It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)

"There are richer men than I." 

Director
Roy Del Ruth

Cast
Don DeFore - Jim Bullock
Gale Storm - Trudy O'Connor
Victor Moore - Aloyisius T. McKeever
Charlie Ruggles - Michael J. O'Connor
Ann Harding - Mary O'Connor
Grant Mitchell - Farrow
Edward Brophy - Patrolman Cecil Felton
Arthur Hohl - Patrolman Brady (uncredited)
Alan Hale, Jr. - Whitey Temple
Dorothea Kent - Margie Temple

I found this movie fascinating, to be honest.

First, if you ask me, or even if you didn't ask me, as I previously mentioned, I think a Christmas movie needs to use Christmas as an integral part of the story in some way or another if it's going to claim the status of "Christmas movie." 

If a part of the movie happens to take place at Christmas, but it doesn't play any necessary role outside of setting, then it's questionable to me if it's truly a Christmas movie or not. Still, some audiences claim certain movies to be "Christmas movies" and make it a point to catch that movie every Holiday season simply because the story takes place, even partially, at Christmas. I'm certainly not criticizing them nor the movies they love to watch around the holidays. If that's all it takes for them, then enjoy, and merry Christmas.  

Meanwhile, some Christmas movies haven't quite reached the zenith that other Christmas movies reach every single year, with no sign of fading. 

"It Happened on 5th Avenue" is one such movie. 

I'm sure there's a lot of people out there that likely catch this movie every December. But does this play just as much as "It's a Wonderful Life" or any version of "A Christmas Carol" on television? 

So, what exactly happened of 5th Avenue? 

The movie starts with a homeless guy named Aloysius T. McKeever (Victor Moore) as he takes up habitation (or "squatting" as we call it today) in a huge 5th Avenue estate which the owner boards up at the same time each year. That owner happens to be Michael J. O'Connor, (Charlie Ruggles). He's the second richest man in the world. During the winter season, O'Connor heads to his property somewhere in Virginia where it's warmer, leaving his 5th Avenue mansion vacant. 

So, McKeever takes advantage of the opportunity each year to live like the other half live, and stay in luxurious warmth, too. Wintertime in New York, I hear, can be painfully frigid. 

This time, McKeever takes in an ex-G.I. named Jim Bullock (Don DeFore) who was evicted from his apartment building which the same O'Connor happens to own and is tearing down in order to build a skyscraper. 

With a housing crisis hindering veterans from finding homes, Jim invites fellow vets Whitey Temple (Alan Hale, Jr.), Hank (Edward Ryan) and their families to stay at the mansion.

Meanwhile, O'Connor's runaway daughter, Trudy, who doesn't initially admit she's his 18-year-old daughter, shows up at the house.  

She and Jim end up falling in love. Trudy just doesn't want Jim to know that she is Michael's daughter as she doesn't want Jim to love her back for her family wealth. 

Trudy showed up initially because she has been increasingly unhappy that her parents are divorced. So much so that she ran away from her school and returned to the house to grab some of her clothes. 

Her parents divorced after her mother felt Michael was more interested in pursuing wealth than maintaining his love and affection for his wife. All the while, she wishes her parents would get back together.

As her feelings for Jim grow, she wants to marry him. It so happens that her dad had to return to New York from Virginia because of some business that needed his attention. 

So, she asks her dad to come by the house. However, she asks that he disguise himself as a vagrant looking for shelter and that he calls himself "Mike." 

This is where the comedy shines through. Mike has to be a guest in his own home with a bunch of squatters. 

McKeever allows him to stay but he treats Mike like a servant. 

Of course, this unwelcomed and sudden lifestyle wears thin really fast. Mike demands Trudy get all of the riff-raff out of his house in 24-hours. 

This makes Trudy really upset. So, she calls her mom, Mary (Ann Harding) down in Florida for some help. 

Even though she and Michael are divorced, Mary still comes to her daughter's rescue. 

When she arrives at the house, Mary also pretends to be homeless. 

Within no time, McKeever senses that Mary and Mike kind of like each other. Of course, he's still completely unaware of who they are, and gives them both little pushes towards each other. 

These efforts work as Mike tells Mary that he's changed over the years and proposes to her which Mary accepts. I can get behind that message regarding marriage. 

As this crew of squatters begin celebrating Christmas, with the homeowner among them, but not making his true identity known, two police officers catch them all inside the house. 

However, McKeever persuades the cops to allow them to stay until the new year as it's cold outside. And kicking them out of the warmth of the house during this time of the year wouldn't be right. 

Mike's true identity is eventually revealed to everyone, but not before correcting some wrongs and becoming more empathetic on his part towards those less fortunate than he. 

The inhabitants enjoy a wonderful New Year's dinner, after which they leave the house in the condition, they found it in. 

This story feels like a more true-to-life tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge minus the supernatural elements, and haughty Scrooge. O'Connor isn't necessarily a Christmas-hating old miser. In fact, he's a reasonable guy with no chip on his shoulder. Christmas has much less to do with the overall tale than it does in "A Christmas Carol." Still, it plays a role in softening the hearts of some who may not have realized their hearts needed softening. It plays a role in igniting a sense of correcting personal wrongs, which O'Connor accomplishes for the sake of his family. And it strengthens a sense of empathy. The general premise of charity, mercy, forgiveness and redemption plays just as much of an important part in the story as it does in "A Christmas Carol." The themes in this movie surround class. status, wealth, and forming friendships. 

I'm sure "It Happened on 5th Avenue" has its share of returning admirers who watch this every year in December. 

The story feels much more Hollywood-esque than other Christmas movies. 

Its humor is a bit heavier with sugary sweetness, though the meaningful morals are there. 

The movie serves its purpose in that it makes the audience feel enough warm for the holiday season.