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: An oil well is a hole in the ground surrounded by suckers.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

"Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald, Op. 325 (Tales from the Vienna Woods)"
(1868) (uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauß
Played after Soapy is tossed out of the restaurant

User Reviews

Every segment a winner

I first saw this movie on TV as a child in the 1960s, and never watched it again until now (2005), but it's strange how many characters and even specific shots lingered in my mind all those years. This is a gem that has something for everyone: sentimentality, humor, pathos, and loads of good performances. "The Cop and the Anthem" is probably the most tightly written of them all, with subtle touches of humor throughout (besides the most obvious gags). If I had to single out one performer who delighted me the most it would be David Wayne, doing a twitchy down-and-outer playing off of Laughton's haughty tramp (especially just having seen him play a totally different character in ADAM'S RIB just a week ago).

As an old thespian friend of mine would say, "The Last Leaf" could bring a tear to a glass eye. And in "Red Chief," Fred Allen and Oscar Levant make a strange but fun team.

Not having seen Richard Widmark in the other movie mentioned in reviewer's comments, I could only think how much he reminded me of Frank Gorshin in various roles he played in the 60s. Watch this segment again and think "Frank."

Your whole family will like this movie. Why doesn't someone bring it out nice and crispy clean on DVD?