The Great Rupert (1950)

A little squirrel with lots of charm accidently helps two poor, down-but-NOT-out families overcome their obstacles.

Director:

Irving Pichel

Writers:

László Vadnay (screenplay), James O'Hanlon (additional dialogue),

Stars:

Jimmy Durante, Terry Moore, Tom Drake

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jimmy Durante	...	Mr. Louie Amendola
Terry Moore	...	Rosalinda Amendola
Tom Drake	...	Peter 'Pete' Dingle
Frank Orth	...	Mr. Frank Dingle
Sara Haden	...	Mrs.Katie Dingle
Queenie Smith	...	Mrs. Amendola
Chick Chandler	...	Phil Davis
Jimmy Conlin	...	Joe Mahoney
Rupert	...	Himself the Squirrel
Hugh Sanders	...	Mulligan
Don Beddoe	...	Mr. Haggerty (as Donald T. Beddoe)
Candy Candido	...	Molineri - Florist
Clancy Cooper	...	Police Lt. Saunders
Harold Goodwin	...	Callahan - F.B.I. Man
Frank Cady	...	Mr. Taney - Tax Investigator

Storyline

A Christmas Wish is a heartwarming holiday classic about a New York family (led by Durante) who is down on their luck at Christmas time. Shortly before Christmas, they move into a ground floor apartment where Rupert the squirrel lives in the attic rafters. Just when it seems that the holiday will come and go without so much as a Christmas tree, Rupert acts as the family's guardian angel, not only saving Christmas, but changing their lives forever. The film is enlivened with the warmth and sweetness of an unforgettable love story between Terry Moore (of Mighty Joe Young) and Tom Drake (of Meet Me in St. Louis). Rupert the Squirrel (created using George Pal's Academy Award winning animation technique) will charm young and old alike. Jimmy Durante shines when he sings Jingle Bells and other well-loved Christmas carols in the evocative voice that made him one of America's recording legends.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | squirrel | tuba | harp | soda jerk

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Taglines:

He's not just squirrelin' around!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Christmas Wish

Company Credits

Production Co:

George Pal Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The stop-motion animation used in creating the illusion of a dancing squirrel (Rupert) was so realistic that director George Pal received many inquiries as to where he got a squirrel that was trained to dance.

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Soundtracks

" (Isn't it a shame that) Christmas comes but once a year"
(uncredited)
Composed by Jimmy Durante and Harry Crane

User Reviews

Cute and quirky -- great for young kids.

An odd little movie with a nice "b" cast (Besides Durante, there's Tom Drake from "Meet Me in St. Louis," Terry Moore from "Mighty Joe Young") and a truly original comic plot-twist as the premise. A cute puppet squirrel makes this a fun movie for young children, and I recommend it for the parents too, if you like obscure old movies -- you really can't predict where this story is headed.