas movie. It has the exact qualities of the popular ones. Schildkraut is the star that brings the family together but Ona Munson steals the film from him. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/25/20 Full Review Audience Member An intriguing oddity in the Christmas catalogue. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Probably one of the only Classic Christmas Hollywood Films I haven't seen & upon viewing I now know why it's not that well known. A very uneven Christmas Story that is hard to follow & confusing to engage in. The story of a rich family that is taught a lesson or two by a drifter they take in to impress another Rich Family. The film means well but fails to Fulfill its purpose, ultimately rather disappointing. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Entertaining film, although it seems it was meant to be a laugh-out-loud comedy, and I can't say I did much laughing while watching it. Probably didn't help that Sky+ failed to record the very end of the damn film! Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Cheaters

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis When aristocrat James C. Pidgeon (Eugene Pallette) runs into money trouble, he thinks his dying uncle's fortune will save him, only to find out that it has been left to an unnamed actress. While lawyers search for the actress, James' daughter (Ruth Terry) convinces him to invite a destitute man, Mr. M., to Christmas dinner to appear generous. The man turns out to be a former actor (Joseph Schildkraut) who is also able to locate the mysterious actress heir, Florie Watson (Ona Munson).
Director
Joseph Kane
Screenwriter
Frances Hyland, Albert Ray
Distributor
Republic Pictures
Production Co
Republic Pictures Corporation
Genre
Holiday, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 1, 1945, Wide
Runtime
1h 27m