Review of The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944) by Tom K — 28 Jul 2014

What the miracle actually is, I'll leave to you to find out. It's revealed quite late in the piece and it's a testament to Preston Sturges' clever screenwriting that you can't guess despite the clues.

The screenplay is as madcap as the one he wrote for The Palm Beach Story and Sturges again proves himself as willing as any good satirist to traipse on moral norms, tweaking the Hays Office and/or the audience (who apparently loved it).

When saying goodbye to "our boys" headed overseas for WWII, Trudy (Betty Hutton) accidentally gets herself married and in a family way. The trouble is that she doesn't remember the night or the husband and apparently used a fake name on the certificate.

In steps humble Norval (Eddie Bracken), excused from service for high blood pressure (or is that nervousness?), to save Trudy's reputation. William Demarest is a riot as Trudy's exploding constable father and Diana Lynn is wicked as her sane sister.

The film is so funny, Sturges brought Bracken and Demarest (a regular) back for another take in Hail the Conquering Hero.