It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)

A homeless New Yorker moves into a mansion and along the way he gathers friends to live in the house with him. Before he knows it, he is living with the actual home owners.

Director:

Roy Del Ruth

Writers:

Everett Freeman (screen play), Vick Knight (additional dialogue)

Stars:

Don DeFore, Ann Harding, Charles Ruggles

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Don DeFore	...	Jim Bullock
Ann Harding	...	Mary O'Connor
Charles Ruggles	...	Michael J. O'Connor (as Charlie Ruggles)
Victor Moore	...	Aloysius T. McKeever
Gale Storm	...	Trudy O'Connor
Grant Mitchell	...	Farrow
Edward Brophy	...	Cecil Felton
Alan Hale Jr.	...	Whitey Temple
Dorothea Kent	...	Margie Temple
Edward Ryan	...	Hank (as Edward Ryan Jr.)
Cathy Carter	...	Alice

Storyline

Every winter, Michael J. O'Connor, the second richest man in the world, leaves his 5th Avenue mansion for warmer climes. Every winter, Aloysius T. McKeever, homeless man, moves into the 5th Avenue mansion. This particular winter, McKeever meets Jim Bullock, an army veteran who has recently been evicted from his apartment and offers to share the mansion with him. It's not long before the mansion has a few more guests, including: Jim's army buddies and their wives and children; runaway heiress Trudy; and even Michael J. O'Connor, himself.

---

Plot Keywords:

mansion | winter | runaway | giving a toast | barracks | 

---

Taglines:

It's 1947's Richest Comedy!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Music | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

19 April 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sucedió en la Quinta Avenida

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roy Del Ruth Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The story was originally optioned by Frank Capra's Liberty Films in 1945, and announced as the company's first production. Later that year, producer-director Roy Del Ruth acquired the story.

---

Goofs

If there had been family photos/art in the mansion, surely the two homeless gentlemen spotted that their new guests "Mike & Mary" were the rightful owners of the mansion.

---

Quotes

Michael J. 'Mike' O'Connor: [to Trudy] Well, pay him the money. Let's get... Wait a minute, wait a minute. How much will you allow me for these?
Finkelhoff - the Tailor: Well, $6.
Michael J. 'Mike' O'Connor: Six dollars for a brand-new tailor-made outfit?
Finkelhoff - the Tailor: Your suit is all wool.
Michael J. 'Mike' O'Connor: Why, certainly, it's all wool.
Finkelhoff - the Tailor: Oh... That's bad.
Michael J. 'Mike' O'Connor: Wool is bad?
Finkelhoff - the Tailor: Look, when the moths are hearing I got here an all-wool suit... one moth tells the other. They're coming for a banquet. They're bringing their friends. Pretty soon, I got here a moth convention. A spray gun I gotta buy, insecticide I gotta ...
[...]

---

Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: The Babe Ruth Story (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Mary's a Grand Old Name
(uncredited)
Music by George M. Cohan
Lyrics by George M. Cohan
[Played on music box]

User Reviews

This charming delight now on DVD

In 1946 Monogram Pictures decided to upgrade their image by creating a new bigger budget style of film and presenting them by new in-house section ALLIED ARTISTS..... and this delicious humane film was their second big budget outing. IT HAPPENED ON 5TH AVENUE has been mostly lost to TV and cinema goers for over 40 years and now it is available on WB label DVD.... The first Allied Artisis film was BLACK GOLD which also wonderfully humane and kind shows what a focus on viable films they embarked upon. IT HAPPENED ON 5TH AVENUE is a very funny and witty and ultimately wise family comedy about how a group of genuinely homeless people (in every sense of the word) re discover their home and family. As a Christmas movie it is terrific...and there are some hilarious sequences, notably an old tailor who delivers an uproarious monologue about moths and a waiter in a restaurant trying to set a table from wobbling (while Ted FioRito plays the violin). With a perfect cast for each role and the $1.4m budget resulting spectacularly well decorated and very elaborate sets, this Monogram-Allied Artists film must have been a box office bonanza. Other films they made in this period that reflected their new image are THE GANGSTER and SUSPENSE both equally compelling, well made and worth a DVD release soon.... what a find IT HAPPENED ON 5TH AVENUE is and presented in a spotless gleaming DVD. I really applaud WB for releasing this charming humane and delicious film. Nominated for an Oscar for script, it should have also been nominated for Victor Moore's wry turn as the hilarious hobo who secretly babysits mansions while their owners go to another house for their holiday. Gale Storm is gorgeous and her clothes - as are all the qualities of this well made film - peppered with Blake Edwards' added sight gags - are A grade.