It's a Joke, Son! is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Benjamin Stoloff (in his final directorial role in a film) featuring radio comedian Kenny Delmar as Senator Beauregard Claghorn, a character on Fred Allen's radio program and later the inspiration for the cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn.[3] The film was the first American production for Eagle-Lion Films[4] and although it was produced on a very small budget compared to other Hollywood films,[2] it was a box-office disappointment; one theater chain removed the film after less than a week after it only drew $1,000 in ticket sales.[5]
| It's a Joke, Son! | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Benjamin Stoloff |
| Written by | Robert E. Kent Paul Gerard Smith |
| Produced by | Aubrey Schenck |
| Starring | Kenny Delmar Una Merkel June Lockhart Jimmy Conlin Douglas Dumbrille 'Daisy' the Dog and introducing Kenneth Farrell |
| Cinematography | Clyde De Vinna |
| Edited by | Norman Colbert |
| Music by | Alvin Levin |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Eagle-Lion Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 63 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $650,000[2] |
The film contributed to a multimillion-dollar loss for Eagle-Lion in 1947, and Arthur B. Krim later stated that the studio had overpaid for Delmar and overestimated his bankability.[6] It is in the public domain.
Plot
editWhen the Daughters of Dixie nominate Magnolia Claghorn as a candidate for state senator, the local political machine run by northerners fears that its candidate will be defeated. Through the Claghorns' daughter's boyfriend Jeff, the members of the machine concoct a plan to run Magnolia's husband Beauregard in order to split the anti-machine vote. However, when Beauregard attracts great popularity, they must seek to stop him.
Cast
edit- Kenny Delmar as Senator Beauregard Claghorn
- Una Merkel as Mrs. Magnolia Claghorn
- June Lockhart as Mary Lou Claghorn
- Kenneth Farrell as Jefferson "Jeff" Davis
- Douglass Dumbrille as Big Dan Healey
- Jimmy Conlin as Senator Alexander P. Leeds
- Matt Willis as Ace, Healey's Henchman
- Ralph Sanford as Knifey, Healey's Henchman
- Daisy as Daisy
- Vera Lewis as Hortense Dimwitty
- Margaret McWade as Jennifer Whipple
- Ida Moore as Matilda Whipple
Soundtrack
editNotes
edit- ^ "Eagle Lion axes B product". Variety. September 25, 1946. p. 7.
- ^ a b Labor, Too.Variety (magazine), 19 March 1947, p.6, column 5
- ^ p. 712 Sterling, C. Encyclopedia of Radio Taylor & Francis, 01/12/2003
- ^ p.23 Balio, Tino United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1987
- ^ "It's a Joke, Son did a folderoo...", at Variety (magazine), 12 March 1947. p.19, column 5
- ^ Balio, Tino. United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1987. p. 24
External links
edit- It's a Joke, Son! at IMDb
- It's a Joke, Son! is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive