Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952) User Reviews (29)

Flapper Social Climbing

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 17 December 2010]

Although Piper Laurie and Rock Hudson are the stars of Has Anybody Seen My Gal, this film belongs to Charles Coburn. He does one of those patented foxy grandpa roles that he honed to perfection in such films as The Devil And Miss Jones and The More The Merrier.

Coburn plays one of the richest men in the world, Rockefeller type rich and the film opens in the Rockefeller town of Tarrytown where Coburn is one of their neighbors. He's making out a last will and testament and since he's got no family of any kind, he's decided to leave his money to the Blaidells who are the descendants of the woman he once courted, but who married someone else.

But of course the Blaisdells do bear checking out so Coburn gets out of his sickbed where he's enjoying all attention he's been getting and visits them incognito. The family consists of husband and wife Larry Gates and Lynn Bari and children Piper Laurie, Gigi Perreau, and William Reynolds. Bari is the daughter of his lost love, but she's got a lot of social climbing pretensions, Coburn sees more of his former sweetheart in her granddaughter Piper Laurie. Piper's going out kind of with the soda jerk in her father's pharmacy Rock Hudson. But Skip Homeier is hanging around and he's the son of the wealthiest people in their town and that's a match Lynn Bari would prefer.

Coburn gives them a test run so to speak. First he finagles his way into boarding with them under an assumed name. Then like John Beresford Tipton he bequeaths on them anonymously a check for $100,000.00. Of course it all goes to Bari's head and she drags the rest of the family somewhat reluctantly into a new lifestyle.

Has Anybody Seen My Gal is set in the Roaring Twenties and the music score is of that period, popular tunes played in the background and occasionally done by the cast. Coburn has some incredibly good scenes here with Gigi Perreau, he saves Piper Laurie from being arrested in a speakeasy raid, and does a mean Charleston once he learns. Bari comes off second best in the cast as a woman who learns that even comparative wealth can bring with it all kinds of problems. Her family the Blaisdells learns in a more humorous way, the lesson George Bailey learned that no man is a failure who has friends. We can't all be millionaires.

Four years away from when they shared Oscar nominations for Giant, Rock Hudson and James Dean were in the same film. Dean had some small bit parts in a few films and television work before hitting it big. This is one of those bits and you can plainly recognize him as one of the Roaring Twenties kids at the drugstore soda fountain.

Has Anybody Seen My Gal did good things for stars Rock Hudson and Piper Laurie, but this film belongs to Charles Coburn and the marvelously droll and funny performance he gave.

Cute & Charming, old-fashioned fun

[Savannah · 7/10 · 21 February 1999]

This film is delightful for those of us who enjoy old-fashioned fun. Set in the era of Prohibition and flappers, "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?" is a family flick. A rich, old gentleman tries to make amends for his youthful wrong choice between love & money, but ends up causing problems for those he is now trying to help. ... Yet, everything works out in the end. Charles Colburn plays a charming "Gramps" (aka Mr. Smith). Handsome Rock Hudson "Dan" looks too old for the part, but in reality was just 27 when the film was released. Laurie Piper "Millicent" is lovely, but little sister "Roberta" is the most fun!

They don't make 'em like this any more.

[proffate · 8/10 · 21 February 1999]

Great fun!

I just caught this on AMC and loved it immediately. A millionaire (Charles Coburn) gives $100,000 to the family of the woman who rejected him when he was young. Set in the 1920's when steak was 56 cents a pound, that's a lot of cash!

The money immediately goes to the family's head and Coburn has to step in anonymously to set things right.

A wonderful period piece, and Coburn doing the Charleston is an incredible sight!

Light weight early Hudson/Sirk

[grahamclarke · 16 June 2003]

This is part one of a trilogy of "Americana" movies Sirk made for Universal which are set in the early part of the 20th Century, ("Meet Me At the Fair" and "Take Me To Town" would follow). While critical of different aspects of American society, in this case the power of greed, they are movies that exude much affection for their characters and the country itself. At this point Sirk was still very enamoured with America. His future films would reflect the change of his perception of American society coming to fruition in the big melodramas that lay ahead.

"Has Anybody Seen My Gal" signals the beginning of the star building process which took the almost unknown Rock Hudson and over a period of a few years turned him into America's top box office star. Much has been written of the subversive subtexts of Sirk's movies. It would seem his most subversive action was that out of a hunky, gay, not especially talented actor, he created and icon of the prototype fifties American male; a wonderful analogy for appearances and unrevealed truths that are much a part of the fifties psyche. Although Hudson receives top billing in "Has Anyone Seen My Gal", his role is decidedly secondary. This is very much Charles Coburn's movie. Hudson has little to do although his screen presence is already charged with the goodness and charm that were to be his trademarks.

"Has Anybody Seen My Gal" has the quality stamp of Douglas Sirk. His eye for good camera work, lighting and art direction are all evident. But like the other films of the trilogy it's a very light weight affair.

