''A Girl in Every Port'' is a 1952

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Chester Erskine Chester Erskine (November 29, 1905 – April 7, 1986) was an American director, producer, and writer. Biography Chester Erskine was born in Hudson, New York and studied for a short time at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. His first dir ...

. The film stars Groucho Marx, Marie Wilson, and

William Bendix William Bendix (January 14, 1906 – December 14, 1964) was an American film, radio, and television actor, who typically played rough, blue-collar characters. He is best remembered for his role in ''Wake Island'', which earned him an Academy ...

. It was based on the short story ''They Sell Sailors Elephants'' by

Frederick Hazlitt Brennan Frederick Hazlitt Brennan (September 23, 1901 – June 30, 1962) was an American screenwriter of more than thirty films between 1929 and 1953 and the director of the ABC/Desilu western television series, ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Ear ...

Plot

Benjamin Franklin 'Benny' Linn and Timothy Aloysius 'Tim' Dunnovan are two sailors assigned to the same ship. Tim spends some inheritance money he received to purchase a race horse named Little Aaron. Tim’s division officer considers that an ill-advised action and orders Ben to go help Tim get his money back. Ben and Tim go ashore to seek a return of Tim's money, but it's not a simple matter, as Tim had already hired a team to train Little Aaron. They also discover that Little Aaron has a history of weak ankles and can't run very well. However, they also learn that Little Aaron has an identical twin, Little Shamrock, who has good ankles and can run fast. Ben and Tim decide they might be able to work things out, so that they can switch the horses and make a lot of money in a horse race. They find themselves trying to juggle the expectations of their division officer, the former owner of Little Aaron, a car hop named Miss Jane, some local mobsters, and their fellow sailors, who all want in on the action. There’s lots of confusion leading up to the horse race, risks to the participants depending on the outcome, and some unexpected results that follow.

Cast

* Groucho Marx as Benjamin Franklin 'Benny' Linn * Marie Wilson as Jane Sweet *

as Timothy Aloysius 'Tim' Dunnovan *

Don DeFore Donald John DeFore (August 25, 1913 – December 22, 1993) was an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the sitcom ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' from 1952 to 1957 and the sitcom ''Hazel'' from 1961 to 1965, the former of w ...

as Bert Sedgwick *

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

as 'Doc' Garvey * Dee Hartford as Millicent Temple *

Hanley Stafford Hanley Stafford (born Alfred John Austin, September 22, 1899 – September 9, 1968), was an actor principally on radio. He is remembered best for playing Lancelot Higgins on ''The Baby Snooks Show''. Stafford also assumed the role of Mr. Dithers ...

as Fleet Admiral Temple *Teddy Hart as 'High Life' *

Percy Helton Percy Alfred Helton (January 31, 1894 – September 11, 1971) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He was one of the most familiar faces and voices in Hollywood of the 1950s. Career A Manhattan native, Helton began acting ...

as Drive-In Manager * George E. Stone as Skeezer This was Dee Hartford's film debut. It was through her that Groucho Marx met and later married her sister

Eden Hartford Eden Hartford (born Edna Marie Higgins; April 10, 1930 – December 15, 1983) was an American film actress from 1957 to 1962. She is best known as the third wife of comedian Groucho Marx from 1954 until their divorce in 1969. She was born to ...

Reception

A.W. of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' wrote in his review: "The parlay of Groucho Marx, Marie Wilson, William Bendix, to say nothing of a horse-racing mix-up, the United States Navy and sabotage should have paid off in plenty of laughs. But 'A Girl in Every Port,' which breezed into the Paramount yesterday, brimming with these ingredients, is merely an involved mélange of obvious antics and gags, only one or two of which are likely to generate chuckles."

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Girl In Every Port (1952 film) 1952 films 1952 comedy films American black-and-white films Films scored by Roy Webb Films based on short fiction Films directed by Chester Erskine American comedy films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films