The Fortune Cookie (1966) | |
| Director(s) | Billy Wilder |
| Producer(s) | I.A.L. Diamond (associate), Doane Harrison (associate), Billy Wilder |
| Top Genres | Comedy, Drama, Romance |
| Top Topics | Divorce, Friends, Lawyers, Romance (Comic), Satire |
Featured Cast:
The Fortune Cookie Overview:
The Fortune Cookie (1966) was a Comedy - Romance Film directed by Billy Wilder and produced by Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond and Doane Harrison.
SYNOPSIS
A TV cameraman (Lemmon) hatches an insurance fraud scheme with his brother-in-law (Matthau), a larcenous lawyer, when he's injured while working a football game. While wrestling with his conscience, the cameraman must also wrestle with the difficulties of masquerading as a wheelchair-bound invalid and with his greedy ex-wife, who returns to the fold in anticipation of a large settlement. Typically cynical Wilder comedy with the unbeatable team of Lemmon and Matthau in good form.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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Academy Awards 1966 --- Ceremony Number 39 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Supporting Actor | Walter Matthau | Won |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Robert Luthardt; Set Decoration: Edward G. Boyle | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | Joseph LaShelle | Nominated |
| Best Writing | Billy Wilder, I. A. L. Diamond | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
The Fortune Cookie (196 6)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Mar 17, 2018 From 4 Star Films“You can fool all of the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” ~ Inscription in the Fortune Cookie For some inexplicable reason, I expected The Fortune Cookie to be in color. Maybe in some sublim... Read full article
Billy Wilder's The Fortune Cookie (1)
By Rick29 on Apr 20, 2017 From Classic Film & TV CafeLike Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder found his career at the crossroads in the 1960s. Successes such as The Apartment and Irma la Douce were offset by flops like Kiss Me, Stupid and the under-appreciated One, Two, Three. It's almost as if he couldn't quite grasp what appealed to the public. I'm not s... Read full article
Billy Wilder's The Fortune Cookie (2)
By Rick29 on Apr 20, 2017 From Classic Film & TV CafeLike Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder found his career at the crossroads in the 1960s. Successes such as The Apartment and Irma la Douce were offset by flops like Kiss Me, Stupid and the under-appreciated One, Two, Three. It's almost as if he couldn't quite grasp what appealed to the public. I'm not s... Read full article
The Fortune Cookie (1)
By Amanda Garrett on Jun 21, 2015 From Old Hollywood FilmsToday, I'm looking at director Billy Wilder's classic comedy, The Fortune Cookie (1966), starring Jack Lemmon (above) as a man who is faking a spinal injury for a large insurance settlement. This article is part of the Billy Wilder Blogathon hosted by Outspoken & Freckled and Once Upon a Scr... Read full article
The Fortune Cookie (2)
By Michael on Feb 5, 2014 From Le Mot du CinephiliaqueThe Fortune Cookie (Billy Wilder, 1966) CBS cameraman Harry Hinkle (Jack Lemmon) gets injured when football player Luther "Boom Boom" Jackson (Ron Rich) runs into him while he is covering a Browns game at Cleveland Stadium. Harry's injuries are minor, but his conniving lawyer brother-in-law Willi... Read full article
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Quotes from
Willie Gingrich: Let 'em. If they're gonna break a leg, this is the place to do it.
[justifying why Willie should cheat his insurance company]
Willie Gingrich: What's wrong? Insurance companies have too much - they have to microfilm it.
Harry Hinkle: Florida and Mustangs and foxes, how are you gonna pay for all of this?
Willie Gingrich: Our credit is good.
Harry Hinkle: Well don't you think we better wait 'til we see some of that insurance money?
Willie Gingrich: Wait? Who waits nowadays? Take the government. When they shoot a billion dollars worth of hardware into space, do you think they pay cash? It's all on the Diner's Club!
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Facts about
The Fortune Cookie was the first on-screen collaboration between Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. Average Shot Length (ASL) = 17 seconds
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