You've a lovely family, Millicent. It could have been my family if you hadn't been so darn obstinate!

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 4 June 2012]

Has Anybody Seen My Gal is directed by Douglas Sirk and written by Joseph Hoffman and Eleanor H. Porter. It stars Rock Hudson, Piper Laurie and Charles Coburn. Music is by Herman Stein and cinematography by Clifford Stine. It's 1928 and plot finds Coburn as wealthy Samuel Fulton, who now he is older and has no family of his own decides to leave his wealth to the family of his first love, the Blaisdells. Worming his way into the family's lives, he secretly grants them $100,000 and observes as money greatly changes the family. And not for the better!

Glorious Technicolor, sumptuous period detail and a funny picture laced with a caustic edge, Has Anybody Seen My Gal is a darn fine movie from the Sirk/Hudson stable. True, it's guilty of layering on the nostalgia, but the feel good factor that pulses throughout ensures the film remains a crowd pleaser. With song and dance also featuring, picture is frothy in its telling of how money can corrupt those who were once of sound standing. Yes, it's a message movie, but it's told with such an assuredness by Sirk and acted with fine ebullience by the cast, particularly the wonderful Coburn, that it becomes a movie comfortably recommended to those in need of a pick me up in this new and hurried world we live in. 7/10

A fine feel-good comedy that's cut short of becoming a classic.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 6/10 · 27 August 2023]

Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1942) : Brief Review -

A fine feel-good comedy that's cut short of becoming a classic. The rich man learning lessons about life from the poor is an old idea and a very nice one. It works 9 out of 10 times if the writer and director can only think about it from a generous point of view. Directors like Frank Capra and George Cukor were too good with such feel-good comedies made in the 30s and 40s, and I can say it is clear that Douglas Sirk was far behind them despite coming late and having so many influences to learn from. Capra's "You Can Take It With You" (1938) and a few other films in the 40s and 50s have managed to make evergreen movies on the same theme, with a different set-up, of course. Sirk's comedy starts off on a promising note and is quite healthy throughout, but it misses a classic tag with a few flaws in the story and screenplay. Fulton's prelude is fantastic; the past love and new family stuff are so nicely written. The problem appears in the Blaisdell family, as all the characters behave childishly except Roberta, who is already a child. Harriet's dominance over all the decisions was irritating. Her daughter, son, and even her husband don't say anything against her, despite not liking what she is doing. Her daughter has no brain of her own to decide whom to marry. What a chaotic mess Dan and Millie's love story created! Illogical and detestable. Her husband had no voice, I guess. The son was kicked to the side. Even our protagonist, John Smith, didn't help much either. The film could've been finer, more logical, and more emotional with these things. At the end, Fulton walks away, and Blaisdells don't even get to know who he was. How can one miss a big scene like this? It could have ended the film on a stronger note, even though it failed to make some honest and sentimental speeches despite its great scope. Overall, a good film that didn't realise its huge potential.

RATING - 6.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

You can't take it with you.

[ulicknormanowen · 7/10 · 19 June 2020]

Colorful (with glittering colors) depiction of a small town in Vermont in the Winter which followed the economic slump .Nonetheless,it's more a capraesque fable than a realistic picture of an era :the Blaisdell family is middle-class ,they have a nice house with a spare room ;the poor of the time stay behind the scenes (even Dan has nothing to do with the youth of Wellmann's "wild boys of the road" ).

Fulton (Charles Coburn) ,an old wealty man plays the good fairy and bestows 100,000 dollars on them ,in memory of a love from long ago ,the late grandma of the family.The mother (Lynn Bari ,who resembles Claudette Colbert ) has always regretted this missed opportunity .

Now a nouveau riche (a French pejorative expression) she's eager to join the high society,made of hateful snobs (" Ah! my daughter was not nice enough for their Karl!).There's no room for Dan (Rock Hudson) as a groom -to quote another Sirk movie - and he proudly steps aside ; in "all that heaven allows" , the jet set of the town was scandalized when one of them (Jane Wyman) had an affair with a modest gardener (Hudson);even the bourgeois children tried to make them break up ;in the precedent effort ("no room for the groom" ) there was also an over-possessive mother who bore her son-in-law a grudge because he was not rich .

The rest of the family does not react to the event that way:their attitude reflects ,often eloquently ,the confusion that follows an unexpected godsend : the dad does not know safe investment (obviously ,he does not remember what happened in 1929) ,the son gambles ;only the daughters are not impressed ,the youngest being ,of course ,the wisest.

And the exuberant millionnaire ,perhaps for the first time in his life,is having fun ;one can imagine some skinflint Scrooge who understands in his twilight years that his life was eventually a unfulfilled one.So his act of puppeteer allows him to lead the wild life he has always longed for: to tackle abstract art , to sing and dance ,to visit the speakeasies and to scandalize the high society by "comforting" a girl who could be his granddaughter ...And to experiment prison !

