If You Knew Susie (1948)

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

Warren Wilson (original screenplay) and
Oscar Brodney (original screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 February 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Newspaper | Senator | Warehouse | Ostracism | Retirement

Cast

Eddie Cantor	...	Sam Parker
Joan Davis	...	Susie Parker
Allyn Joslyn	...	Mike Garrett
Charles Dingle	...	Mr. Whitley
Phil Brown	...	Joe Collins
Sheldon Leonard	...	Steve Garland
Joe Sawyer	...	Zero Zantini
Douglas Fowley	...	Marty
Margaret Kerry	...	Marjorie Parker
Dickie Humphreys	...	Handy Clinton (as Dick Humphreys)
Howard Freeman	...	Mr. Clinton
Mabel Paige	...	Grandma
Sig Ruman	...	Count Alexis
Fritz Feld	...	Chez Henri
Isabel Randolph	...	Mrs. Clinton

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #12219)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Many actors are in studio records/casting call lists for this movie, but they did not appear or were not identifiable. These were (with their character names, if any): Eddie Hart (Burly Henchman), Pierre Watkin (Senator Grant), Ralph Peters (Mac), Donald Kerr (Window Washer), Paul Harvey (Cathcart), Syd Saylor (Proprietor of Pet Shop), Charles Sullivan and Chalky Williams (Loggers) and Ellen Corby

Movie Connections:

Features Show Business (1944)

Soundtrack:

Auld Lang Syne

A forgettable but lively musical comedy

Sam and Suzie Parker are the heads of a family on entertainers who decide to call it quits and retire to open a Colonial Inn in a community very closely linked to the American Revolution. When their venture fails due to disagreements over the historical importance of the Parker's ancestors, they sell up and resign themselves to a bad job. However a chance discovery of a letter in the house shows that not only was their ancestor a major part of winning the revolution but he was owed money for arms that he supplied at the time. The Parkers head off to Washington to try and get Presidential support for their claim and are taken in by debt-ridden gambler Mike Garrett, who discovers that the Parkers may be owed billions by the Government. However the hope of riches bring the Parkers to the attention of Garrett's mobster acquaintances – and not in a good way.

Given that this film opens with a musical number with a gollywog face and a dancing troupe in full blackface it is perhaps no great surprise that this film is not seen as often as others in the same genre. After this rather un-pc start the film settles down to a rather convoluted story that sees the Parkers come into money and get targeted by mobsters – the whole historical things is only a means to an end. Although it has too much story and have bits that seem to be filler more than anything else, the film is still entertaining and quite lively even if it never really does anything that well. The humour is basic but lively and, combined with the musical numbers produce a distracting piece of period entertainment. The plot doesn't matter but some viewers may find its silliness and lack of narrative cohesion to be a real turn off that the liveliness is not enough to cover.

The cast are all OK but they do tend to overplay as if they were on a stage – but I suppose they match the obvious material. Cantor may have been popular at the time but he is not that well known now and his crowd-pleasing humour has not aged well. He tries hard but he is nothing that special. Davis matches him with a performance that approaches mugging at times. Support is pretty average with each actor playing to the back row with some basic double takes but decent enough energy. Driscoll is all 'gee whiz mister' and full of enthusiasm – but it is hard to forget his fate even here.

Overall this is an instantly forgettable film but one that is just about lively enough to cover up all the weakness it has. The humour is broad but has a few laughs without ever risking being hilarious and the musical numbers are OK without really doing anything special. An OK genre film with plenty of enthusiasm but really needed more work on the laughs, the songs and, most importantly, the plot.