O Henry’s Full House **** (1952, Charles Laughton, David Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Dale Robertson, Richard Widmark, Anne Baxter, Jean Peters, Gregory Ratoff, Fred Allen, Oscar Levant, Jeanne Crain, Farley Granger) – Classic Movie Review 7343

‘A dozen top stars – five famed directors – bring you the best stories of O. Henry!’ The 20th Century Fox studio’s compendium anthology film of five of O Henry’s most celebrated stories from his New York period (1902-1910) is lovingly crafted, beautifully performed and utterly fascinating, with smashing casts, good scripts and a fine production, all neatly tied together with an introduction by John Steinbeck.

The Cop and the Anthem (written by Lamar Trotti and directed by Henry Koster) has Charles Laughton as the elderly homeless drifter Soapy forcing situations to get arrested and going to jail every winter just for warmth and food. But, when he goes to church, a miracle occurs and Soapy decides to seek a job. David Wayne plays his partner Horace and Marilyn Monroe plays a Streetwalker.

Richard Widmark plays Johnny Kernan, a thief who kills a man, and is brought to justice by his cop buddy Barney Woods (Dale Robertson) in The Clarion Call (writer Richard Breen and director Henry Hathaway).

Anna Baxter plays a sick woman helped back to health by painter Behrman (Gregory Ratoff) in The Last Leaf (writers Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and director Jean Negulesco).

Fred Allen and Oscar Levant play hapless kidnappers who meet their match in annoying victim J.B. Dorset aka Red Chief (Lee Aaker) in The Ransom of Red Chief (writer Nunnally Johnson and director Howard Hawks).

Poverty-stricken young duo Della and Jim (Jeanne Crain and Farley Granger) sell their things to buy each other Christmas presents in The Gift of the Magi (writer Walter Bullock and director Henry King).

Also in the cast are Joyce MacKenzie, Fred Kelsey, Richard Rober, Richard Allen, Fritz Feld, Richard Karlan, Steven Geray, Ruth Warren, Bert Hicks, Kathleen Freeman, Robert Easton, Robert Cherry, House Peters Sr and Tyler McVey.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7343

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