Watch out for James Dean :he appears at the 31st minute and he's got a line to say.

Outstanding period comedy

[shaneseagrave · 9/10 · 13 December 2005]

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.

A charming comedy with a message

[grnhair2001 · 7/10 · 11 February 2020]

A really lovely and fun film about the dangers of sudden wealth for regular folk not trained in its management. A rich old fellow comes into the lives of a typical family and becomes the curmudgeonly grandfather they never knew they wanted, but he hides his wealth and what drew him there. When he gives them an anonymous gift of cash, they don't do very well with it.

The movie is almost entirely Charles Coburn playing a role he was born for, and a nearly as appealing character is played by child actress Gigi Perrault. The scenes of the two of them together are a pure delight. I rather hope they liked each other as much as they seem to on screen--but if not, that was a heck of an acting job on the part of both! There's a romance, but I didn't much care about it. I was riveted by Coburn, and the romance was more like noise to me, but it did motivate him to do some amusing things.

Some truly good comedy writing in the script by Joseph Hoffman. It's around for free somewhere--do give it a chance!

Sumptuous, funny look at the family values, 20s style.

[Mr. OpEd · 8/10 · 24 April 1999]

Yup, that's James Dean at the soda fountain in a blink-and-you-miss-him scene! That's just one of the treats in this intoxicatingly charming film. I've always thought Piper Laurie was every bit as gorgeous as the other 50s sirens and Rock Hudson, director Sirk's go-to guy, is perfect as the hunky soda jerk in love. Beautiful to look at, with plenty of period songs, costumes, and cars. And the hep dialogue is a scream as is the agony of the period's high prices: a dozen eggs for under 15 cents! A great double bill would be seeing this with that other 1952 classic set in the same period, Singin' in the Rain. One of Mancini's earliest films.

Everyone Should See this Amazing Gal ****

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 27 February 2008]

This wonderful film has often been described as a wonderful piece of Americana and so it is.

It is beautifully realized thanks to a wonderful cast, terrific pacing and a story line that we can repeat over and over: money isn't everything.

Charles Coburn gives another wonderful performance. This versatile actor, who moved from drama to comedy with ease, is fantastic as the elderly gentleman who visits the family of the woman who turned him down years before when he proposed to her. While the woman herself is now deceased, Coburn finds her family in the ideal American town of the 1920s.

Lynn Bari is wonderful as the status seeking mother married to a soda store owner-Larry Gates. Then there is Gigi Perreau who is as precocious as ever.

A young and beautiful Piper Laurie appears as their elder daughter who becomes engaged to Rock Hudson, a soda jerk at Gates' store.

When Coburn goes to live with family, posing as a border, all hell breaks loose when he gives them anonymously $100,000. The money changes all of them drastically.

There are wonderfully comic turns everywhere and there is a short but memorable Charleston done by Laurie and Hudson. Even, Coburn figures in the dancing.

You will be upset when the movie ends because Coburn, on the verge of being found out, announces to the family that he may never see them again as he leaves. Nevertheless, this is a feel good movie; it conveys the American ideal and values so well and with great comedy along the way.

A Waste of a Great Song

[jromanbaker · 4/10 · 2 November 2021]

The title of the film is an iconic song from the 1920's when popular music sounded so fresh and new, and the Charleston was like fresh paint on an old building, which of course was the two decades in history preceding it. I like a lot of Douglas Sirk's uninhibited ' weepies ' and ' All That Heaven Allows ' is in my opinion a masterpiece. I had never seen this film so I gave it a chance, knowing that it was in a minor league to his so-called major films. After all ' Take Me To Town ' with Ann Sheridan at her best is considered minor and I can watch it over and over again. So then why did ' Has Anybody Seen My Gal ' leave me bored and cold ? The signature Autumn leaves were there and Sirk's great compositions of scenes were there, and it all looked good and yet I found it a failure. This is only my point of view but I did not think that Charles Coburn as a rich and possibly dying old man giving his wealth away worked for me. Coburn is great to see in smaller roles, but I do not think he could carry a whole one on his ever grumbling back. He also could not dance the Charleston, and the musical scenes were underpowered and clumsy. Rock Hudson faded into the background and so did the usually incredibly good Piper Laurie. James Dean gets a few seconds and I was cross he wasn't given Hudson's role. A few seconds of clearly first class talent from Dean should have immediately alerted Sirk that here was a great actor and a much better one than Hudson. So for me the centre of good casting was gone, and the cast of characters all looked and behaved in a one-dimensional way. Lynn Bari also failed to spark, but then did she ever shine ? She reeked of a cross between Rosalind Russell and Claudette Colbert, and fell flat on her face as an actor during the whole of her Mother playing role. I could not believe for a moment she was supposed to be Piper Laurie's mother, and I wonder if Laurie did ? For those who love this film I have great admiration, but it is again in my opinion one of Sirk's most boring films. Despite his genius he did make a few and finally all I can say is I could well be wrong and let every viewer choose for themselves. A reluctant 4 for Piper Laurie and a brief glimpse of James Dean panting at the leash to take over.

