Flaw is the lovable heroine enthusiastically engages in a one night stand that leads to pregnancy - done by a husband that disappears. This is my favorite movie by one of my favorite writer-directors, the great Preston Sturges. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek is a 1943 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton, and featuring Diana Lynn, William Demarest and Porter Hall. Later, Trudy will get a divorce, and she and Norval will get married legitimately. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. [18], In 2001, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." This a great scene from Preston Sturges' film "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" starring Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, and William Demarest. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. Directed by Preston Sturges. She also does not have the marriage license. A small-town girl with a soft spot for American soldiers wakes up the morning after a wild farewell party for the troops to find that she married someone she can't remember. Yet the heroine remains lovable and funny and admirably innocent. Directed by Preston Sturges. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Best Selling in DVDs & Blu-ray Discs. Betty Hutton plays Trudy, a sweet,pretty small-town girl who goes to a see the troops off dance and comes home married and pregnant and doesn't remember any of it. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek is a 1944 screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton, and featuring Diana Lynn, William Demarest and Porter Hall. Out of all of those great movies, "The Miracle of Morgan Creek" is his best "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" is even more outrageous than his other movies. Share. [12], The War Department had concerns with the film's portrayal of the departing soldiers, demanding that the film "should result in giving the audience the feeling that these boys are normal, thoroughly fit American soldiers who have had an evening of clean fun. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2015. took a while to suss how i could get the english speaking version on the menu as it was in foriegn. She gets drunk and may or may not have married a serviceman who leavers her pregnant. Summaries. Please try again. Norval is brought to the Kockenlocker house where military, state and federal officers fight with Constable Kockenlocker over jurisdiction. In September 1942, Paramount sold a number of films, such as I Married a Witch, to United Artists, which needed to keep its distribution pipeline filled,[10] but Paramount held on to The Miracle of Morgan's Creek because it was directed by Sturges, waiting for an opportunity to release it. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek stirred up problems Hollywood's censors and many authority figures thought were best ignored and, even more remarkably, put them in a wartime context that questioned patriotism, political leadership and the purity of American femininity. Early in World War II, the heroine, Trudy Kockenlocker (Betty Hutton), goes to a dance for soldiers who are about to leave for the front. Near the end of her pregnancy at Christmas time, the constable approaches the city council to tell them that Trudy wants to tell the real story and exonerate Norval. Miracle of Morgan’s Creek. However, he is spotted in town by the bank manager, who alerts the police. [11], Problems arose with Hays Office censors because of the film's subject matter. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Mr. Sturges ... has hauled off this time and tossed a satire which is more cheeky than all the rest. A bank clerk gets in trouble after posing as the unknown GI father of his girlfriend's sextuplets. She could act extremely well when given a chance. [13] Outdoor scenes were shot at the Paramount Ranch in Agoura, California. [16], The Miracle of Morgan's Creek received critical praise. Man (Eddie Bracken) poses as a GI to save pregnant flame's (Betty Hutton) honor. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek by Readable copy. El Milagro es una de allas, talvez la mejor. Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2018, Almost every movie taht Preston Sturges directed is a classic comedy. [11] There were so many objections from the censors that Sturges began production with only ten approved script pages. 5.0 out of 5 stars The Miracle that is Miracle of Morgan's Creek Reviewed in Canada on October 20, 2014 This is Preston Sturges's finest movie in my opinion. Sturges’s next film is my favorite, a glorious combination of bawdiness and slapstick. Like Ratzkywatzky [...] or was it Zitzkywitzky?" Rated the #9 best film of 1944, and #1759 in the greatest all-time movies (according to RYM users). The Miracle of Morgan's Creek was ahead of its time and remains almost as fresh and fun today as it was when it first became a huge hit. The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1943) directed by Preston Sturges • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd. Please try again. 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. The lines come fast and furious and are laugh-out loud funny. (1943) Written and Directed by Preston Sturges. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. What's new on Netflix ; What's new on Amazon Prime Video ; What's new on Disney Plus ; What's new on fuboTV ; What's new on Apple TV Plus Norval is accused of abducting Trudy, impersonating a soldier, impairing the morals of a minor, resisting arrest and perjury. IMDB Entry. At those times, you can catch your breath. Tremenda. Starring Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton, Diana Lynn, William Demarest, Brian Donlevy, Akim Tamaroff. ", Although the Hays Office received many letters of protest because of its subject matter, the film was Paramount's highest-grossing film of 1944, taking in nine million dollars in box-office receipts while playing to standing-room-only audiences in some theaters. Shipping, Returns & Payments. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2016. Unable to add item to List. