So This Is New York

Although little known, this amiable 1948 comedy is notable for a couple of reasons. So This Is New York was the first feature produced by Stanley Kramer, who went on to make classic films with serious social themes (including Judgment at Nuremberg and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), and it was the first (and only) starring vehicle for acerbic radio comic Henry Morgan, who would later become a permanent panelist on the popular TV game show I've Got a Secret. Adapted from Ring Lardner's novel The Big Town, and directed by Richard Fleischer, this satirical period piece set in 1919 features Morgan as Ernie, an Indiana salesman whose wife, Ella (Virginia Grey), and sister-in-law, Kate (Dona Drake), come into an inheritance and persuade Ernie to move to New York, where they hope to snare a rich husband for Kate. Their scheme goes awry when most of the potential spouses turn out to be already married, or gold-diggers themselves. And the one real prospect, horse-racing fanatic Herbert (Rudy Vallee), finds his affection rebuffed as Kate prefers his jockey, Sid (Leo Gorcey). So This Is New York was made on a shoestring budget (and looks it), but Morgan is dourly amusing, and the film boasts a winningly odd supporting cast, including Bill Goodwin, Jerome Cowan, Hugh Herbert, and Arnold Stang. Recommended. (F. Swietek)