''Has Anybody Seen My Gal?'' is a 1952 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

distributed by

Universal-International Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American film production and distribution company headquartered at the Universal Studios complex in Universal City, ...

, directed by

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. However, he also directed comedies, westerns, and war f ...

, and stars

Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932 – October 14, 2023) was an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' The Hustler'' (1961), '' Carrie'' (1976), and '' Children of a Lesser God'' (1986), and the miniseries ...

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular film stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades, and was a prominent figure in the G ...

, Charles Coburn, and Gigi Perreau. It is loosely based upon the Eleanor Porter novel ''Oh Money! Money!''. Set in the 1920s, the film leans heavily on period detail, such as flappers, the Charleston and raccoon coats. It is named for the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

song " Has Anybody Seen My Gal?" which was a hit for The California Ramblers during the 1920s. Though the song is sung during the movie, its lyrics have no particular relation to the plot.

Plot

In 1928, aging and lonely New York millionaire Samuel Fulton ( Charles Coburn) decides to leave his fortune to the family of the late Millicent Blaisdell, the only woman he has ever been in love with, but did not love him back. Samuel explains to his lawyer Edward Norton (

Frank Ferguson Frank S. Ferguson (December 25, 1899 – September 12, 1978) was an American character actor with hundreds of appearances in both film and television. Background Ferguson was born in Ferndale, California, the younger of two children of W. Tho ...

) that losing Millicent inspired him to become a wealthy businessman. Fearing the family will spend the money unwisely, he decides to visit them in their small

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

town, renting a room in their house under the alias John Smith. Roberta, the youngest daughter, ( Gigi Perreau) wastes no time in making him feel welcome. He notices that the Blaisdells are a happy family who, although poor, are proud of their background. Father Charles (

Larry Gates Lawrence Wheaton Gates (September 24, 1915December 12, 1996) was an American actor. His notable roles include H.B. Lewis on daytime's ''Guiding Light'' and Doc Baugh in the film version of ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1958). He played the role of ...

) has taught the family not to value materialistic products. Nevertheless, mother Harriet (

Lynn Bari Lynn Bari (born Marjorie Schuyler Fisher, December 18, 1919 – November 20, 1989) was an American film actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in roughly 150 films for 20th Century Fox, from the early 1930s through t ...

) wishes for her daughter Millicent "Millie" (

) to marry Carl Pennock (

Skip Homeier George Vincent Homeier (October 5, 1930 – June 25, 2017), known professionally as Skip Homeier, was an American actor who started his career at the age of eleven and became a child star. Career Child actor Homeier was born in Chicago, Illino ...

), a wealthy, snobbish young man who can buy Millie everything that Harriet never had. Millie, however, is not keen on Carl and prefers to marry local

soda jerk Soda jerk (or soda jerker) is an American term used to refer to a person—typically a young man—who would operate the soda fountain in a restaurant, preparing and serving carbonated drink, soda drinks and ice cream sodas. The drinks were made ...

Dan Stebbins (

). One night, Millie and Dan announce their engagement, which upsets Harriet. Shortly after, Norton arrives, announcing that the family has inherited $100,000 from an unknown man. The family immediately gives up their humble life for the upper-class lifestyle. The oldest son Howard ( William Reynolds) immediately starts gambling and lands in debt, which prompts Samuel to help him. Meanwhile, Dan, feeling he can never live up to Millie's expectations, breaks off their engagement. Afterwards, Millie reluctantly starts dating Carl again, under the pressure of her mother. Samuel helps Millie and Howard escape from a raid, which results in him being jailed. Harriet feels that Samuel's presence is ruining the family image, unaware of the reason he ended up in jail. He is supported by Dan, who wants to leave town to build a career. Trying to prevent Millie and Dan from disappearing out of each other's life, Samuel sets up a meeting at the cinema. There, an argument follows, and Millie exclaims her hatred for the family's sudden wealth. She is comforted by Samuel and attracts the attention of other theatre-goers, who suspect that Samuel and Millie are dating. During the ongoing social party at the Blaisdell house, Harriet overhears gossip about Millie from the cinema, and forces Millie to announce her engagement to Carl. Meanwhile, Charles announces he has lost his investments, which makes Samuel realize that the Blaisdells are in no position to make wise financial decisions. Obligated by Samuel, Norton refuses to give them a loan, after which Charles begs the Pennocks for money, but the Pennocks refuse the loan and leave, calling off Carl and Millie's engagement. Much to Harriet's distress, the Blaisdell family returns to their old lifestyle, and Millie and Dan get engaged again. At the end, Roberta reveals that 'John' has won the first prize at an art show, since she secretly entered his paintings. Samuel leaves the house to avoid the press and realizes that the Blaisdells now think of him as the grandfather he could have been.

Cast

as Millicent 'Millie' Blaisdell *

as Dan Stebbins * Charles Coburn as Samuel Fulton/John Smith * Gigi Perreau as Roberta Blaisdell *

as Harriet Blaisdell *

as Charles Blaisdell * William Reynolds as Howard Blaisdell *

as Carl Pennock *Paul McVey as Lester Pennock * Gloria Holden as Clarissa Pennock *

as Edward Norton *

Paul Harvey Paul Harvey Aurandt (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009) was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast ''News and Comment'' on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous ''The Rest o ...

as Judge Wilkins * Sally Creighton as Arline Benson *

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was p ...

as Youth at Soda Fountain (uncredited) *

Philo McCullough Philo McCullough (June 16, 1893 – June 5, 1981) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1914 and 1969. He was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Burbank, California. McCullough's film debut came in 1912 ...

as Mr. Benson (uncredited) *

Jack Mower Jack Mower (September 5, 1890 – January 6, 1965) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 520 films between 1914 and 1965. He was born in Honolulu and died in Hollywood. After studying at Punahou College, in Honolulu, Mower moved ...

as Court Clerk (uncredited) *

Fritz Feld Fritz Feld (October 15, 1900 – November 18, 1993) was a German-American film character actor who appeared in over 140 films in 72 years, both silent and sound. His trademark was to slap his mouth with the palm of his hand to create a "pop" s ...

as Mr. Álvarez (uncrefited)

Production

Working titles of the film were ''Oh Money, Money'' and ''Has Anybody Seen My Girl''.

has an uncredited role as a young man in one of the soda fountain scenes.
additional text.

Home media

Universal released this film on DVD in 2006 as part of the ''

Screen Legend Collection'', a 3-disc set featuring four other films (''

A Very Special Favor ''A Very Special Favor'' is a 1965 romantic comedy film directed by Michael Gordon and starring Rock Hudson and Leslie Caron. The film was co-produced by Hudson's Gibraltar Productions and Shapiro's Lankershim Company. Plot Paul Chadwick (Hudso ...

'', ''

The Golden Blade ''The Golden Blade'' is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Nathan Juran and starring Rock Hudson as Harun Al-Rashid and Piper Laurie as Princess Khairuzan. It is set in ancient Bagdad and borrows from the Arabic fairy tales of ''One Thousa ...

'', '' The Last Sunset'', and '' The Spiral Road''). Universal then re-released this film in 2015 as a stand-alone DVD as part of its ''Universal Vault Series''. There is also a Region 2 DVD release of this film.

References

External links

*
TV Guide plot synopsis and list of songs
{{Douglas Sirk 1952 films 1952 comedy films American comedy films Films directed by Douglas Sirk Films set in 1928 Universal Pictures films James Dean 1950s English-language films 1950s American films