A Reel Retro Review: IT HAPPENED ON 5TH AVENUE (1947)

Reel Speak’s Retro Reviews will randomly review a classic film every week, with the intention of introducing some overlooked and perhaps forgotten screen gems from the past. 

 

The holiday season is lit up with films that aren’t really centered around Christmas, but in one way or another have found their way into our annual December watch-lists. One such film is Roy Del Ruth’s IT HAPPENED ON 5^THAVENUE from 1947. 

 

Two homeless man; McKeever (Victor Moore), and WWII veteran Jim (Don DeFore), take up temporary residence in the NYC 5^th Avenue mansion of real estate tycoon Michael O’Connor (Charles Ruggles), while he is away for the winter. McKeever and Jim have their plans thrown into chaos when O’Connor’s daughter Trudy (Gale Storm), arrives at the mansion. 

 

Directed by Roy Del Ruth, 5^TH AVENUE is a comedy film that relies heavily on the mistaken-identity trope. Trudy (predictably), falls in love with Jim, and in an effort to sway her stubborn father to blessing the union, convinces him to pose as a homeless man and take up (squat) residence in his own mansion in an early version of UNDERCOVER BOSS. Things get more complicated when O’Connor’s ex-wife and Trudy’s mother comes in as a cook (unbeknownst to McKeever and Jim), and when Jim decides to purchase an abandoned army base to convert into homeless shelters…a piece of real estate that O’Connor is looking to develop into an airport. 

 

It’s a case of most characters not knowing who the other really is or what they are up to, and even though the audience is waiting for the characters to catch up to what we already know, the film clicks along well, with the eventual revelations coming in well-timed, comedic doses. 5^TH AVENUE seems like it would be crowded on paper, but the various plot points blend together very well. Director Roy Del Ruth has a knack for snappy dialogue and keeping things moving, and the film’s 116 minutes fly by. There are heavy themes at work concerning homelessness, homeless war veterans, and the rich being too rich for their own good; most of which feel undercooked but keeps the film from being too serious. The film looks great, even though some rear-projection effects look terrible even for 1947 standards.

 

Acting is superb. Victor Moore, as a career hobo who spends his winters squatting in mansions, takes on a mentor role and carries it very well. Gale Storm is an absolute delight. 

 

IT HAPPENED ON 5^TH AVENUE isn’t really a holiday film as only a few scenes take place during Christmas, but the themes of selfless giving to those less fortunate are right in line with the spirit of December…and is fulfilling viewing while the tinsel is up. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

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IT HAPPENED ON 5^TH AVENUE was nominated for an Oscar for Best Story, but lost out to another Christmas film: MIRACLE ON 34^TH STREET. Alan Hale, Jr. appears in the film as one of Jim’s old army buddies. Hale would later achieve fame as the Skipper in TV’S GILLIGAN’S ISLAND (1964-1967).