ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

mark.waltz The regrets of a long-ago unrequited love has made supposed ailing millionaire Charles Coburn decide to leave a bequest to that deceased woman's family. He moves in with them as a border under an assumed name to see how they will spend the money and finds out that simple people aren't so simple when it comes to sudden riches and the desire to move up the social ladder. In the process, he plays "Mr. Fix-It" for the pretty Piper Laurie who happens to look exactly like her grandmother did years ago and convince her boyfriend (Rock Hudson) not to make the same mistakes he did years ago. In the process, the family learns some valuable lessons, especially that life on the right side of the tracks is not as rewarding a a simple life where happiness rules, not the worries over finances.Stage veteran Charles Coburn had started his film career in his mature years 17 years before this playing mostly imperious wealthy men who dominated their family and ran their business with an iron hand. By the mid 1940's, he wasn't just an Academy Award Winning character actor who occasionally starred in a B movie, but a full-fledged star, as beloved by film audiences as the biggest of stars half his age. The early 50's typecast him as a lovable old grouch with a heart of gold, a flirtatious old geezer who not only got to kiss the hand of Marilyn Monroe, but prove to audiences that just because there was snow on the roof didn't mean that there was no fire in the furnace. This film was one of his best, and if it is your introduction to him, you will come out of it adoring him as well.As he goes from bed-ridden business tycoon to the repairman of a messed up family, Coburn goes from night shirt to raccoon coat, from hiding cigars in bed to dancing the Charleston. He even takes up finger-painting, sleeps with the family dog, and is caught in both a speakeasy and gambling house, later being accused of making out with the young Laurie in a silent movie house. The rumor mill of this man makes its way into high society as the greedy family he left money to basically sticks their nose up at him. The biggest nose raiser is the ridiculously social climbing Lynn Bari who would rather see daughter Laurie marry a man with money she didn't love than soda jerk/pharmacist Rock Hudson. This is a woman you want to see taken down a few pegs as her selfishness is outrageous.Bari's husband is played by Larry Gates, the character actor who won an Emmy for his long-running role as wealthy patriarch H.B. Lewis on "Guiding Light". He may be the breadwinner in the family (running a pharmacy which is a teen-aged hang-out at the soda stand), but quietly allows Bari to control everything. Gigi Perreau is their adorable youngest daughter who instantly takes to Coburn, while William Reynolds is the only son whom Coburn discovers has a gambling problem. The mixture of family drama into the comedy (with a few songs thrown in to give the flavor of the era) adds some realism.In smaller roles, Skip Homeier is the uppity rich brat Laurie is distracted by, Paul McVey and Gloria Holden ("Dracula's Daughter") as his snooty parents, Paul Harvey the judgmental judge, and in a one-line unbilled part, James Dean who harasses Coburn in the soda shop. It is a shame Hudson isn't in this scene as only a few years later, they would work together as rivals in the epic "Giant". Fritz Feld is the pretentious tango teacher who reminded me of Hermoine Gingold as he gave the society ladies instructions. Colorful photography, delightful music and a real feeling of what life in simpler days was like. Director Douglas Sirk may be more remembered for his plush soap operas, but this ranks as one of his best films.

MartinHafer While this is not a brilliant film, it's exactly the sort of old fashioned Hollywood film that I love. It's a nice family slice of life film--much like "On Moonlight Bay" or "Life With Father". These films present a very idealized and sweet look at like in the 'good old days'. So perhaps it isn't 100% real or realistic, but it is fun--and quite nostalgic.The best thing about this film, and the reason I watched it, is that it stars Charles Coburn. While not a household name, he was a marvelous supporting actor and played crusty old gents better than anyone. Take his movies "The Devil and Miss Jones" and "The More the Merrier"--no one could have done it better! Here in "Has Anyone Seen My Gal", he once again is at his best.The movie begins with Coburn talking about dying--though his doctor insists if he takes care of himself he'll live for years. But this isn't what's important to Coburn--what he really cares about is what he'll do with his immense fortune after he dies. As he has no family, he decides he'll give it to the family of his old girlfriend--even though she's since died and he's never met these folks. So, on a whim, he decides to visit his old home town and meet the folks incognito. And, he also then decides to give them SOME of the inheritance to see what they do with it. The rest, it is a joy to watch...and so I won't say any more. Just see the film. Overall, a very nice film. My only reservation, and it's small, is that the mother is a bit too unlikable--and I wish they'd made her a bit less obnoxious. Still, it's well worth seeing.By the way, during the film they mention two other films--"Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" with Bessie Love and "Hold Your Man" with Laura La Plante. These are real films from the late 1920s, if you are interested.

kenandraf Average family comedy that could have been better if the love story sub plot was focused on a tag more.Too much focus on the rich old man character to the detriment of superstar attraction Rock Hudson's screen time.This was definitely Coburn's movie.Also,the ending was not convincing enough to rate the movie good.Too bad because the cast did a great acting job and the period sets was super.Only for big 1920's U.S.A. culture fans who like family comedies and for big fans of the lead actors.James Dean fanatics might also tolerate this movie to enjoy a rare performance.....

Savannah This film is delightful for those of us who enjoy old-fashioned fun. Set in the era of Prohibition and flappers, "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?" is a family flick. A rich, old gentleman tries to make amends for his youthful wrong choice between love & money, but ends up causing problems for those he is now trying to help. ... Yet, everything works out in the end. Charles Colburn plays a charming "Gramps" (aka Mr. Smith). Handsome Rock Hudson "Dan" looks too old for the part, but in reality was just 27 when the film was released. Laurie Piper "Millicent" is lovely, but little sister "Roberta" is the most fun!