Fun fantasy that deserved a better title

[gerdeen-1 · 13 August 2009]

The title "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?" comes from a popular song of the 1920s, and presumably it was slapped on this non-musical movie to let people know when the story is supposed to be taking place. That was a silly idea, but the movie itself is charming. Charles Coburn plays the world's richest man, an elderly recluse whose face is known to virtually no one. (Bear in mind that this movie was made before tycoon Howard Hughes became legendary for his secretive ways.) The rich man travels incognito to the small town where he spent much of his youth. There he becomes the anonymous benefactor of a family that played an early role in his success, though none of its members have any idea of their link to him. He works as a seemingly down-on-his-luck soda jerk in the town, watching up close how his mysterious checks change the lives of people in this ordinary, close-knit family. It's not always a pretty sight, but it does teach a lesson, not just to them but to him. There's a Christmastime angle that isn't absolutely essential to the plot, but it did point out to me this film's similarity to another bittersweet fantasy, Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life." If you want a movie that's heartwarming and entertaining and has a moral, this is a good choice. Try it for Christmas.

Nice film with a young Rock and James Dean

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 21 November 2007]

Charles Coburn gives the family of the woman who rejected him $100,000 in "Has Anybody Seen My Gal," a delightful 1952 comedy set in the 1920s. It's directed by Douglas Sirk and also stars Piper Laurie, Gigi Perreau, Lynn Bari, William Reynolds and Skip Homeier. It seems that when Samuel Fulton was a young man, the young woman who turned him down spurned him on to great things. Now, with no heirs, he wants to leave her family his money. Despite his belief that he's dying, he heads to their hometown and moves in on them as a "Mr. Smith" in order to observe them when they are presented with a check for $100,000.

Rock Hudson has a supporting role in this film - he plays a soda jerk and the love interest of Piper Laurie. Dancing the Charleston, he is darn cute. And if you think the kid at the soda fountain giving old man Fulton a hard time is James Dean, you're right, it is. People often say that James Dean only made three films. Wrong. He only STARRED in three films. Gigi Perreau is adorable without being cloying. Piper Laurie, in a Debbie Reynolds type of role, does a good job, though later on, she would shine more in drama. But at this point, she and Rock were just paying their dues along with William Reynolds, who became a TV actor.

This is Coburn's film all the way - he's a riot as an old codger who gets a dose of health and love from the family and gives some back in return. "Has Anybody Seen My Gal" demonstrates the fine directing gifts of Douglas Sirk whose name would become synonymous with big budget soap operas. But in 1952, it was fun all the way with Coburn and Universal's stable of young players.

An enjoyable old fashioned family film.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 22 May 2012]

While this is not a brilliant film, it's exactly the sort of old fashioned Hollywood film that I love. It's a nice family slice of life film--much like "On Moonlight Bay" or "Life With Father". These films present a very idealized and sweet look at like in the 'good old days'. So perhaps it isn't 100% real or realistic, but it is fun--and quite nostalgic.

The best thing about this film, and the reason I watched it, is that it stars Charles Coburn. While not a household name, he was a marvelous supporting actor and played crusty old gents better than anyone. Take his movies "The Devil and Miss Jones" and "The More the Merrier"--no one could have done it better! Here in "Has Anyone Seen My Gal", he once again is at his best.

The movie begins with Coburn talking about dying--though his doctor insists if he takes care of himself he'll live for years. But this isn't what's important to Coburn--what he really cares about is what he'll do with his immense fortune after he dies. As he has no family, he decides he'll give it to the family of his old girlfriend--even though she's since died and he's never met these folks. So, on a whim, he decides to visit his old home town and meet the folks incognito. And, he also then decides to give them SOME of the inheritance to see what they do with it. The rest, it is a joy to watch...and so I won't say any more. Just see the film. Overall, a very nice film. My only reservation, and it's small, is that the mother is a bit too unlikable--and I wish they'd made her a bit less obnoxious. Still, it's well worth seeing.

By the way, during the film they mention two other films--"Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" with Bessie Love and "Hold Your Man" with Laura La Plante. These are real films from the late 1920s, if you are interested.

Uncredited James Dean contribution.

[marilyndorn · 8/10 · 17 September 2021]

If you look closely you will notice that Dean is the young man on the bicycle delivering newspapers. He has two cameo appearances. I visited the set that year with Grace Kelly. She was there briefly to speak with Rock Hudson whom she had one date with to a ballgame.

