US Release date: 10 June 1949
First Melbourne Saturday Suburban: 7 January 1950
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Running time: 87 minutes.
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: Ray Milland, Jean Peters & Paul Douglas
Australian Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Melbourne Premiere Venue: Two weeks at Hoyts Esquire Theatre from 2 December 1949 with Tucson as support.
Suburban Release Type: Hoyts Victory EX-2
Rankings
| EF Points | 253 | 84 |
| EF PPE | 4.87 | 100 |
| Metres Travelled | 542,536 | 61 |
| Average MT | 10,433 | 141 |
| Engagements | 52 | 55 |
| Slots | 57 | 123 |
| Weeks | 5 | 168 |
| Weeks as % of engagements | 9.62% | 205 |
| Saturdays | 27 | 69 |
| Sats as % of engagements | 51.92% | 88 |
| Tuesdays | 20 | 105 |
| Tues as % of engagements | 38.46% | 152 |
| First billed | 49 | 49 |
| Second billed | 3 | 234 |
| Feature only | 0 | 34* |
Hoyts Ratios
| Engagements weeks 1-10 | 48 |
| Ratio | 92.31% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -0.05% |
| Eng weeks 11-26 | 4 |
| Ratio | 7.69% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 2.30% |
| Eng weeks 27-52 | 0 |
| Ratio | 0.00% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -2.24% |
| Hoyts eng | 34 |
| Ratio | 65.38% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -0.40% |
| Independent eng | 6 |
| Ratio | 11.54% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 0.04% |
| Suburban eng | 12 |
| Ratio | 23.08% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 0.36% |
For a baseball film this Fox comedy performed very strongly with Melbourne audiences, no doubt its success was aided by the fantastic elements of the film (a scientist develops a formula that allows him to make baseballs that are repelled by wood). Widely played across the city, it found suitable use as both Saturday and Tuesday fare. Although its opening suburban week was as a exclusive support, its life was as a main feature, usually with Escape Me Never at the bottom of the bill.
It Happens Every Spring engagements
| SUBURB | VENUE | CHAIN | DATE | W | D | B | CO-FEATURE |
| St.Kilda | Victory | Hoyts | 7/1/50 | 1 | W | 2 | Adventures of Robin Hood |
| Caulfield | Crystal Palace | Suburban | 14/1/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Collingwood | Austral | Suburban | 14/1/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Johnny Stool Pigeon |
| Malvern | New | Hoyts | 14/1/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| North Fitzroy | Merri | Hoyts | 14/1/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Port Melbourne | Eclipse | Hoyts | 14/1/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| South Yarra | Regent | Hoyts | 14/1/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Albert Park | Park | Hoyts | 14/1/50 | 2 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Fitzroy | Regent | Hoyts | 14/1/50 | 2 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Richmond | Cinema | Hoyts | 14/1/50 | 2 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Windsor | New | Hoyts | 14/1/50 | 2 | W | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Ascot Vale | Ascot | Suburban | 21/1/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Newmarket | Newmarket | Suburban | 21/1/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Johnny Stool Pigeon |
| Richmond | Globe | Suburban | 21/1/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Brunswick | Alhambra | Hoyts | 21/1/50 | 3 | S | 1 | A Woman’s Secret |
| Elsternwick | Renown | Hoyts | 21/1/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Essendon | Circle | Hoyts | 21/1/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Northcote | Northcote | Suburban | 21/1/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Ascot Vale | Waratah | Hoyts | 21/1/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Brighton | Centre | Hoyts | 21/1/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Essendon | Plaza | Hoyts | 21/1/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Glenhuntly | Glenhuntly | Hoyts | 21/1/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Thornbury | Regent | Hoyts | 21/1/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Coburg | Town Hall | Hoyts | 21/1/50 | 3 | W | 1 | Trouble Preferred |
| Balwyn | Time | Hoyts | 28/1/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Bentleigh | Bentleigh | Hoyts | 28/1/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Camberwell | Broadway | Hoyts | 28/1/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Gardiner | Regent | Hoyts | 28/1/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Hampton | Southern | Hoyts | 28/1/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Kew | Rialto | Hoyts | 28/1/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Carnegie | Carnegie | Hoyts | 28/1/50 | 4 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Glenferrie | Palace | Hoyts | 28/1/50 | 4 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Preston | Circle | Hoyts | 28/1/50 | 4 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Footscray | Trocadero | Hoyts | 28/1/50 | 4 | W | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Fairfield | Fairfield | Suburban | 4/2/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Johnny Stool Pigeon |
| North Fitzroy | Palace | Suburban | 4/2/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Brunswick | Lygon | Hoyts | 4/2/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Hartwell | Regal | Suburban | 4/2/50 | 5 | T | 1 | Mark of Cain |
| Canterbury | Maling | Hoyts | 4/2/50 | 5 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Ivanhoe | Ivanhoe | Hoyts | 4/2/50 | 5 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Malvern | Victory | Hoyts | 4/2/50 | 5 | T | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| North Carlton | Adelphi | Independent | 11/2/50 | 6 | S | 1 | Mexican Hayride |
| Yarraville | St. George | Suburban | 11/2/50 | 6 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Williamstown | Shore | Hoyts | 11/2/50 | 6 | S | 1 | Escape Me Never |
| Oakleigh | Paramount | Independent | 18/2/50 | 7 | S | 1 | Johnny Stool Pigeon |
| North Richmond | Victoria | Independent | 25/2/50 | 8 | T | 1 | Tarzan’s Magic Fountain |
| Box Hill | Regent | Suburban | 25/2/50 | 8 | T | 1 | The Inlanders |
| Preston West | Rivoli | Independent | 11/3/50 | 10 | T | 1 | Embraceable You |
| Clifton Hill | Clifton | Suburban | 25/3/50 | 12 | S | 1 | Follow Me Quietly |
| Chelsea | Plaza | Independent | 8/4/50 | 14 | W | 2 | The Stratton Story |
| Prahran | Empress | Hoyts | 20/5/70 | 20 | T | 2 | The Crooked Way |
| Coburg | Plaza | Independent | 27/5/50 | 21 | S | 1 | Jungle Jim |
The 1950 Project 