Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952)

An aging heir-less millionaire wants to leave his fortune to the unsuspecting family of his first love but not before testing his prospective heirs by living with them under the guise of a poor boarder.

Director:

Douglas Sirk

Writers:

Joseph Hoffman (written for the screen by), Eleanor H. Porter (based on a story by)

Stars:

Piper Laurie, Rock Hudson, Charles Coburn

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Piper Laurie	...	Millicent Blaisdell
Rock Hudson	...	Dan Stebbins
Charles Coburn	...	Samuel Fulton / John Smith
Gigi Perreau	...	Roberta Blaisdell
Lynn Bari	...	Harriet Blaisdell
William Reynolds	...	Howard Blaisdell
Larry Gates	...	Charles Blaisdell
Skip Homeier	...	Carl Pennock
Paul Harvey	...	Judge Wilkins
Paul McVey	...	Lester Pennock
Gloria Holden	...	Clarissa Pennock
Frank Ferguson	...	Edward Norton
Forrest Lewis	...	Martin Quinn
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Natalie Schafer	...	Clarissa Pennock (replaced by Gloria Holden) (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Wealthy Samuel Fulton is getting older and has no family of his own. He decides to leave his estate to the family of his first love, who turned down his marriage proposal years ago because he was poor. But he wants to test the family before leaving his money to them. He takes a room in their home and a job in the father's shop. He anonymously grants them $100,000. Harriet Blaisdell moves the family into a mansion and makes plans to marry her daughter Millicent off to a socialite rather than her soda jerk boyfriend Dan. The money goes to their heads, and they soon find themselves broke, back in their old house, and back to their old lives. Father back in his shop, Millicent engaged to Dan, and everyone seemingly much happier. Hoping they learned their lesson, Fulton takes his leave of the family.

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Plot Keywords:

texas | 1920s | eccentricity | card game | clothesline | 

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Taglines:

The happy days ... the mad fads ... the great songs of the ... Roaring Twenties!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1953 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Oh Money, Money

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though Piper Laurie is pictured with Rock Hudson on the cover of the recent DVD she is not identified by name and not billed on the packaging. The name of the child-actress Gigi Perreau who played her sister is featured instead.

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Quotes

Youth at Soda Fountain: Hey, Gramps. I'll have a choc malt, heavy on the choc, plenty of milk, four spoons of malt, two scoops of vanilla ice cream, one mixed and one floating.
Samuel Fulton: [Sardonically] Would you like to come in Wednesday for a fitting? Thank you.

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Connections

References Anybody Here Seen Kelly? (1928)

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Soundtracks

When the Red, Red, Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along
(uncredited)
Lyrics and Music by Harry M. Woods (as Harry Woods) (1926)
Sung by Lynn Bari, Gigi Perreau and Charles Coburn

User Reviews

Outstanding period comedy

This is simply a pure delight of a comedy movie that runs on that ages-old premise - what would you do if you suddenly came into a fortune?

Everything about this film gels into an 89-minute delight; the story, script, sets, atmosphere, colour and, above all, the performances of a disparate group of actors who ensemble into a highly believable American 1920s small-town family.

Veteran screen actor Charles Coburn is outstanding as the irascible but soft-hearted Samuel Fulton and the 'Temple-esque' Gigi Perreau should have won an Oscar for her portrayal of Roberta. Yes, James Dean makes his first (and ultra-brief) appearance as a bit-parter in one of the drug-store scenes but don't let this incidental occurrence put you off.

Has Anybody Seen My Gal never outstays its welcome - indeed it seems to be over all too soon. It has yet (as of Dec. 2005) to be issued on DVD and I, for one, am eagerly awaiting its well-overdue release.