Turned-up nose, turned-down hose, never had any other beaux

[robert-temple-1 · 5/10 · 10 January 2011]

It is hard to imagine German exile Douglas Sirk (Hans Detlef Sierck) directing anything less likely than this, for it is even more extraordinarily pure Americana than the other Rock Hudson films he directed later. The film is based on a story written by Eleanor H. Porter, author of 'Polyanna'. The first thing to say about this film is that the cinematographer Clifford Stine ruined it from the start. Most of the interior scenes are so brightly lit by 'brutes' that they seem to be taking place in the Sahara Desert at noon. Any chance that a nuance might survive such savage and searing light was nil. The amount of sweat sponged off the actors' faces by the makeup lady between takes must have been enough to fill a swimming pool. The film is notable for an early appearance in a tiny cameo role by James Dean as a teenager sitting at the soda counter in a small town drug store. Even in his few fleeting moments, Dean manages to be electric, which is astonishing and most impressive. Although this film purports to be a cozy tale of small town life, it is based upon a rather rotten premise. It concerns a rich elderly curmudgeon, brilliantly played by Charles Coburn, who decides to stay as an incognito boarder in the house of a family to which he might or might not leave a fortune, depending on what he decides that he thinks of them. They are the daughter and grandchildren of the girl he wanted to marry but who dumped him, so that he lived his life as an embittered bachelor. The film was immensely popular when it was released. The story touches the central nerve of the USA, the land where Money is worshipped on bended knee by 300 million devotees, all of whom dream every night of the supposed delights of untold riches, especially unearned riches which come from an unexpected source (hence the popularity of Las Vegas and Atlantic City). Money is the only measure of value accepted by the majority of Americans. If you have a rare book or a beautiful painting any American visitor admiring it will give you what is meant to be the highest form of praise: 'That must be worth a lot!' It is only the monetary value that matters, the contents of the book or the beauty of the painting being incidental and essentially meaningless. Hence a fairy tale of a rich old man who might leave you a fortune is the ultimate dream, the True American Dream! The situation is made worse by the fact that so many people in America are desperately poor, far more now than in 1952 of course, for at that time there was national prosperity. Therefore they all still dream of Charles Coburn, even if they have never heard of him. The cute little girl in the film is played by Gigi Perreau, aged ten at the time. It is difficult for people today to realize how popular she was as a child actress. She first appeared on screen at the age of two, and she was only three when she played the illegitimate daughter of a Belgian woman who had been raped by a German soldier in THE MASTER RACE (1944, see my review). All during the 1950s she was a favourite of all the little boys throughout America, and made their tiny hearts throb in incomprehensible ways. She was not that cute, not that pretty, not that charming, but nevertheless she was a tearaway success. Her fame was eclipsed starting in 1959 with the appearance of the young Hayley Mills in the film TIGER BAY (1959). Hayley was a law unto herself: irresistible in every conceivable way, she could be sweeter than Margaret O'Brien (and that's saying something!), cheekier and cuter than Shirley Temple had ever been, more poignant that Natalie Wood, more everything than everybody, in fact. And so Gigi Perreau was suddenly forgotten, poor thing. But she had had a good run for her money and was four years older, and besides was getting long in the tooth at the great age of 18. She had had a run of 16 years and now it was somebody else's turn. So from these comments you may gather that in retrospect I do not believe she added much to the film, though at the time everybody was entranced by her. That is what happens when you are up against Hayley Mills in hindsight! Rock Hudson plays a young 'soda jerk' romantic lead, but doesn't have many interesting lines, and it is an unrewarding part, so he just looks dull and square-jawed and slightly ill at ease. Piper Laurie as the ingénue whom Hudson wants to marry was thought in those days by everybody to be lively, pert, and quite a cutie. In retrospect, she seems dreadfully dull too. (And just to make things worse, her makeup and costumes are bad.) In fact, everybody in the film is rather dull other than Charles Coburn and James Dean. And the film is a dreadful disappointment. But the crucial fact to remember is that it was not a dreadful disappointment back then. It served its audience of Middle America perfectly according to the undemanding standards of 1952. And for those prepared to watch a bit of nostalgia wearing their sunglasses (because of the harsh lighting), this rather tepid film might warm a cockle or two.

Imperfect but winning comedy, with Coburn's greatest performance

[rick_7 · 10 June 2010]

Has Anybody Seen My Gal (Douglas Sirk, 1952) is a winning comedy from the soon-to-be master of romantic melodrama, Douglas Sirk, who went on to make the smash-hit "women's pictures" Magnificent Obsession and All That Heaven Allows. Just as those films pack a notable satirical bite, so Has Anybody Seen My Gal has a few choice things to say about greed and the worship of money, even if Sirk gets his message across in an overly broad manner. Charles Coburn, who could do "crustily avuncular" like no-one else in Hollywood, plays a multi-millionaire with a novel idea about what do with his will. Having made his fortune after losing the only girl he ever loved, he resolves to give the money to the late woman's family: daughter Lynn Bari, her husband Larry Gates - who runs a grocery store - and their likable children, Piper Laurie, William Reynolds and Gigi Perreau. But he wants to make doubly sure he's doing the right thing, and inveigles his way into their household posing as a surrealist painter.

