{"id":21756,"date":"2012-01-04T11:46:22","date_gmt":"2012-01-04T18:46:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21756"},"modified":"2021-04-18T12:13:27","modified_gmt":"2021-04-18T19:13:27","slug":"miracle-of-morgans-creek-the-1944","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21756","title":{"rendered":"Miracle of Morgan&#8217;s Creek, The (1944)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;This is the biggest thing to happen to this state since we stole it from the Indians!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Miracle-of-Morgans-Creek-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Miracle-of-Morgans-Creek-Poster-201x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"201\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-21757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Miracle-of-Morgans-Creek-Poster-201x300.jpg 201w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Miracle-of-Morgans-Creek-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Miracle-of-Morgans-Creek-Poster.jpg 268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter attending a party for a group of soldiers about to be sent off to war, a young woman (Betty Hutton) accidentally finds herself married and pregnant, but unable to remember who her new husband is. With support from her younger sister (Diana Lynn), she conceals her situation from their father (William Demarest) and solicits help from her nebbishy suitor (Eddie Bracken), who is eager to marry her no matter what &#8212; but since she&#8217;s already technically married, will this solution work?\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Akim Tamiroff Films<\/li>\n<li>Betty Hutton Films<\/li>\n<li>Brian Donlevy Films<\/li>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Do-Gooders<\/li>\n<li>Pregnancy<\/li>\n<li>Preston Sturges Films<\/li>\n<li>Romantic Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Small Town America<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary refers to this &#8220;wild Preston Sturges comedy&#8221; as &#8220;border[ing] on being tasteless&#8221;, and argues that the &#8220;frenetic comedy with rapid-fire dialogue doesn&#8217;t reach [the] sophistication of other Sturges films&#8221;. While acknowledging that the &#8220;dialogue is clever&#8221; and that there are &#8220;moments of genuine hilarity&#8221;, he ultimately feels it&#8217;s &#8220;a bit smutty&#8221;. I disagree. Sturges&#8217; ability to milk the letter of the Production-Code-law to such an outrageous degree &#8212; she got married, didn&#8217;t she? so what does it matter that she wasn&#8217;t actually &#8220;conscious&#8221; or conscientious at the time, and essentially gave up her virginity to a stranger? &#8212; is absolutely priceless, and a great deal of the fun to be had lies in appreciating his clever work-arounds. Meanwhile, the casting of hapless Eddie Bracken as Hutton&#8217;s eventual romantic partner is inspired; Peary says he &#8220;wishes Bracken&#8217;s Norval Jones weren&#8217;t such a pushover&#8221; but this is precisely what his role calls for &#8212; and he certainly steps up when needed. <\/p>\n<p>Hutton&#8217;s &#8220;hyperkinetic&#8221; energy is perfectly suited for her role here; she definitely shows off her comedic chops, and while we have a hard time liking or respecting her at first, she eventually grows on us. Meanwhile, William Demarest as her &#8220;highly excitable policeman father&#8221; and Diana Lynn as her &#8220;shrewd younger sister&#8221; (giving a &#8220;surprisingly amusing portrayal&#8221;, reminiscent of her similar role in 1942&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20410\"><em>The Major and the Minor<\/em><\/a>) represent one of the most refreshingly &#8220;authentic&#8221; father-daughter pairings in early Hollywood. Widowed Demarest never stops lamenting the challenges of raising two daughters on his own:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The trouble with kids is they always figure they&#8217;re smarter than their parents &#8212; never stop to think if their old man could get by for 50 years and feed &#8217;em and clothe &#8217;em, he maybe had something up here to get by with &#8212; things that seem like brain twisters to you might be very simple for him.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>While Hutton is busy being &#8220;hyperkinetically&#8221; distracted by her seemingly hopeless predicament, Lynn remains remarkably unperturbed as her father snipes lines like the following at her: &#8220;Listen, Zipper-puss! Some day they&#8217;re just gonna find your hair ribbon and an axe someplace. Nothing else! The Mystery of Morgan&#8217;s Creek!&#8221; (Yeah right, Dad. Moving on the matter at hand&#8230;)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> The &#8220;miracle&#8221; itself (devised by Sturges in the midst of production) is a cleverly outrageous one; don&#8217;t read anything at all about this film online if you wish to remain surprised. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Betty Hutton as Trudy Kockenlocker<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Hutton.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Hutton-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-21760\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Hutton-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Hutton-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Hutton-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Hutton.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Eddie Bracken as Norval Jones<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Bracken.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Bracken-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-21763\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Bracken-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Bracken-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Bracken-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Bracken.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Diana Lynn as Emmy Kockenlocker<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-21762\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn2-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn2-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn2.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>William Demarest as Trudy and Emmy&#8217;s dad<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-21761\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/MOMC-Lynn.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Sturges&#8217; fast-paced, consistently hilarious, surprisingly risque screenplay\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as one of Sturges&#8217; funniest masterpieces. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0037077\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.digitallyobsessed.com\/displaylegacy.php?ID=7801\">Digitally Obsessed Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/83564\/the-miracle-of-morgans-creek#articles-reviews\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/the-miracle-of-morgans-creek\/review\/106326\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-miracle-of-morgans-creek\">Time Out Capsule Review (spoiler alert!)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;This is the biggest thing to happen to this state since we stole it from the Indians!&#8221; Synopsis: After attending a party for a group of soldiers about to be sent off to war, a young woman (Betty Hutton) accidentally finds herself married and pregnant, but unable to remember who her new husband is. With support from her younger sister (Diana Lynn), she conceals her situation from their father (William Demarest) and solicits help from her nebbishy suitor (Eddie Bracken),&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21756\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21756"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71556,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21756\/revisions\/71556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}