The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)

Director:

Preston Sturges

Writer:

Preston Sturges (writer)

Release Date:

19 January 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | War

Tagline:

A Scanda-Laugh Fest!

Plot:

After an all-night send-off party for the troops, a small-town girl wakes up to find herself married and pregnant, but with no memory of her husband's identity.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Party | Pregnant | Creek | Small Town

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Eddie Bracken	...	Norval Jones
Betty Hutton	...	Trudy Kockenlocker
Diana Lynn	...	Emmy Kockenlocker
William Demarest	...	Constable Edmund Kockenlocker
Porter Hall	...	Justice of the Peace
Emory Parnell	...	Mr. Tuerck
Al Bridge	...	Mr. Johnson (as Alan Bridge)
Julius Tannen	...	Mr. Rafferty
Victor Potel	...	Newspaper editor
Brian Donlevy	...	Governor McGinty (as McGinty)
Akim Tamiroff	...	The Boss
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hank Bell	...	Homecoming spectator (uncredited)
Jan Buckingham	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Georgia Caine	...	Mrs. Johnson (uncredited)
Bill Cartledge	...	Short soldier (uncredited)
Nora Cecil	...	Head nurse (uncredited)
Chester Conklin	...	Pete (uncredited)
Jimmy Conlin	...	Mayor (uncredited)
Hal Craig	...	State policeman (uncredited)
Roger Creed	...	State policeman (uncredited)
Joe Devlin	...	Benito Mussolini (uncredited)
Robert Dudley	...	Man (uncredited)
Budd Fine	...	Military Police Sergeant #2 (uncredited)
Byron Foulger	...	McGinty's secretary (uncredited)
Kenneth Gibson	...	Secret Service man (uncredited)
Eddie Hall	...	Homecoming spectator (uncredited)
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Army officer (uncredited)
Esther Howard	...	Sally (uncredited)
Arthur Hoyt	...	McGinty's secretary (uncredited)
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Sheriff (uncredited)
George Melford	...	U.S. Marshal (uncredited)
Torben Meyer	...	Dr. Meyer (uncredited)
Frank Moran	...	Military Police Sergeant #1 (uncredited)
Jack Norton	...	Country club man ordering champagne (uncredited)
Keith Richards	...	Secret Service man (uncredited)
Harry Rosenthal	...	Mr.Schwartz (uncredited)
Almira Sessions	...	Justice's wife (uncredited)
Freddie Steele	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Connie Tompkins	...	Cecelia (uncredited)
Max Wagner	...	Military Police driver (uncredited)
Bobby Watson	...	Adolf Hilter (uncredited)

Directed by
Preston Sturges

Writing credits
Preston Sturges		(writer)

Produced by
Buddy G. DeSylva	....	producer (uncredited)
Preston Sturges	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Charles Bradshaw
Leo Shuken

Cinematography by
John F. Seitz		(as John Seitz)

Film Editing by
Stuart Gilmore

Art Direction by
Hans Dreier
Ernst Fegté

Set Decoration by
Stephen Seymour		(as Steve Seymour)

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edmond F. Bernoudy	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Walter Oberst	....	sound recordist

Music Department
Sigmund Krumgold	....	musical director
Gil Grau	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Edwin Gillette	....	secretary: Mr. Sturges (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1944) (USA) (theatrical)
• Art Station (????) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Post Logic Studios  digital restoration

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

When the film was released, it was such a huge hit, it was literally standing room only for many performances.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Norval and Mr. Kockenlocker are sitting on the front porch talking, Mr. Kockenlocker is cleaning his gun. He has an automatic pistol, he cocks it to open the chamber for cleaning, and in the next scene he cocks it again.

Quotes:

Norval Jones: W-what was his first name?
Trudy Kockenlocker: You mean Ratzkywatzky?
Norval Jones: N-n-naturally.
Trudy Kockenlocker: Does he have to have a first name?
Norval Jones: Of course he has to have a first name. Everybody has a first name. Even dogs have first names, even if they don't have any last names.
Trudy Kockenlocker: Well, I don't know. I had an uncle named Roscoe.
Norval Jones: Roscoe, Roscoe, he eats them alive!
Trudy Kockenlocker: What?
Norval Jones: That - that's a snake eater's name.
Trudy Kockenlocker: Well, it was my uncle's name.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000) (TV)

I love Ignatz Ratzkywatzky - I named my dog after him.

There are 3 perfect comedy films that I never get tired of watching. In fact I HAVE to watch them each at least twice a year. One: The Bank Dick. Two: Bringing Up Baby. Three: Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Three wacky brilliant movies the like of which will never again be made. Preston Struges was at his peak here.