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek Synopsis. Starring: William Demarest, Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Really liked it. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Diana Lynn plays Trudy's sister who is 14 but wise beyond her years and has some of the best lines in the movie. Anyway,I loved it and consider it one of the best movies I've ever seen and will re-watch frequently- its that good! Brian Donlevy and Akim Tamiroff reprise their roles from Sturges' 1940 film The Great McGinty. Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Upgrade to … US trailer for Preston Sturges' The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. If you have never seen her I would recommend seeing this first and then moving on to her other films(which is what I did and became a total Betty Hutton fan. ... Maybe the humor is forced a little, and it may be slightly difficult at times to understand precisely what in heck is going on. About this item. (His outer-borough New York City accent seems rather odd for a story set in mid-America, but apparently nobody cared about the disconnect.) Directed by: Preston Sturges. Audience Reviews for The Miracle of Morgan's Creek Feb 18, 2020 One of the craziest screwball comedies ever made. Not that the intervening year did anything to lessen the controversy surrounding the subject matter, but for the sake of historical accuracy I wanted to point that out. [11], The film was released on DVD and VHS on September 6, 2005. But that doesn't make any difference. Title : The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Norval and Trudy devise a plan: he will wear a uniform and they will get married secretly under false names, which will provide her a marriage certificate with the fake name of Ratzkywatzky and help her avoid the scandal that would be involved with having a child out of wedlock. This film covered subjects that at the time were considered no-no by the film censors of the time but somehow Sturges got it through! New DVDs and Blu-rays will have unused digital content if applicable to the product. " It's hard to imagine how he ever got away with such a thing, how he ever persuaded the Hays boys that he wasn't trying to undermine all morals. In just four years Sturges gave the world "The Great McGinty," "Christmas in July," "The Lady Eve," "Sullivan's Travels," "The Palm Beach Story," "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek," and "Hail the Conquering Hero." She believes that she and the groom had used fake names, so she doesn't know how to get in touch with him and cannot remember what he looks like. [11], The Miracle of Morgan's Creek was in production from October 21 to December 23, 1942, with additional scenes shot on February 25, 1943. "[15], Writing in the Los Angeles Times, reviewer Edwin Schallert wrote: "It is a feature that is intensely, even stridently, a departure from the normal Hollywood output. She is a joy and so much fun to watch).She and Eddie are a terrific team and were in several other movies together. Out of all of those great movies, "The Miracle of Morgan Creek" is his best "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" is even more outrageous than his other movies. The film is recognized by the American Film Institute in these lists: Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition), "DVD Savant Review: The Miracle of Morgan's Creek", "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" (TCM article), "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees (10th Anniversary Edition)", List of actors who frequently worked with Preston Sturges, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Miracle_of_Morgan%27s_Creek&oldid=1005794619, Films set on the home front during World War II, United States National Film Registry films, Films with screenplays by Preston Sturges, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Both Brian Donlevy and Akim Tamiroff reprised their roles from Sturges' 1940 comedy, Many members of Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors appear in, This was the eighth of ten films written by Sturges in which William Demarest appeared. Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. Shipping and handling. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek is the kind of film that could get laughs out of condemned prisoners, and it plays better than ever. Trudy's father arrests Norval and locks him in the town jail. To me, "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" is the "Citizen Kane" of comedy -- the greatest film comedy of all time. Norval offers to help Trudy by eloping with her and impersonating Ratziwatzki, the long-gone soldier she thinks she married, so she … The film ranks #54 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Laughs list of the top 100 funniest films in movie history. Norval Jones (Eddie Bracken), a local 4-F boy who has been in love with Trudy for years, steps in to help out, but Trudy's overprotective father becomes involved and complicates matters. The next morning, Trudy is in a daze and slowly begins to recall the previous night's events. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. A newspaper states that Canada is "highly dubious" (a clear reference to the Dionne quintuplets). Sturges manages to satirize the morals of a war time society where there is no tomorrow for many young men and how the young women deal with the moral code of their day. She doesn't sing at all in this movie. Early in World War II, the heroine, Trudy Kockenlocker (Betty Hutton), goes to a dance for soldiers who are about to leave for the front. In October 1942, after a story conference, the office sent Paramount a seven-page letter outlining their concerns, including those about lines spoken by the 14-year-old character Emmy and the Trudy character having been drunk and then pregnant. Against her father's orders, she attends a wild farewell party for a group of soldiers at which she hits her head on a chandelier while dancing. Demarest also acted in, "The Bell in the Bay" – music and lyrics by, "Sleepy Summer Days" – music by Ted Snyder, lyrics by Sturges, This page was last edited on 9 February 2021, at 12:56. This item will ship to United States, but the seller has not specified shipping options. The matter is complicated when Trudy learns that she became pregnant that night as well. The National Board of Review nominated the film for Best Picture of 1944, and awarded Betty Hutton the award for Best Acting for her performance in the film. Needing money to begin his quest but with the bank where he works closed for the night, Norval sneaks into the bank with the constable's assistance to take $900 while leaving his bonds there that are worth the same amount. The office wanted the filmmakers to be "extremely careful in handling a subject of this kind because of the delicate nature of the high point of the story," and to refrain from reiterating the basic facts of the story after they have been presented. It belongs essentially to the screwball comedy school, and goes to most outlandish lengths in its climax, which has the misfortune to show up the whole thing. