Five O. Henry stories, each separate. The primary one from the critics' acclaim was "The Cop and the Anthem". Soapy tells fellow bum Horace that he is going to get arrested so he can spend the winter in a nice jail cell. He fails. He can't even accost a woman; she turns out to be a streetwalker. The other stories are "The Clarion Call", "The Last Leaf", "The Ransom of Red Chief", and "The Gift of the Magi".
Fred Allen
Sam "Slick" Brown (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief")
Anne Baxter
Joanna Goodwin (segment "The Last Leaf")
Jeanne Crain
Della (segment "The Gift of the Magi")
Farley Granger
Jim (segment "The Gift of the Magi")
Charles Laughton
Soapy (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
Oscar Levant
William Smith (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief")
Marilyn Monroe
Streetwalker (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
Jean Peters
Susan Goodwin (segment "The Last Leaf")
Gregory Ratoff
Behrman (segment "The Last Leaf")
Dale Robertson
Barney Woods (segment "The Clarion Call")
David Wayne
Horace (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
Richard Widmark
Johnny Kernan (segment "The Clarion Call")
Joyce Mackenzie
Lee Aaker
J.B. Dorset (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief")
Richard Rober
Chief of Detectives (segment "The Clarion Call")
Fred Kelsey
Mr. Schultz (segment "The Gift of the Magi")
Richard Garrick
Doctor (segment "The Last Leaf")
John Steinbeck
Narrator
Kathleen Freeman
Mrs. Dorset (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief") (uncredited)
Irving Bacon
Ebeneezer Dorset (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief") (uncredited)
William Vedder
Judge (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Will Wright
Hotel Desk Clerk (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Thomas Browne Henry
Café Manager (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Steven Geray
Boris Radolf (segment "The Last Leaf") (uncredited)
Warren Stevens
Druggist (segment "The Last Leaf") (uncredited)
Robert Easton
Yokel (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief") (uncredited)
Carl Betz
Jimmy Valentine (segment "Prologue") (uncredited)
Herb Vigran
Poker Player (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Harry Hayden
A.J. Crump (segment "The Gift of the Magi") (uncredited)
Fritz Feld
Maurice (segment "The Gift of the Magi") (uncredited)
Sig Ruman
Menkie (segment "The Gift of the Magi") (uncredited)
Frank Jaquet
Butcher (segment "The Gift of the Magi") (uncredited)
House Peters
Dave Bascom (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Bert Stevens
Street Extra/Roominghouse Extra/Office Worker at Crump's
Marjorie Holliday
Cashier (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty
Irish Cop (Prologue) (uncredited)
Robert Foulk
Cop (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Everett Glass
Desk Clerk (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Norman Leavitt
Yokel (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief") (uncredited)
Jack Mather
Cop (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Frank Mills
Man Being Booked (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Martha Wentworth
Mrs. O'Brien (segment "The Last Leaf") (uncredited)
Ava Norring
Girl (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Gloria Gordon
Ellie Mae (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief") (uncredited)
A. Cameron Grant
Poker Player (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Tom Greenway
Cop (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Thomas Browne Henry
Manager (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Bert Hicks
Sheldon Sidney (segment "The Last Leaf") (uncredited)
Jimmie Horan
Bookkeeper (segment "The Gift of the Magi") (uncredited)
Richard Hylton
Bill (segment "The Gift of the Magi") (uncredited)
Richard Karlan
Headwaiter (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Don Kohler
Secretary (segment "The Last Leaf") (uncredited)
Ann Kunde
Yokel (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief") (uncredited)
Nick Lekaj
Owner (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
David McMahon
Cop (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Tyler McVey
O. Henry (Prologue) (uncredited)
Alfred Mizner
Storekeeper (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief") (uncredited)
William J. O'Brien
Hotel Clerk (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Stuart Randall
Detective (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Henry Slate
Poker Player (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Bert Stevens
Street Extra / Roominghouse Extra / Office Worker (uncredited)
Harry Tenbrook
Bar Customer (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Beverly Thompson
Girl (segment "The Last Leaf") (uncredited)
Philip Tonge
Umbrella Man (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Phil Tully
Guard (Prologue) (uncredited)
Ernö Verebes
Waiter (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Ruth Warren
Neighbor (segment "The Last Leaf") (uncredited)
Billy Wayne
Bystander (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Will Wright
Manager (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
May Wynn
Mother (Prologue) (uncredited)
Richard Allan
Pete (segment "The Gift of the Magi") (uncredited)
Phil Arnold
Convict (Prologue) (uncredited)
Warner Baxter
Cisco Kid ((Prologue) (archive footage)) (uncredited)
Carl Betz
Jimmie Valentine (Prologue) (uncredited)
Harry Carter
Cop in Park (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Robert Cherry
Yokel (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief") (uncredited)
Abe Dinovitch
Barney (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
James Flavin
Cop (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Director
Howard Hawks
Director
Jean Negulesco
Director
Henry Koster
Director
Henry Hathaway
Director
Henry King
Screenplay
Lamar Trotti
Screenplay
Ivan Goff
Screenplay
Ben Roberts
Screenplay
Richard L. Breen
Screenplay
Walter Bullock
November 3, 2024
7
A compendium of five stories from the acclaimed US writer that are all quite entertaining. It starts off with a story about "Soapy" - a wily vagrant who decides that with winter coming, it's time to get himself snuggly incarcerated for the harsh weather. Who else but Charles Laughton could get that character up and running with an avuncular amiability and mischief to him, especially when he alights on the down on her luck lady of the night (Marilyn Monroe). Sadly for him, though, it seems it wasn't just Sam Goldwyn who couldn't get arrested in Hollywood. Next the "Clarion Call" sees a detective (Dale Robertson) attempt to prove whether or not his childhood friend (Richard Widmark) is guilty of killing a man when a robbery goes wrong. "The Last Leaf" has a rather sad premiss to it as a young girl (Anne Baxter) is saddened by a break-up and wanders out into the snow where she promptly catches pneumonia. Despite the best care of her sister (Jean Peters) it looks like her dwindling life-force is attached to the leaves on a tree that are gradually being blown away by a violent storm. Perhaps only the painter who lives upstairs (Gregory Ratoff) and earns a meagre living selling his paintings for a few dollars here and there might be able to help? The fourth short story was my favourite. Two hustlers - Oscar Levant and Peter Allan are trying to flog some dodgy goldmine share certificates, but decide they have to scrape together some cash to buy some actual gold that can plausibly have been dug up in the mine. To that end, they decide to kidnap the ten year old "J.B." (Lee Aaker) and ransom him to his folks. Little do they realise that this youngster is way more than a match for these two bumpkins, and soon the tables are well and truly turned. Finally, there is a festive theme as a young couple, expecting a baby, struggle with balancing the books and getting something nice for the other for Christmas. Jeanne Crain and Farley Granger deliver quite a sensitive story about the sacrifices that both are prepared to make to give the other just that little extra joy as they anticipate their dinner of meatloaf and milk that's chilled in box on the window sill. Each of these stories have simple morals underpinning them, but they are presented in a fashion that allows the characters to tell us the story without labouring any message. Laughton is in his element, so too is the understated Ratoff and there's plenty of fun to be had at the hands of the young Aaker too. A soupçon of human nature, faith and buffoonery that I rather enjoyed.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00