''It's a Joke, Son!'' is a 1947 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 ...

directed by

Benjamin Stoloff Benjamin Stoloff (October 6, 1895 – September 8, 1960) was an American film director and producer. He began his career as a director of short films, and he moved into directing and producing feature films. Director filmography 1940s–1950s *' ...

(in his final directorial role in a film) featuring radio comedian

Kenny Delmar Kenneth Howard Delmar (born Kenneth Frederick Fay Howard;
''Ti ...

as Senator Beauregard Claghorn, a character on

Fred Allen John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist topically-pointed radio program '' The Fred Allen Show'' (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and forw ...

's radio program and later the inspiration for the cartoon character

Foghorn Leghorn Foghorn Leghorn is an anthropomorphic rooster who appears in ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons and films from Warner Bros. Animation. He was created by Robert McKimson, and starred in 29 cartoons from 1946 to 1964 in the gol ...

. The film was the first American production for

Eagle-Lion Films Eagle-Lion Films was the name of two distinct, though related, companies. In 1944, UK film magnate J. Arthur Rank created an American distribution company with the name to handle his British films. The following year, under a reciprocal distrib ...

, and although it was produced on a very small budget compared to other Hollywood films, 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. The film contributed to a multimillion-dollar loss for Eagle-Lion in 1947, and

Arthur B. Krim Arthur Brian Krim (April 4, 1910 – September 21, 1994) was an American entertainment lawyer, the former finance chairman for the U.S. Democratic Party, an adviser to President Lyndon Johnson and the former chairman of Eagle-Lion Films (1945� ...

later stated that the studio had overpaid for Delmar and overestimated his bankability.Balio, Tino. ''United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry'' Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1987. p. 24 It is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

Plot

When the Daughters of Dixie nominate Magnolia Claghorn as a candidate for state senator, the local

political machine In the politics of representative democracies, a political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives (such as money or political jobs) and that is characterized by a high degree of leadership c ...

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 to split the antimachine vote. However, when Beauregard attracts great popularity, they must seek to stop him.

Cast

Kenny Delmar Kenneth Howard Delmar (born Kenneth Frederick Fay Howard;
''Ti ...

as Senator Beauregard Claghorn *

Una Merkel Una Merkel (December 10, 1903 – January 2, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress. Merkel was born in Kentucky and acted on stage in New York in the 1920s. She went to Hollywood in 1930 and became a popular fil ...

as Mrs. Magnolia Claghorn *

June Lockhart June Lockhart (born June 25, 1925) is an American retired actress, beginning a film career in the 1930s and 1940s in such films as A Christmas Carol (1938 film), ''A Christmas Carol'' and ''Meet Me in St. Louis''. She appeared primarily in 1950 ...

as Mary Lou Claghorn *Kenneth Farrell as Jefferson "Jeff" Davis *

Douglass Dumbrille Douglass Rupert Dumbrille (October 13, 1889 – April 2, 1974) was a Canadian actor who appeared regularly in films from the early 1930s. Life and career Douglass Dumbrille ( ) was born in Hamilton, Ontario. As a young man, he was employed ...

as Big Dan Healey *

Jimmy Conlin Jimmy Conlin (October 14, 1884 – May 7, 1962) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films in his 32-year career. Career Conlin was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1884, and his acting career started in vaudeville. He ...

as Senator Alexander P. Leeds *Matt Willis as Ace, Healey's Henchman *

Ralph Sanford Ralph Dayton Sanford (May 21, 1899 – June 20, 1963) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films and in at least 200 episodes on television between 1930 and 1960, mostly bit parts or supporting roles. Sanford frequently ...

as Knifey, Healey's Henchman *Daisy as Daisy *

Vera Lewis Vera Lewis (June 10, 1873 – February 8, 1956) was an American film and stage actress, beginning in the silent film era. She appeared in more than 180 films from 1915 to 1947. She was married to actor Ralph Lewis. Biography She was born ...

as Hortense Dimwitty *

Margaret McWade Margaret McWade (born Margaret May Fish; September 3, 1871 – April 1, 1956) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career in vaudeville in the early 1890s. Her most memorable role was as one of the Pixilated Sisters, a comedic ...

as Jennifer Whipple *

Ida Moore Ida Moore (March 1, 1882 – September 26, 1964) was an American film and television actress. Early life Moore was born in Altoona, Kansas as the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marvelton Moore. Career Moore's first professional work had her singin ...

as Matilda Whipple

Soundtrack

* ''

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas have shifted over the years), or the extent of the area i ...

'' * ''

The Bonnie Blue Flag "The Bonnie Blue Flag", also known as "We Are a Band of Brothers", is an 1861 marching song associated with the Confederate States of America. The words were written by the entertainer Harry McCarthy, with the melody taken from the song " The ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:It's A Joke, Son! 1947 comedy films 1947 films American black-and-white films American comedy films Eagle-Lion Films films Films based on radio series Films directed by Benjamin Stoloff 1940s English-language films 1940s American films