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2016. See all. While trying to open a safe, Norval trips the burglar alarm, so Trudy and her sister Emmy tie up their father at the police station to make it look as if he had been incapacitated by a burglar. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek is a 1943 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton, and featuring Diana Lynn, William Demarest and Porter Hall. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Bosley Crowther wrote in The New York Times: "a more audacious picture—a more delightfully irreverent one—than this new lot of nonsense at the Paramount has never come slithering madly down the path. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. [11], Sturges was nominated for a 1945 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, the same year in which he was nominated for the same award for Hail the Conquering Hero. But it really is was one of the funniest movies of all time and has held up incredibly well. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek was actually filmed in late 1942 and early 1943. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek rates: Movie: Excellent + Video: Excellent Sound: Excellent English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) This is the first movie I ever saw Betty Hutton in and I think she is terrific! Miracle of Morgan's Creek is a classic movie with a major flaw. Brian Donlevy, Muriel Angelus, Akim Tamiroff, Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2017. She's sweet, sensitive,moving and funny as well. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, which was filmed in 1942 and early 1943, but not released until 1944, was nominated for a 1945 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and in 2001, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The Miracle of Morgan's Creek(Paramount Home Entertainment, 9.6.2005) French critic Andre Bazin dubbed Preston Sturges the anti-Capra, a moniker he certainly earned as writer-director of 1944's subversive small town send-up The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek is a Screwball Comedy from Preston Sturges set during World War II.. Trudy Kockenlocker (Betty Hutton), the daughter of the town constable (William Demarest), sneaks out against her father's wishes to a dance for the soldiers, using a date with Norval Jones (Eddie Bracken) as an excuse. Trudy then tells her father the truth about the marriage, her pregnancy and Norval's attempt to pose as her groom, and he agrees to let Norval escape so that Norval can find Trudy's real husband. [14], The film premiered at New York's Paramount Theatre on January 19, 1944. While you laugh at one you may miss another they come so fast, Besides the dialogue there are some great gags as well. The real miracle is that it ever got made, in those days when the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930 sanitized all … The Miracle of Morgan's Creek Eddie Bracken Betty Hutton William Demarest (1944) A bank clerk (Eddie Bracken) gets in trouble after posing as the unknown GI father of his girlfriend's (Betty Hutton) sextuplets. Top 5 new on provider. Terrific cast throughout, including supporting players. Synopsis. Deservedly renowned screwball comedy by Preston Sturges. After months in hiding, Norval appears at his attorney's office, where he learns that the constable was fired after his ruse was not believed and that the Kockenlockers have moved out of town. Preston Sturges appears to have pitted … The Miracle of Morgan's Creek is one of the few Paramount sound films produced before 1950 that do not belong to EMKA, Ltd., along with My Friend Irma, Sorry, Wrong Number, and The Buccaneer.[3]. Out of all of those great movies, "The Miracle of Morgan Creek" is his best, Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2016. In addition to the music score by Charles Bradshaw and Leo Shuken, two songs appear in the film: Although shot in 1942 and early 1943, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek was withheld from distribution until early 1944, because Paramount had a backlog of unreleased films, including Preston Sturges' The Great Moment. The New York Times named it as one of the 10 Best Films of 1942–1944. The premise doesn't sound funny: nerdy guy (Eddie Bracken) is in love with hot girl (rambunctious Betty Hutton) who has no romantic interest in him, although her policeman dad (William Demarest) is suspicious of the boy's motives. Genres: Screwball Comedy, Satire. And Akim Tamiroff, reprising a role from an earlier Sturges film, uproariously steals the scene in a minor cameo. There's a problem loading this menu right now. "[7]        THE END. Eddie Bracken is her nerdy friend who has loved her since they were kids and wants to help her out of her fix! William Demarest is hilarious as Betty's father, though he does chew the scenery a bit. With Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton, Diana Lynn, William Demarest. I read that it was extremely popular when it came out and played to standing room only at a lot of theaters! Preston Sturges - The Filmmaker Collection (Sullivan's Travels/The Lady Eve/The Palm Beach Story/Hail the Conquering Hero/The Great McGinty/Christmas in July/The Great Moment), Unfaithfully Yours (The Criterion Collection), Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend, The (1949) [Blu-ray], The Great McGinty (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]. Brian Donlevy and Akim Tamiroff reprise their roles from Sturges' 1940 film The Great McGinty. [11] Paramount asked reviewers not to reveal the ending to avoid spoiling it for those who had not yet seen the film. I knew nothing about her screen reputation so could watch just as an actress. But before she can do so, Trudy goes into labor and is rushed to the hospital, where she gives birth to sextuplets, all boys. Here, 'marriage’ (in particular) takes a real battering, in daring defiance of what you might imagine were the guidelines contained in the Hays Code. Trudy's dad is William Demarest (of My 3 Sons from TV fame) who is both hilarious and warm and does some of the best slapstick ever! I love this movie. