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Governor McGinty: This is the biggest thing to happen to this state since we stole it from the Indians! |
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The real miracle is that Sturges got all of this past the production-code office
—Film critic Dave Kehr
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The Miracle of Morgan's Creek is a Screwball Comedy from Preston Sturges set during World War II.
Trudy Kockenlocker (Betty Hutton), the daughter of the town constable (William Demarest), sneaks out against her father's wishes to a dance for the soldiers, using a date with Norval Jones (Eddie Bracken) as an excuse. She doesn't really remember what happens that night, except she thinks she got married to a soldier (named, or so she thinks, "Ratzkywatzky"). Later, she finds out, as a result of that night, she's pregnant, and her younger sister Emmy (Diana Lynn) convinces her to trick Norval into marrying her. She can't bring herself to do it, especially when she sees how Norval reacts to it, but Norval ends up wanting to marry her anyway. Because this is a Preston Sturges film, Hilarity Ensues.
Despite the fact this was delayed a year due to censorship issues with the Hays Code, this remains one of the most adroit examples of Getting Crap Past the Radar ever made.
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek was added to the National Film Registry in 2001.
Watch the movie for free at Paramount Vault.
- The Cameo: Brian Donlevy and Akim Tamiroff reprise their roles from The Great Mcginty as Mcginty and The Boss.
- There's also a Continuity Nod when The Boss repeats a gag from the earlier film.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Well, Norval can say it, but because of his Speech Impediment, it just takes him a while.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Let's see now; a woman gets pregnant without any idea how she did, her boyfriend wants to leave her but is later convinced to marry her, they're eventually forced out of polite society, and she ends up in a house with a barn during Christmas season when she's finally about to give birth.
- Also, the fact Trudy has six babies is a loose reference to the Dionne Quintuplets. Lampshaded by the headline "Canada Protests: 'Possible but not Probable' says Premier".
- Framing Device: The film starts with the editor of the local paper calling Governor McGinty to tell him the story, and it ends up being a flashback to what happened.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: Where to begin?
- Well, the name "Kockenlocker", for one.
- Insistent Terminology: See the quote above.
- Papa Wolf: Constable Kockenlocker, though his daughters are normally able to get around that.
- Running Gag: "Shut up! Not you!" "Retroactive!"
- "The SPOTS!"
- Speech Impediment: Norval has a pretty bad one.
- Spinning Paper: The reactions from around the world to the "miracle".
- Take That: The Hays Code wouldn't allow Sturges to portray Trudy getting drunk. His solution? Have her drink what looks like "lemonade", then have her hit her head, so she'd be acting drunk.
- Wham! Line: A rare funny example: "Six; all boys!"
- Who's Your Daddy?: Trudy just can't remember who the father of her babies is.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Trudy's younger sister Emmy. She's the one who comes up with the plan to marry Norval.