The film is extremely entertaining and the scriptwriters generally make the right decisions within scenes, knowing when to play for laughs (almost always), when to deliver a little jolt of emotion (like Coburn seeing a portrait of his lost love) and when to curtail an encounter. It's also genuinely funny, with Coburn an absolute joy as the film's good-hearted centre, alternately omniscient and naive. The scenes where he's reprimanded by judge Paul Harvey for supposedly immorality are particularly strong and there's a hilarious, ridiculous sequence in which the paternal old cove is accused of necking with young woman Laurie in a cinema that's masterfully-handled. Coburn, in career-best form, also generates an easy chemistry with both the wide-eyed, red-headed Laurie (later of The Hustler, Carrie and Return to Oz) and the charming Perreau, who reminds me of Margaret O'Brien. Being a Douglas Sirk film, this one looks absolutely great, while it's also significant in movie history as the director's first teaming with frequent collaborator Rock Hudson (playing Laurie's soda jerk boyfriend) and for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it turn from James Dean as a kid ordering a soda. That's if it takes you 10 seconds to blink.

But the film falls short of greatness in several ways. The narrative, which sees Bari turn into a nouveau riche monster, is apt to offend people of all political persuasions, with the idea that money is evil being a socialist concept and the suggestion that poor people can't handle the paper stuff an old-fashioned right-wing one. There's also the problem of Bari's character, who is crucial to our investment in the story. Familiar as the "other woman" from countless Fox films of the '30s and early-'40s, the actress is poorly-cast in a badly-written role and delivers a one-dimensional and unsympathetic performance. Though the '20s setting is enthusiastically utilised, it's also a little synthetic, while little jokes about rising prices and changing fashions are largely meaningless today to all those without a PhD in early-20th century American history. Perhaps most frustratingly, the film ends in an unorthodox manner that doesn't suit the material, taking the peculiar decision to keep the identity of Coburn's millionaire a secret. A climactic unmasking has obvious comic and dramatic potential, but instead all we get is Coburn walking down the street and out of his adopted family's lives.

Has Anybody Seen My Gal is top entertainment, powered by Charles Coburn's lovely performance and packed with good jokes. But it's let down by the simplistic, slightly negative central message, Bari's weak characterisation and a refusal to play ball with its audience, which would have turned this period piece into prime Americana.

Trivia note: The film's title refers to a '20s hit, sung here by a bunch of kids at a soda fountain. It's one of several tunes tossed into the mix, apparently at random.

Slightly too moralistic but funny

[Dr_Coulardeau · 8/10 · 26 October 2010]

That was the time of Charleston and Prohibition. That was the time before the Great Crash of some Black Friday or something like that they called the Great Depression. That was the story of a rather slightly dumb hypochondriac rich man with no heirs who wanted to give his money to the family, and descendants, of the girl he loved and who refused him. He got the strange notion of going and visiting the place in upstate New York and the descendants of his old sweetheart. And to test them really he manages to get the family 100,000 dollars. And he saw the damage at once. The wife and mother gets completely lunatic about being rich and she blows a couple of fuses in no time and they are bankrupt in even less than no time. Now what about the boyfriend of the eldest daughter? What about the poor pure mongrel of a dog of the family? What about the little younger daughter? And what about the father who is a happy conscientious pharmacist? And what about life that is happy with love and does not need all that money to have a swell time? What about the local judge and local businessman and local people of any note in that jungle that upstate New York is? Everything and everyone flat on their noses except the few who were not dumb enough to believe in Father Christmas in the middle of the summer. A charming film about money and nothing else, though there are so many things you can think of beside money. New cars, new dresses, new houses, new records and new everything of any kind and sort. And what is that all but just plain nothing when compared with the fair pleasure of achieving something with your own brains and your own hands and your own flesh and bones. It is so beautiful to owe nothing to no one and to have exactly what we want because we earned it. That's what they call sustainability today, and I can tell you there are quite a few people who are unsustainable in their minds. "Let the rich pay for us and spoon feed us with the money they made and we did not make." Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Paris 8 Saint Denis, University Paris 12 Créteil, CEGID

Perfection Plus!

[JohnHowardReid · 10/10 · 14 September 2017]

Songs: "Gimme a Little Kiss, Will Ya, Huh?" (Roy Smith, Roy Turk, Maceo Pinkard, sung by Piper Laurie), "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More" (Wendell Hall, sung by Charles Coburn and group), "Tiger Rag" (Jelly Roll Morton), "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue" (sung by college boys and girls), "When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob-Bob-Bobbin' Along" (Harry Woods, sung by Coburn, Gigi Perreau, Lynn Bari).

Copyright 6 May 1952 by Universal Pictures Co., Inc. New York opening at the Mayfair: 4 July 1952. U.S. release: June 1952. U.K. release: August-September 1952. Australian release: 16 October 1952. 7,985 feet. 89 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Set in a small American town in 1928, this is a comedy about a struggling middle-class family who receive an unexpected gift of $100,000.

