IMDb > It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)

It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   163 votes
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Up 43% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Roy Del Ruth
Writers:
Herbert Clyde Lewis (story) &
Frederick Stephani (story) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for It Happened on Fifth Avenue on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 April 1947 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy more
Tagline:
It's Happer Than Heaven ... the Hit of '47! more
Plot:
A hobo and friends take up residence in a mansion whilst the family is away on Christmas holiday. | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
User Comments:
The secret is out. My favorite Christmas movie is now becoming a legend like "It's a Wonderful Life" more (26 total)

Cast

  (in credits order)
Don DeFore ... Jim Bullock
Ann Harding ... Mary O'Connor
Charles Ruggles ... Michael J. 'Mike' O'Connor
Victor Moore ... Aloysius T. McKeever
Gale Storm ... Trudy O'Connor
Grant Mitchell ... Farrow
Edward Brophy ... Gates Patrolman Cecil Felton
Alan Hale Jr. ... Whitey Temple
Dorothea Kent ... Margie Temple
Edward Ryan ... Hank (as Edward Ryan, Jr.)
Cathy Carter ... Alice
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean Andren ... Secretary (uncredited)
Johnny Arthur ... Apartment Manager (uncredited)
Florence Auer ... Miss Parker, Head Mistress (uncredited)
Leon Belasco ... Musician (uncredited)
George Blagoi ... Executive (uncredited)
James Cardwell ... Young Man (uncredited)
Chester Clute ... Phillips (uncredited)
Dudley Dickerson ... Joe, the Chauffeur (uncredited)
Adolph Faylauer ... Executive (uncredited)
Al Fenney ... Executive (uncredited)
James Flavin ... First Policeman (uncredited)
Edward Gargan ... Policeman in Park (uncredited)
Jack George ... Executive (uncredited)
Pat Goldin ... Waiter (uncredited)
John Hamilton ... Harper (uncredited)
Arthur Hohl ... Brady - Gates Patrolman (uncredited)
Bert Howard ... Executive (uncredited)
Major Kieffer ... Executive (uncredited)
William Kline ... Executive (uncredited)

Charles Lane ... Landlord (uncredited)
Carl M. Leviness ... Executive (uncredited)
Vera Lewis ... Woman in Chauffeured Car (uncredited)
George Lloyd ... Foreman of Movers (uncredited)
Eddie Marr ... Tour Bus Spieler (uncredited)
David Martell ... Executive (uncredited)
Rowland McCracken ... Executive (uncredited)
George Meader ... Music Store Manager (uncredited)
Howard M. Mitchell ... Executive (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien ... Executive (uncredited)
Garry Owen ... Detective (uncredited)
Abe Reynolds ... Finkelhoff - the Tailor (uncredited)
Linda Lee Solomon ... Young Girl (uncredited)
Bert Stevens ... Farrow's Associate (uncredited)
Jack Stoney ... Man wearing Second Hand Clothing Advertising Sign (uncredited)
Anthony Sydes ... Jackie Temple (uncredited)
Victor Travers ... Executive (uncredited)
Max Willenz ... Musician (uncredited)
Al Winters ... Executive (uncredited)
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Directed by
Roy Del Ruth 
 
Writing credits
Herbert Clyde Lewis (story) &
Frederick Stephani (story)

Everett Freeman  writer
Vick Knight  additional dialogue

Produced by
Roy Del Ruth .... producer
Joe Kaufmann .... associate producer (as Joe Kaufman)
 
Original Music by
Edward Ward 
 
Cinematography by
Henry Sharp 
 
Film Editing by
Richard V. Heermance  (as Richard Heermance)
 
Art Direction by
Lewis H. Creber  (as Lewis Creber)
 
Set Decoration by
Raymond Boltz Jr.  (as Ray Boltz Jr.)
 
Costume Design by
Lorraine MacLean 
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Fox .... assistant director
 
Sound Department
Corson Jowett .... sound
 
Other crew
Clarence Bricker .... assistant to producer
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Runtime:
116 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #12016, General Audience)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Cathy Carter's first film. more
Soundtrack:
That's What Christmas Means to Me more

FAQ

Is this movie available on DVD?
more
14 out of 15 people found the following comment useful.
The secret is out. My favorite Christmas movie is now becoming a legend like "It's a Wonderful Life", 14 January 2003
10/10
Author: jhumlong

Yes, I dare to compare this wonderful, obscure little movie to It's A Wonderful Life!They came out a year a part and both were initially lost in obscurity. A Wonder Life was made at a big time studio (RKO), with a hallmark cast and a director that had several Oscars to his name already. It arose from the RKO vaults in the early 70's and has been shown every Christmas since then. This film actually fell out of copyright in 1976 and then as public domain, was picked up by Republic and put out on VHS about the time that Ted Turner bought the RKO Film Library from General Tire. It Happened on 5th Avenue was made a year (1947)later by a poverty row studio, Monogram (Allied Artists) with a shoe string budget and a venerable director by the name of Roy Del Ruth, from the silent screen days and actors that for the most part ( besides Victor Moore and Charles Ruggles and Ann Harding) had just started acting within a 5-6 year period. The plot was far from ingenious and the storyline was almost comical. What came out was a film that tugged at your heart strings with emotion and sentiment.It has my vote for the all time favorite Christmas film. I am lucky enough to have an original 16mm film copy and a VHS tape of the film. There were few negatives struck of the film for cost reasons so not many positives are in circulation today. I got mine from a TV studio film package I purchased in the early 70's from a Tampa Florida TV station. The copyright was never renewed as in It's a Wonderful Life so any prints out there are public domain. I would love to put out a DVD and let a new generation enjoy this little gem as much as mine has. Remember the line, A man without friends is the most serious form of poverty. That line was a great quote in the film and stands truer today than ever.

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