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Eddie Bracken is convincing as a self-effacing oaf -- and yet also, in a few crucial scenes, as a man of moving sincerity and depth. Paramount had such a glut of movies in the can that it didn't arrive in theaters until early 1944. [15] To promote the film, Paramount aired a 20-minute preview on the some 400 television sets then in use in New York City on March 21, 1944, with stills from the film, narration by Eddie Bracken and an interview with Diana Lynn. See all Item description. Coming in the middle of his most noted period of creative, comedic genius, Preston Sturges’ 1944 film is another fast-moving, rambunctious, sharply-scripted delight, displaying traits of earlier great Hollywood silent comedies, but also redolent with the film-maker’s penchant for progressive, taboo-breaking themes. "[11], Sturges' intent was to "show what happens to young girls who disregard their parents' advice and who confuse patriotism with promiscuity," and had included in his script a sermon for the pastor to deliver, expressing Sturges' opinions, but the scene was cut by the studio because the pastor was depicted in too comic a manner. Summary: 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. Preston Sturges el director hizo seis o siete peliculas locas, muy divertidas, muy rapidas, burlando se de todo, muy originales. Trudy Kockenlocker (Betty Hutton) is the daughter of the police chief (William Demarest) of the small fictional Midwestern town of Morgan's Creek. The film also holds position #54 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Laughs list of the top 100 funniest films in movie history, and in 2006 was voted by Premiere one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies of All Time.". Brian Donlevy and Akim Tamiroff reprise their roles from Sturges' 1940 film The Great McGinty. The True Story of TRUDY KOCKENLOCKER, who kissed the Boys Goodbye... REGIMENT BY REGIMENT! (Found out she was named best actress of the year by the National Board of Review). "[17], Critic James Agee noted that "the Hays office has either been hypnotized into a liberality for which it should be thanked, or has been raped in its sleep" to allow the film to be released. News of Trudy's multiple birth flashes around the world, enraging both Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. 1944 screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton, and featuring Diana Lynn, William Demarest and Porter Hall. Sturges received a credit for that film, but did not actually participate in the project. The 1958 film Rock-A-Bye Baby, starring Jerry Lewis, was loosely based on The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. ... you can have all the fun you wish out of this picture if you won't try to take it too seriously at any time. Trudy Kockenlocker (Betty Hutton), the daughter of the town constable (William Demarest), sneaks out against her father's wishes to a dance for the soldiers, using a … She had married a soldier but cannot remember his name, except that "it had a z in it. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek is a 1944 Screwball Comedy from Preston Sturges, set during World War II. It is believed that Sturges also withheld the ending from the Hays Office. Norval's attorney urges him to disappear, but Norval is determined to find Trudy. She's a true pleasure to watch. Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2015. When Norval discovers that Trudy has given birth to six boys, he faints, and the film ends with this epilogue on a title card:.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, But Norval recovered andbecame increasingly happyfor, as Shakespeare said:"Some are born great, someachieve greatness, and somehave greatness thrust uponthem. Eddie Bracken, Preston Sturges and William Demarest all should have gotten Oscars -- what the heck, even Betty Hutton should have gotten an Oscar for this! A brilliant work from Sturges' golden period. Films similar to or like The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Laugh a minute, Brilliant writing(Preston Sturges received an academy award nomination for this). Not only do many of Sturges’ 'troupe’ of regularly-used actors here constantly poke fun at the oppressive nature of the 'institution’, but its permanence is mocked equally, even if it must still be used (albeit deceitfully) as a cover for motherhood (the neatly disguised source of the 'miracle’ of the film’s title). Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. In December 1942, they also warned about making any comparisons between Trudy's situation and the virgin birth of Jesus. Dukes of Hazzard: The Complete Series (DVD, 2017, 40-Disc Set) ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less . [5] In a second review, Agee described the film as "a little like taking a nun on a roller coaster. Another good Preston Stuffed comedy. After receiving the news, Governor McGinty (Brian Donlevy) and The Boss (Akim Tamiroff) demand that Norval be set free, with the charges dropped.[4][5][6]. At the rushed wedding ceremony, a frazzled Norval mistakenly signs his real name, and the minister calls the police. Trudy Kockenlocker, a small-town girl with a soft spot for American soldiers, wakes up the morning after a wild farewell party for the troops to find that she married someone she can't remember--and she's pregnant.