My Hero (1948)
"A Southern Yankee" (original title)

A hapless bellboy in a St. Louis hotel near the end of the Civil War is recruited by the Union secret service to impersonate a notorious Confederate spy.

Director:

Edward Sedgwick

Writers:

Melvin Frank (story), Norman Panama (story),

Stars:

Red Skelton, Brian Donlevy, Arlene Dahl

Cast

Credited cast:
Red Skelton	...	Aubrey Filmore
Brian Donlevy	...	Kurt Devlynn
Arlene Dahl	...	Sallyann Weatharby
George Coulouris	...	Maj. Jack Drumman aka The Grey Spider
Lloyd Gough	...	Capt. Steve Lorford
John Ireland	...	Capt. Jed Calbern
Minor Watson	...	Gen. Watkins
Charles Dingle	...	Col. Weatherby
Art Baker	...	Col. Clifford M. Baker
Reed Hadley	...	Fred Munsey
Arthur Space	...	Mark Haskins
Joyce Compton	...	Hortense Dobson
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Byron Foulger	...	Mr. Duncan (scenes deleted)
Edward Gargan	...	Male Nurse (scenes deleted)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Capt. Jeffreys (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Aubrey Filmore (Red Skelton) is a bumbling bellboy in a Missouri town who pesters the Union officers there; he desperately wants to be a spy for the North in the American Civil War. When Filmore accidentally waylays an infamous Confederate spy known as "The Grey Spider" and is mistaken for him by the Rebels, the Union brass see it as an opportunity for real espionage - and though Filmore is a coward as well as a fool, his real motivation for derring-do is a sweet Southern girl named Sallyann, whom he will see again behind Southern lines.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | hotel | american civil war | secret service | st. louis | 

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Taglines:

What's Rhett Butler Got That Red Skelton Ain't Got?

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Genres:

Comedy | History | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 August 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Superspion

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

No one could figure out a simple, yet funny way to get Aubrey out of the house when he was being held captive by the angry dog. Buster Keaton, employed by MGM as a roving gag man, was called to the set, looked at the set up, and came up with the idea of removing the door hinges and letting the dog in as Aubrey got out. The most famous gag in the movie took Keaton all of five minutes to devise.

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Goofs

The identity of the Gray Spider is allegedly only known by Generals Lee, Johnson, and Jackson. Stoewall Jackson had actually died two years earlier in 1863.

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Quotes

Union Cavalry Sergeant: How old are you?
Aubrey Filmore: Only twenty-six.
Union Cavalry Sergeant: Twenty-six - Yhat's a ripe old age for a jackass.

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Connections

Referenced in The Court Jester (1955)

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Soundtracks

"Dixie"
(uncredited)
Attributed to Daniel Decatyr Emmett in 1850s minstrel shows
Instrumental version heard on soundtrack under battle.

User Reviews

Red Skelton makes the most of a Civil War comedy with some good gags...

Whether he's doing purely slapstick stunts or tongue-twisting feats ("the packet in the pocket of the jacket or the packet in the boot with the buckle" kind of stuff), RED SKELTON never misses a moment to get the most out of the series of gags upon which the screenplay of A SOUTHERN YANKEE is built.

The fun starts when he accidentally knocks out a real Southern spy known as The Grey Spider (GEORGE COULOURIS) and is chosen to take his place and given fake plans to deliver to the Union troops. Naturally, being the goof-ball that he is, he gets everything mixed up and has to cope with a bunch of hilarious mistakes--and so does everyone else.

ARLENE DAHL is amusing as the daughter of a Southern general (CHARLES DINGLE) and makes an amusing foil for many of Skelton's gags. The script has plenty of inventive situations, some of them proposed by none other than Buster Keaton who had his own Southern spy comedy years ago called "The General." BRIAN DONLEVY and JOHN IRELAND are given little to do but cope with Skelton's antics but he's practically the whole show anyway.

The brisk comedy directed by Edward Sedgwick is a better than average vehicle for Skelton's comedy style and should definitely please Skelton fans.

Note: If this had been made at Paramount, it would have been an ideal vehicle for Bob Hope.