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The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
Director/Writer: Preston Sturges
Cast: Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, Diana Lynn, William Demarest
Genre: Social Commentary Comedy
For the average person watching this film today, it's nothing more than a zany screwball comedy...But for audiences back in 1944 this was one helluva gusty movie. It was made during WWII and deals with a serious concern of the time.
Betty Hutton is a young woman living at home with her strict father (William Demarest) and her wise beyond years, younger sister (Diana Lynn).
The local town boys have enlisted in the army and are about to be shipped off to fight in the war. Betty feels it's her duty to attend an all night dance party to help send the boys off right, it's the least she can do for them. Her father forbids her to go, so she lies and says she's going to the movies with a goofy guy who's physically unfit for the army, (Eddie Bracken). Eddie has the hots for Betty. She leaves him at the movies and takes his car to the big party.
The next morning Betty drives up to the town's theater where Eddie has been waiting for her all night. She's drunk as a skunk and says she got married but doesn't remember to who and she has no marriage licenses either. Latter Betty finds out she's pregnant.
Director/Writer: Preston Sturges
Cast: Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, Diana Lynn, William Demarest
Genre: Social Commentary Comedy
For the average person watching this film today, it's nothing more than a zany screwball comedy...But for audiences back in 1944 this was one helluva gusty movie. It was made during WWII and deals with a serious concern of the time.
Betty Hutton is a young woman living at home with her strict father (William Demarest) and her wise beyond years, younger sister (Diana Lynn).
The local town boys have enlisted in the army and are about to be shipped off to fight in the war. Betty feels it's her duty to attend an all night dance party to help send the boys off right, it's the least she can do for them. Her father forbids her to go, so she lies and says she's going to the movies with a goofy guy who's physically unfit for the army, (Eddie Bracken). Eddie has the hots for Betty. She leaves him at the movies and takes his car to the big party.
The next morning Betty drives up to the town's theater where Eddie has been waiting for her all night. She's drunk as a skunk and says she got married but doesn't remember to who and she has no marriage licenses either. Latter Betty finds out she's pregnant.
For today's audiences a young pregnant woman is the stuff TV reality shows are made of, but back in the 1940's this was cutting edge stuff. Director/writer Preston Sturges gets around the Hays Code censors by having a pregnant Betty married...BUT he cleverly never shows the marriage and Betty has no proof of marriage, so it's a conceit to the audiences that she's not really married at all.
In other words she did what many young patriotic girls did during WWII, she gave her virginity to a soldier as part of the war effort. They were called Victory Girls and unwanted pregnancies were often the results. By wrapping this message in a zany comedy Preston Sturges pushed the envelope of film making.
When the movie first came out it was a huge hit and tickets sold out quickly, no doubt to the racing nature of the film. It's a film that's worth watching for both film history, for great performances by Betty Hutton, Diana Lynn and William Demarest and for a fun too.
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In other words she did what many young patriotic girls did during WWII, she gave her virginity to a soldier as part of the war effort. They were called Victory Girls and unwanted pregnancies were often the results. By wrapping this message in a zany comedy Preston Sturges pushed the envelope of film making.
When the movie first came out it was a huge hit and tickets sold out quickly, no doubt to the racing nature of the film. It's a film that's worth watching for both film history, for great performances by Betty Hutton, Diana Lynn and William Demarest and for a fun too.
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