NOTES: Film debut of James Dean, and Douglas Sirk's first film in color.

COMMENT: An unexpected delight from start to finish. Hard to believe that gloomy old Sirk could fashion so vividly bright and valorously enjoyable a comedy of manners. True, the pace does slow down a mite after its screamingly screwball start when the action switches to Hilverton. But though the plot twists are expected, the script is so energetically played, it all seems ultra-fresh and vigorous.

Admittedly, it's hard to credit that our old aversion Rock Hudson could make so light and effervescently amusing a comedian. But he does. He's a riot. A pity he didn't pursue this vein. Of many chuckle-some scenes in which Rock figures, the most memorable is a wonderfully-timed sequence in which he attempts to teach Charles Coburn the art of mixing a strawberry surprise.

In fact the whole cast, led by the indomitable Coburn (who really has the star part, despite being placed third in the billing) is just perfection plus. If ever a screenplay was measured to order, this one is. Even Gigi Perreau is handed some side-splitting lines. Larry Gates has one of his best parts ever as the hard-pressed pharmacist, whilst Skip Homeier (who can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned) turns in a gloriously hissable study of the dark-dyed heavy.

Also to be especially lauded: Forrest Lewis as a grumpy druggist, Willard Waterman as a too-breezy doctor, Lynn Bari as the pushy wife, Piper Laurie as she-who-gets-pushed, and Laura La Plante (courtesy of a brief movie clip from the Universal archives) as an exercise enthusiast.

Superbly photographed and dressed in appropriately stylish Technicolor, "Has Anybody Seen My Gal" has an added nostalgia bonus in its inspired selection of contemporary songs. All given a nice, razzy. toe- tapping treatment too.

By the way, if you can spot James Dean, you're a more keen-eyed fan than I am.

See it! Great family entertainment!

[weezeralfalfa · 9/10 · 10 May 2017]

The most dominating character role I've seen irascible grandfatherly Charles Coburn play. This is definitely his movie, whatever the official credits suggest. He also dominated, again playing a tycoon, in "The Girl Who Took the West", where again he was concerned how his fortune would fare after he was gone.

Coburn, as Samuel Fulton/alias John Smith, having no close kin, wants to bequeath his fortune, especially in gold and oil companies, to the descendants of the one woman he loved, back when he was poor and struggling. He wants to express his gratitude to her for refusing him, which stimulated him to travel around the US, looking for investment opportunities. But first, he wants to test if this family can handle his fortune responsibly. He fakes an advertisement from them for a roomer, then shows up on their doorstep with the paper in hand, badgering them into accepting him as the roomer.

Mrs. Blaisdell(Lyn Bari) is characterized as the worst offender in spending the test money lavishly on a mansion with fancy furnishings, expensive car and clothes, etc.. She even demands they trade in their personable Airedale for a pair of French poodles. In large part, she wants these things in order to be accepted as an equal by the town upper crust, so that her daughter, Millie, is better qualified to marry the son of a rich family. Meanwhile, son Charles tries to multiply their fortune by gambling at cards, but instead loses all his money, necessitating Coburn to use his expertise at card gambling to win it back for him anonymously. Meanwhile Mr. Blaisdell gambles a good share of the money on a stock, which then collapses. Daughter Millie is the only one of the adults who is conservative in her demands with the money. Her mother wants her to marry a rich man she doesn't love. Now that they are rich, Millie's boyfriend Dan(Rock Hudson), a mere soda jerk, feels out of place as her boyfriend, so breaks off their engagement. But later, when the family is flat broke, he resumes his interest in Millie, while her rich fiancé suddenly loses interest in her.

We don't learn whether Coburn decided to will the rest of his fortune to the family. He took a special interest in Millie. If I were him, I would have all securities, companies and cash put in a trust fund, from which they can draw so much per year. with Millie getting the most.

This comedic drama is played against a background of 1920s culture, including raccoon coats and a number of songs. In fulfilling his role as a snooper and aid to the Blaisdells, Coburn is arrested several times for frequenting a speak-easy or a gambling den, and reprimanded for allegedly necking in a movie theater with Millie. He is talked into working in the Blaisdell's pharmacy as a soda jerk, after an inauspicious training period. At night, he has to sleep with the family dog.

The aspect that deserves the most criticism is the excessively feel good ending, which has the family returning to their old house and old business(which they had sold),as if they had never received the money and hadn't gone bankrupt. Should Coburn have revealed himself before leaving , or disappeared incognito.

Lyn Bari, usually typecast as "the other woman" or loser, has a different role here, but still clearly comes across in a negative light who, along with the others, loses their fortune because of their greed. Also, she champions "the other man" to marry her daughter.

Dare to flap with these flappers (now on DVD)

[misctidsandbits · 23 September 2011]

Yep, this is a fun family flick that is truly (remember this phrase ...) heart warming. Works for me, as it will for anyone who will just relax and let it.

It reminds me of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" for the flapper thing.

