The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)

One of the Funniest Films Ever Made!!

Preston Sturges, writer-director of this wonderful picture was a master! He set the bar at Paramount in the 1940s for comedy and this is a prime example.

It is great stuff indeed. With a cast that could not be bettered, this is one of the funniest films ever made. It starts off fast paced and there is not one single moment the screen is idle.

Betty Hutton gives a great performance and she was only 22 years old at the time. This film was her breakthrough in Hollywood and she is charming and endearingly funny.

Eddie Bracken is marvelous as the leading man with the funny face and the stutter. In my opinion he should have gotten nominated for an academy award. I think he is the glue that holds the film together!!

William Demarest (later Uncle Charley on Tv's "My Three Sons") as Betty's father is deliciously hammy and bombastic.

Diana Lynn, fourteen at the time, plays the kid sister with acerbic aplomb and sarcastic wit. She is amazing. Watch the scene toward the end when she and Betty are tying Bill Demarest in the jail cell and she conks him on the head.....what a howler!!

This film is hilarious and for the time it was made...at the height of WWII, was a refreshing escape from the madness that was going on in the world at the time.

When you have a couple of hours on a rainy Saturday morning or you feel like a good movie on a late night, a movie to make you feel good and that will make you laugh your head off, I recommend this classic! Comedy doesn't get any better than this!! April 26, 2008

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, ahead of it's time...

I saw this movie for the first time about 15 years ago on TCM. I consider it the funniest movie I have ever seen, and have worn out the much watched and loaned out VHS tape of it. Preston Sturges has made some of the most cutting edge comedies of his day. All of them cross the line at some point. The cast of Miracle of Morgan's Creek work well together. I aquired a new appreciation for Eddie Bracken and his wonderful ability to play the moon-eyed boy next door type. Betty Hutton was wonderful as Trudy, I don't think anyone else could have played these roles. If you have never seen this amazing old movie, I urge you to give it a try... I can't wait to get the DVD... December 23, 2007

"The trouble with kids is they always figure they're smarter than their parents."

Trudy (Betty Hutton) loves to go to parties to entertain the soldiers on leave from the war. She loves it so much, that she uses her friend Norval (Eddie Bracken) to tell her father (William Demarest) that they are going on a date, so he won't know she's going to another party. He is afraid she'll elope, and that is exactly what happens. After too much "lemonaide," she finds herself married and pregnant with no recollection of her husband. Norval is smitten with Trudy, so he offers to marry her to cover up the scandal. She's so appreciative, she falls in love with him, but is totally unprepared for recifying the situation. The young couple finds themselves in quite a pickle.

It is interesting to see Hutton here out of her element. She does not sing, nor does she seem to be the only ham in the show. Bracken is her equal, which is what makes this movie work so well. The two are an excellent team.

Also included on this DVD are two wonderful featurettes. One details the making of the film in relation to Preston Sturges, the director, and one confronts the issues this film faced regarding the production code. October 21, 2007

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek

Preston Sturges's divinely goofy comedy is extremely broad, but still clicks, thanks to a bizarre, surprisingly risque premise only this director could concoct, and a kooky cast only he could assemble. Hutton and Bracken are mutually over-the-top as Trudy and Norval, creating a frantic comic rhythm all their own, but Demarest steals it as Trudy's volatile Dad ("Daughters!"). Love it or not, you'll never see anything quite like it! June 25, 2007

Phew!

Watching this film was an exhausting, but fun experience. A great chance to see Betty Hutton in a non-singing role and also a great introduction to the work of Preston Sturges who I am going to have to follow up on. June 16, 2007

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