I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1951 film)

Cast and production

• Susan Hayward — leading role
• Dan Dailey — co-star
• George Sanders — supporting role
• Sam Jaffe — supporting role
• Harry von Zell — supporting role

The film was produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Michael Gordon, the director, was active in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s and later became known for other commercial comedies. The movie pairs studio production values with a cast composed of established character actors and a leading dramatic star.

Adaptation and themes

Although based on Jerome Weidman's novel, the 1951 screen adaptation streamlines and reshapes aspects of the original book to fit a feature-film format and the expectations of mid-century American audiences. As with many adaptations of the period, plotlines and character emphasis were adjusted: the film foregrounds romantic relationships and dramatic conflict while simplifying some of the novel's broader social observations.

Release, reception, and legacy

Released commercially by 20th Century Fox, the film entered a crowded market of postwar dramas and romances. Contemporary reviews treated the picture as a work anchored by its performances rather than as a faithful literary adaptation. Over time the film is most often noted today in connection with its cast and as one of several screenworks that drew on Weidman's writing.

Related works and notable facts

The source novel later inspired other adaptations, most prominently a Broadway musical in 1962 that provided an early breakthrough for Barbra Streisand. That stage version differs markedly in tone and structure from the 1951 film, illustrating how a single literary source can yield distinct artistic interpretations across media. The film remains a reference point for studies of studio-era adaptations and midcentury romantic drama.

I Can Get It for You Wholesale exemplifies how Hollywood translated contemporary fiction into star-driven features: focusing on performance, streamlined storytelling, and production values intended to appeal to broad audiences while retaining a connection to a well-known literary title.