The Stalking Moon
  • The Stalking Moon
  • Cracked Leather Armchair
  • The Small Screen
  • About Me
    • Cool things About Japan
    • Travel Recollections
    • Contact me

Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952)

4/24/2012

 
Picture

Classic movie fan confession…until now, I had never seen a Douglas Sirk movie.

While the credits were rolling on the delightful comedy Has Anybody Seen My Gal, I was pretty shocked when I saw “Directed by Douglas Sirk.”

You see, Douglas Sirk is nowadays most famous for directing a number of melodramatic “weepies” like Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind and Imitation of Life. I’ve been aware of these films for years, but have not made much of an effort to see them, as that’s far from my favorite genre.

PictureDouglas Sirk with Dorothy Malone and Rock Hudson.
But after having watched Has Anybody Seen My Gal, I can see that Sirk was far more than "just" a director of tearjerkers and social issues films. Early in his career (late 40s to the mid-50s) he made all kinds of films: musicals, crime dramas, wartime thrillers, swashbucklers and even westerns. In other words, he was just like many other journeyman directors, churning out quality mid-budget product for the major studios (in his case, Universal.)

Has Anybody Seen My Gal fits into this early period, and is far removed from his later serious works. It’s a light, joyful and witty tale, with lots of laughs and a simple moral.


PictureSam Fulton (Charles Coburn) returns to the site of his rejection

After a title card that reads: "This is a story about money -- Remember it?",  the movie opens in the late 1920s, with aging multimillionaire Sam Fulton (Charles Coburn) in bed, talking to his doctor and his lawyer. It quickly becomes apparent that the old man isn’t sick in the slightest, but is rather something of a hypochondriac. Fulton has summoned his lawyer because he wants to change his will.


Seems when he was a young man, he was in love with woman named Millicent, who spurned him and married someone else. This rejection so infuriated Fulton that he went out and made himself a fortune. Now in his 70s and with no family or heirs of his own, Fulton is contemplating giving his money to Millicent’s daughter Harriet Blaisdell and her family.  His lawyer persuades him to go and investigate the family first, to see if they’re worthy of his legacy. So Fulton heads to the small town of Hilverton, where the Blaisdell family lives, and insinuates himself into their busy household as a paying lodger, “John Smith.”


Picture
Dan (Rock Hudson) teaches "Gramps" how to be a soda jerk.
PictureYoung lovers Dan and Millie (Piper Laurie)
The Blaisdells seem a happy, normal family. Harriet’s husband Charles (Larry Gates) runs the local soda shop and drug store, making just enough to take care of his family and not any more. Son Howard is a college freshman, disappointed at not having car and wearing a shabbier coat than most of his fraternity pals but otherwise cheerful about his future prospects. Twentysomething daughter Millie is pretty, perky and in love with Dan (Rock Hudson) who works as a soda jerk at her father’s store.

PictureHarriet tries to influence her daughter's love life.

Even though the Blaisdells live in what seems to be a comfortable, middle class home, mother Harriet dreams of a better life for Millie and tries her best to steer her away from working class Dan and into a relationship with wealthy creep Carl Pennock (Skip Homeier).


Fulton soon blossoms in his newfound homey environment, disobeying his doctor’s orders by swiping Charles’ cheap cigars, eating Harriet’s beef stew and sharing his bed with the family dog. He especially bonds with the youngest Blaisdell, precocious 11-year-old Roberta (Gigi Perreau). Roberta takes to “Mr. Smith” right away, and before you know it, Fulton is working with Dan in the family store and enjoying his life immensely.

Picture"Mr. Smith" and Roberta (Gigi Perreau) hit it off right away.
 He sees the Blaisdells as the family he should have had, had Millicent accepted his proposal all those years ago. Convinced of their basic kindness and good nature, Fulton arranges anonymously to give the family $100,000 (about $1.3 million in today’s money).  

He’s dismayed to witness the negative impact the money has on the family, as their newfound wealth goes to their heads and leads them on the path of misery, bankruptcy and dysfunction. It’s up to Fulton to salvage the situation and restore the family to their original poor but happy status quo.

This is a light, effervescent bubble of a film. The 20s small-town Americana setting is well-realized, the characters varied and interesting, and the plot full of fun little complications, all handled with a light touch by Sirk and company.

This film was included as part of the Rock Hudson Screen Legend Collection, put out by Universal, but it couldn’t fairly be called "a Rock Hudson film," even though he has top billing. The movie belongs to Charles Coburn all the way.

