SimonJack
"It Happened on 5th Avenue" is one of the funniest comedies ever made. It was the debut film of Allied Artists, and although it was filmed in 1946, it wasn't released until Easter 1947. Its winter setting has made it a Christmas favorite ever since. From 1990 to 2008 it seemed to disappear, but its DVD release in 2008 renewed interest. It now airs on TV during the holiday season. It's sure to delight modern audiences as it did those in 1947.All of the cast are superb in this movie. And it's a huge cast with many familiar Hollywood faces. The plot is wonderful, with some very interesting twists. All the qualities of production are first-rate. The movie won the 1948 Academy Award for best writing of an original story. Publicity for the film included some big celebrity endorsements: Orson Welles, Al Jolson, Constance Bennet and Frank Capra. Yet, it got only mediocre reviews. It was one of those times when the press was out of touch with the public who loved the film. The movie was a huge box office success. The humor in this movie comes in big doses and all forms. It has a plethora of laughter inducements and humor, with the warmth of a holiday family setting. Witty dialog, hilarious scenes, and very funny situations give this film a secure place at the top of my comedy and Christmas movie lists. I don't want to give away any of the plot outright – for those who don't want to know the story in advance. But I have to note a superbly clever and outlandishly funny scene. Abe Reynolds is uncredited as Finkelhoff, a tailor who owns a used clothing store. His monologue about a $6 allowance for a fancy tailored all wool suit is hilarious. It leads to a moth convention, purchase of pesticides, night work to combat the bugs, a wife who divorces him, his jailing for failure to pay alimony, and losing his shop. All because he took an all-wool suit.Don DeFore (Jim), Ann Harding (Mary), Charles Ruggles (Mike) and Gale Storm (Trudy) have top billing for the film. But the story revolves around Aloysius T. McKeever (aka, "Mac," played by Victor Moore). The sizable supporting cast of top performances add great lines to the film. All of the leads have witty lines at times. Mac offers occasional pearls of wisdom and philosophical tidbits. These McKeeverisms are apropos for the scene, and usually carry some humor. Here are a few examples. "The essence of big business, gentlemen, is never put one worry ahead of another." Speaking to Mike, "Mike, a house – any house, is only what it's occupants make it." At the dinner table, "That proves what I've always believed. Indigestion is caused by unhappiness. If you don't like the things the world makes you do, you're not hungry." And later, "And I would like to feel that you're all my friends. For to be without friends is a serious form of poverty."Here are more dialog samples of humor, to further whet one's appetite. Jim, "Sure, you've gotta wear a mink coat when you work in a music shop. They play those Frank Sinatra records. Chills run up and down your spine. It gets cold. You have to wear a mink coat."Mac, "Where do you live?" Trudy, "In Dubuque, with my 13 brothers and sisters." Jim, "Well, the neighbors must call your house the Stork Club."Patrolman Brady (Arthur Hohl, uncredited), "How'd you like to live in a joint like this?" Patrolman Cecil Felton (played by Edward Brophy), "What? And have room for the rest of my wife's relations? Oh!"Trudy, "I can't go back to him." Jim, "You're married?" Trudy, "It's my father. He's a drunkard, he's lazy and he beats us." Jim, "Beats all 14 of you?" Trudy, "Every night." Jim, "You're old man's not lazy."Mac, "Well, I believe that people who require money should work for it. As for myself, I gave up working years ago. I never could make enough to satisfy my lavish tastes. So, I let other people work for it, and I enjoy it."Trudy, "My goodness, a girl of 18 is practically middle-aged nowadays."Hank (played by Edward Ryan), "What have you got against children?" Apartment manager (played by Johnny Arthur), "It's a rule of the house." Jim, "Naturally, you can't break the rule. If he lets your kids in, everybody'd start having children. Then what would happen to the human race?"Mary, "What does your father think of him?" Trudy, "Dad's going to have him arrested." Mary, "Well, whatever for? Loving you?" Trudy, "No, for trespassing." Mary, "Well, that's the same thing, isn't it? To your father."Mike, "You've taken on a little weight since I last saw you, in the wrong places." Mary, "It's the clothes, and you're no Van Jonson yourself. I can remember when you only had one chin." Mac, "Not in my 20 years of living as a guest in other people's homes have I ever been faced with a situation like this."Mike, "I want them to disregard the idea and offer him a job. Yes, yes… I don't care if it's teaching Eskimos the Boogie Woogie or milking whales in Patagonia, only it must be out of the country."Mac, "Oh, Mike. I'm sorry to interrupt your negotiations. I know you have millions and millions of dollars hanging in the balance. But, Mike, you didn't make your bed this morning."Farrow (played by Grant Mitchell), "Mr. O'Connor, what were you doing in that closet?" Mike, "I like it in there. There's nothing so restful as a nice, dark, stuffy closet."This is a movie that's sure to delight most people at any time of the year. It's especially good over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