But, the family fun and family project elements of this subject film have the same effect as Doris Day's 1951 and 1953 films. They are titled "On Moonlight Bay" and "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" (sequel). You do feel good and they are engaging.

Also, there's "You Can't Take It With You," for a fun and endearing family frolic.

Another feel good film, for me, is "Oklahoma." I know that is a much more ambitious project than the ones mentioned here, but there's good clean zest in all of these.

Also, saw this film on Amazon, some singles and in some Sirk packages.

There's a pseudo sophistication nowadays that won't allow this type of thing as a rule. Uncool. Has to be complicated and "real," generally meaning about people with multiple layers of psychoses. It's considered much more substantial and in tune to produce, direct, perform and watch complicated imbroglios.

Dare to unbend and flap with these flappers. It will help you. Laughter is very healthful. :-)

The world of raccoon coats and speak-easies comes alive as fast as you can Charleston!

[mark.waltz · 8/10 · 15 October 2014]

The regrets of a long-ago unrequited love has made supposed ailing millionaire Charles Coburn decide to leave a bequest to that deceased woman's family. He moves in with them as a border under an assumed name to see how they will spend the money and finds out that simple people aren't so simple when it comes to sudden riches and the desire to move up the social ladder. In the process, he plays "Mr. Fix-It" for the pretty Piper Laurie who happens to look exactly like her grandmother did years ago and convince her boyfriend (Rock Hudson) not to make the same mistakes he did years ago. In the process, the family learns some valuable lessons, especially that life on the right side of the tracks is not as rewarding a a simple life where happiness rules, not the worries over finances.

Stage veteran Charles Coburn had started his film career in his mature years 17 years before this playing mostly imperious wealthy men who dominated their family and ran their business with an iron hand. By the mid 1940's, he wasn't just an Academy Award Winning character actor who occasionally starred in a B movie, but a full-fledged star, as beloved by film audiences as the biggest of stars half his age. The early 50's typecast him as a lovable old grouch with a heart of gold, a flirtatious old geezer who not only got to kiss the hand of Marilyn Monroe, but prove to audiences that just because there was snow on the roof didn't mean that there was no fire in the furnace. This film was one of his best, and if it is your introduction to him, you will come out of it adoring him as well.

As he goes from bed-ridden business tycoon to the repairman of a messed up family, Coburn goes from night shirt to raccoon coat, from hiding cigars in bed to dancing the Charleston. He even takes up finger-painting, sleeps with the family dog, and is caught in both a speakeasy and gambling house, later being accused of making out with the young Laurie in a silent movie house. The rumor mill of this man makes its way into high society as the greedy family he left money to basically sticks their nose up at him. The biggest nose raiser is the ridiculously social climbing Lynn Bari who would rather see daughter Laurie marry a man with money she didn't love than soda jerk/pharmacist Rock Hudson. This is a woman you want to see taken down a few pegs as her selfishness is outrageous.

Bari's husband is played by Larry Gates, the character actor who won an Emmy for his long-running role as wealthy patriarch H.B. Lewis on "Guiding Light". He may be the breadwinner in the family (running a pharmacy which is a teen-aged hang-out at the soda stand), but quietly allows Bari to control everything. Gigi Perreau is their adorable youngest daughter who instantly takes to Coburn, while William Reynolds is the only son whom Coburn discovers has a gambling problem. The mixture of family drama into the comedy (with a few songs thrown in to give the flavor of the era) adds some realism.

In smaller roles, Skip Homeier is the uppity rich brat Laurie is distracted by, Paul McVey and Gloria Holden ("Dracula's Daughter") as his snooty parents, Paul Harvey the judgmental judge, and in a one-line unbilled part, James Dean who harasses Coburn in the soda shop. It is a shame Hudson isn't in this scene as only a few years later, they would work together as rivals in the epic "Giant". Fritz Feld is the pretentious tango teacher who reminded me of Hermoine Gingold as he gave the society ladies instructions. Colorful photography, delightful music and a real feeling of what life in simpler days was like. Director Douglas Sirk may be more remembered for his plush soap operas, but this ranks as one of his best films.

A kind of `Feel Good' movie is true to form

[dlapage · 8/10 · 19 July 2003]

I like to watch this movie when I am `down' or when things aren't going right. Charles Coburn is one of my favorite `all time' movie actors. With the exception of the character Howard Blaisdell, the film was perfectly cast. I have watched this movie at least 20 times.

Kind of dated, but...

[koohii · 8/10 · 25 September 2022]

While everything about this movie is pretty dated, and it was already a period piece, it is amazing how many people would still benefit from the lessons of this movie. We still have social climbers, people who think they and their children should marry for status and money rather than any other compatibility, and of course, people who think money solves all their problems (money can only solve the problems that it itself creates). The petty slapstick is kept to a appreciated minimum. And of course the pretentiousness of the art world is one of those things that will never fade, and that will never be beyond mockery. An overall enjoyable bit of fluff.