Picture
Picture

Coburn was 75 at the time of filming Has Anybody Seen My Gal and had a long string of character parts behind him (including Heaven Can Wait, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Monkey Business). His age hardly seems to have slowed him down: he’s in virtually every scene here, and easily dominates the film, despite the strength of the supporting cast. He gets the lion’s share of the funniest lines, gets to show off a flair for physical comedy (he's a master of the reaction shot) and even does a little Charleston at the finale. He’s a delight.
Picture
Roberta and Mr. Smith perform a celebratory Charlston

The film’s script and production are a love letter to the 20s, with lots of standards on the soundtrack, plenty of flapper fashions and old Model T cars. The movie flirts with being a musical at times, but never quite crosses the line into full-on production numbers. There are a few brief snippets of songs, one early on when we first enter the Blaisdell’s soda shop, and a particularly cute little scene where Piper Laurie croons to Rock Hudson as he concentrates on getting his old clunker of a car started.
Picture
Picture

The main message of the film seems to be the old chestnut “be careful what you wish for,” but Sirk seems even more interested in how money changes people who aren’t used to having it, and how maybe having too much of it is not such a good thing after all, especially at the expense of family and friendships. Sirk also pokes fun at both the pomposity and rigid social structure of the “old money” class and the ostentatious vulgarity of the noveau riche.

The movie is terrific fun overall, but it does has a few niggling problems. Harriet, the mother, becomes a bit too much of a caricature of a money-grubbing social climber later in the film. In fact, both parents come off as drips, frankly, and it almost seems hard to believe that they could have raised such well-adjusted, nice children. In addition, as sweet as her character is, Piper Laurie can't help but come off as weak-willed, letting her mother control her life and almost railroad her into marrying for money rather than love. And $100,000 doesn't seem quite enough to afford all the things the Blaisdells quickly accumulate: big mansion, expensive clothes, new cars, servants, etc. But these are small wrinkles in an otherwise intelligent and charming story.

Picture
Whether Sirk particularly enjoyed working with Hudson, or was generally just stuck with him as a leading man, I’m not sure (though I'm guessing it's the former), but they made several films together, including some of Sirk’s most famous, such as Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind, The Tarnished Angels, Taza, Son of Cochise (Rock Hudson as an Apache!) and the swashbuckler Captain Lightfoot. Sirk also used Piper Laurie and Gigi Perreau in several films besides this one.

Has Anybody Seen My Gal comes highly recommended as a bright and clever comedy with just enough bite to the story to keep it grounded.


ruth link
4/23/2012 11:26:22 pm

Oh my, Rock Hudson is so gorgeous! I might watch this just for him :)

Jeff
4/24/2012 06:42:27 am

I don't think you'll be disappointed, Ruth. This is a really fun movie, and Rock is good in it. Thanks for the comment!

Clayton link
4/24/2012 04:10:19 pm

I have to admit that Ive not seen one either, except for all the ones you mentioned, and Battle Hymn. ...and Taza, Son of Cochise. I started Captain Lightfoot, but it didn't keep my attention.

Jeff
4/24/2012 05:33:32 pm

Heh...well you've seen a whole lot more than me, then! I'm looking forward to catching up with some of his more well-known films, of course, but I especially want to see Taza, Son of Cochise now that I realize Rock Hudson's the star. I can see Chuck Connors and even, at a stretch, Burt Lancaster playing Indians, but Hudson? The mind boggles...

Clayton
4/24/2012 05:58:02 pm

Well, I think that Rock(what a name) with his black hair and slightly darker skin looks a lot less like a white guy than Nordic Blonde Chuck Connors, and maybe a little less the starkly obvious Irishman Burt. Rock could pass for Italian or even Spanish. To me it's the hair and the way he holds himself...it's like imagining Cary Grant or Roger Moore as an Indian. :)


Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Videophilia!

    Opinionated ramblings about new and old  movies (mostly old, as that's the way I like 'em!)

    Picture

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Blogs of Note

    Stuart Galbraith IV's World Cinema Paradise

    Movie Morlocks (TCM's Classic Movie Blog)

    50 Westerns from the 50s

    Riding the High Country

    Sweet Freedom

    Tipping My Fedora

    Thrilling Days of Yesteryear

    Silver Screenings


    Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

    Classic TV and Film Cafe

    Just a Cineast

    She Blogged By Night


    Chess, Comics, Crosswords, Books, Music, Cinema

    Out of the Past -
    A Classic Film Blog


    Pretty Sinister Books

    They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

    In So Many Words...

    Greenbriar Picture Shows

    Flix Chatter

    My Love of Old Hollywood

    Tales of the Easily Distracted

    Another Old Movie Blog

    Lasso the Movies

    Kevin's Movie Corner

    Films From Beyond the Time Barrier

    Carole & Co.

    Rupert Pupkin Speaks

    Caftan Woman

    Vienna's Classic Hollywood

    The Lady Eve's Reel Life

    ClassicBecky's Brain Food

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Hey! 
    Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed below, to be informed of new postings!

