Full House (1952)

John Steinbeck introduces a quintet of five of O. Henry's most celebrated stories from his New York Period (1902-1910) in this anthology film.

Directors:

Henry Hathaway, Howard Hawks,

Writers:

Lamar Trotti (screenplay), Richard L. Breen (screenplay),

Stars:

Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Jeanne Crain

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fred Allen	...	Sam 'Slick' Brown (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief")
Anne Baxter	...	Joanna Goodwin (segment "The Last Leaf")
Jeanne Crain	...	Della (segment "The Gift of the Magi")
Farley Granger	...	Jim (segment "The Gift of the Magi")
Charles Laughton	...	Soapy (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
Oscar Levant	...	Bill Peoria (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief")
Marilyn Monroe	...	Streetwalker (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
Jean Peters	...	Susan Goodwin (segment "The Last Leaf")
Gregory Ratoff	...	Behrman (segment "The Last Leaf")
Dale Robertson	...	Barney Woods (segment "The Clarion Call")
David Wayne	...	Horace (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
Richard Widmark	...	Johnny Kernan (segment "The Clarion Call")
Joyce Mackenzie	...	Hazel Woods (segment "The Clarion Call") (scenes deleted) (as Joyce MacKenzie)
Lee Aaker	...	J.B. Dorset aka Red Chief (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief")
Richard Rober	...	Chief of Detectives (segment "The Clarion Call")

Storyline

Five O' Henry stories, each separate. The primary one from the critic's acclaim was "The Cop and the Anthem". Soapy tells fellow bum Horace that he is going to get arrested so he can spend the winter in a nice jail cell. He fails. He can't even accost a woman; she turns out to be a streetwalker. The other stories are "The Clarion Call", "The Last Leaf", "The Ransom of Red Chief", and "The Gift of the Magi".

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Plot Keywords:

ransom | leaf | winter | murder | christmas gift | 

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Taglines:

A dozen top stars - five famed directors bring you the best stories of O. Henry!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 1952 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Baghdad on the Subway

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min 95 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After the popular and critical success of two British anthology films based on W. Somerset Maugham short stories, Quartet and Trio, with different casts and crews for each episode, 20th Century-Fox felt that the time was right for an American version of this format.

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Quotes

Sam 'Slick' Brown: [Being chased by a bear] We're going up a tree, William!
Bill Peoria: Can bears climb trees?
Sam 'Slick' Brown: Here he comes! We'll soon find out!
Sam 'Slick' Brown: [after shimmying up the tree] William, I think it's a cinnamon bear.
Bill Peoria: I don't care what flavor he is. He's more apt to taste me.

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Connections

Featured in Biography: Marilyn Monroe: The Mortal Goddess (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Gwine to Rune All Night (De Camptown Races)"
(1850) (uncredited)
Written by Stephen Foster
Played and sung often during the Clarion Call segment
Sung by Richard Widmark, Dale Robertson and Abe Dinovitch

User Reviews

O. Henry & Full Star Power

I think my mom & I stayed up late one night years ago & watched this; thanks to TCM, I've seen it again & recorded it for posterity.

"Full House" is film versions of five O. Henry short stories & stars the top box office draws of the day. My favorite remains "The Last Leaf," a heart tugger about a love-torn woman (Anne Baxter) & the grumpy abstract artist (Gregory Ratoff) who rescues her from her near-death funk. Marilyn Monroe has a brief appearance as a prostitute who seeks momentary solace in Chas. Laughton's plight in the old chestnut, "The Cop & the Anthem." All five are turn-of-the-20th-century period pieces & are introduced & narrated by writer John "Grapes of Wrath" Steinbeck. I don't know what kind of business this movie did in theaters back in '52, but it probably didn't help that "The Ransom of Red Chief" starred two top radio wonks of the day, Fred Allen & Oscar Levant: Oscar did fare better on screen & on TV than poor old Mr. Allen, although neither could carry 15 to 20 minutes of film.

I've seen this available somewhere on VHS, but you might see it sooner on TCM or premium cable, so check your local listings.