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    10 Best
    1960s Sci-Fi
    1970s Sci-Fi
    20 Million Miles To Earth
    50 Years Of James Bond
    70s Crime Films
    7 Faces Of Dr. Lao
    Abbott And Costello
    Abbott & Costello
    A Boy And His Dog
    Air Force
    Alan Ladd
    Alien
    A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)
    Attack Of The Crab Monsters
    Bad Guys
    Basil Rathbone
    Beneath The 12-Mile Reef
    Bernard Herrmann
    Bite The Bullet
    Black Belt Jones
    Blade 2
    Blogathons
    Boris Karloff
    Brides Of Dracula
    British Empire In Film Blogathon
    Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter
    Carole Lombard
    Caroline Munro
    Cary Grant
    Cecil B. DeMille
    Charade
    Charles Bronson
    Charles Coburn
    Charlton Heston
    Christopher Lee
    Circus World
    Claudette Colbert
    Clint Eastwood
    Clint Walker
    Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
    Colossus: The Forbin Project
    Dark Of The Sun
    Dark Shadows
    Deadlier Than The Male
    Desk Set
    Dirty Harry
    Disaster Movies
    Dog Soldiers
    Donovan's Reef
    Dorothy Malone
    Douglas Sirk
    Dr. No
    Elmore Leonard
    Ernest Borgnine
    Fantastic Voyage
    Fast And Furious
    Fast And Loose
    Fast Company
    Four Frightened People
    From Russia With Love
    Garden Of Evil
    Gargoyles
    Gary Cooper
    George-montgomery
    Giant Of Marathon
    Gladiator
    Gordon Scott
    Gregory Peck
    Halloween
    Hammer Horror
    Hardboiled93338e779d
    Hard Times
    Has Anybody Seen My Gal
    Haywire
    Heat
    Henry Fonda
    Hold That Ghost
    Hombre
    Horror
    Horror Express
    Hot Potato
    House Of Wax
    Howard Hawks
    How The West Was Won
    I Love A Mystery
    Il Postino
    Isle Of The Dead
    It! The Terror From Beyond Space
    I Walked With A Zombie
    James Bond
    James Coburn
    James Stewart
    Jaws
    Jim Brown
    Jim Kelly
    John Carpenter
    John Cassavetes
    John Ford
    John Garfield
    John Wayne
    Katherine Hepburn
    Key Largo
    Kirk Douglas
    Lee Marvin
    Legend Of The Lost
    Lives Of A Bengal Lancer
    Love Before Breakfast
    Marilyn Monroe
    Memorable Movie Dads
    Mickey Spillane
    Mirage
    Monster On The Campus
    Musicals
    My Man Godfrey
    Mysterious Island
    My Top 25 Films
    Night Of The Grizzly
    Once Upon A Time In The West
    Only The Valiant
    Open Range
    Pandorum
    Paranoiac
    Paul Newman
    Peter Cushing
    Phase IV
    Phenomena
    Poltergeist
    Rampage
    Randolph Scott
    Raquel Welch
    Raw Meat
    Ray Harryhausen
    Ride Lonesome
    River Of No Return
    Robert Aldrich
    Robert Mitchum
    Robert Wagner
    Rock Hudson
    Rod Taylor
    Roy Scheider
    Sean Connery
    Shotgun
    Silent Running
    Sleepy Hollow
    Sophia Loren
    Soylent Green
    Spencer Tracy
    Starman
    Sterling Hayden
    Steve Mcqueen
    Steve Reeves
    Stewart Granger
    Tarzan The Magnificent
    The Abominable Dr. Phibes
    The Andromeda Strain
    The Awakening
    The Badlanders
    The Big Country
    The Birds
    The Black Scorpion
    The Black Swan
    The Blob
    The Body Snatcher
    The Cat And The Canary
    The Crawling Eye
    The Creature From The Black Lagoon
    The Dark Knight Rises
    The Devil Rides Out
    The Expendables 2
    The Face Of Fu Manchu
    The Falcon
    The Fearless Vampire Killers
    The Fog
    The Getaway
    The Ghost Breakers
    The Girl Hunters
    The Gorgon
    The Great Escape
    The Hole
    The Invisible Man
    The Last Of The Mohicans
    The Last Sunset
    The Late Show
    The Laughing Policeman
    The Leopard Man
    The Lone Gun
    The Long Goodbye
    The Man With The Golden Gun
    The Mark Of Zorro
    The Matrix
    The Mechanic
    The Monster That Challenged The World
    The Night Strangler
    The Omega Man
    The Outfit
    The Princess Comes Across
    The Shining
    The Shootist
    The Thing
    The Thing From Another World
    The Tingler
    The Uninvited
    The Wild Bunch
    The Wild North
    Thomas Mitchell
    Thunder Bay
    Tom Conway
    Tony Randall
    Trollhunter
    Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil
    Two-Minute Warning
    Tyrone Power
    Underrated Detective/Mystery Movies
    Val Lewton
    Vincent Price
    Walter Matthau
    Went The Day Well?
    Westerns
    Westworld
    William Powell
    William Wyler
    Ww2
    Yvonne De Carlo

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    September 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • The Stalking Moon
  • Cracked Leather Armchair
  • The Small Screen
  • About Me
    • Cool things About Japan
    • Travel Recollections
    • Contact me