O. Henry's Full House (1952)

54% of users liked it
(325 ratings)

This anthology film assembles five respected directors and a top-notch cast to bring a handful of stories by the great American author O. Henry to the screen. In The Cop and the Anthem, a tramp named Soapy (Charles Laughton) tries to get arrested so that he can spend the winter in jail, only to find… More This anthology film assembles five respected directors and a top-notch cast to bring a handful of stories by the great American author O. Henry to the screen. In The Cop and the Anthem, a tramp named Soapy (Charles Laughton) tries to get arrested so that he can spend the winter in jail, only to find that is not as easy as it used to be. Marilyn Monroe appears in this episode as a streetwalker. The Clarion Call features Dale Robertson as Barney, a cop forced to arrest an old friend, Johnny (Richard Widmark). Anne Baxter stars in The Last Leaf as Joanna, an elderly woman who sees her own illness reflected in the fall of the autumn leaves; she's convinced that when the last leaf drops from the tree outside her window, her life will go with it. The Ransom of Red Chief concerns Sam (Fred Allen) and Bill (Oscar Levant), two novice kidnappers who kidnap a child, only to discover that his parents don't want him back -- and after a few hours with the brat, they find out why. And The Gift of the Magi tells the story of a pair of cash-strapped newlyweds, Della (Jeanne Craine) and Jim (Farley Granger), who struggle to get each other the perfect Christmas gift, with unexpected results. John Steinbeck narrates. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 57 min.
Directed By: Henry Hathaway, Howard Hawks
Written By: Richard L. Breen, Walter Bullock
Genres: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 16, 1952 Wide
On DVD: Nov 21, 2006

Critic Reviews

Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The unquestionable pinnacle is Howard Hawks' energetic "The Ransom of Red Chief."
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
As with all such films, the interest level is entirely dependent on the individual stories -- and four of the five are very good indeed

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Some wonderful short stories interlaced with a few duds, all introduced by John Steinbeck, the one that towers above the rest is "The Last Leaf" touching and beautiful with delicate lovely performances from all three actors.
Jason R

An Amazing cast and five very talented and legendary directors bring to life a series of short stories written by O. Henry. A really great film, combined with the timeless and memorable stories that inspired it. Makes O. HENRY'S FULL HOUSE, a very entertaining and moving motion… More
An Amazing cast and five very talented and legendary directors bring to life a series of short stories written by O. Henry. A really great film, combined with the timeless and memorable stories that inspired it. Makes O. HENRY'S FULL HOUSE, a very entertaining and moving motion picture experience.

Cast

            Fred Allen as Sam The Ransom of the Red Chief

            Anne Baxter as Joanna The Last Leaf

            Jeanne Crain as Della The Gift of the Magi

            Farley Granger as Jim The Gift of the Magi

            Charles Laughton as Soapy The Cop and the Anthem

            Marilyn Monroe as Streetwalker The Cop and the Anthem

            David Wayne as Horace The Cop and the Anthem

            Richard Widmark as Johnny Kernan The Clarion Call

            Dale Robertson as Barney Woods The Clarion Call

            Joyce Mackenzie as Hazel

            Richard Rober as Chief of Detectives The Clarion Call

            Jean Peters as Susan The Last Leaf

            Gregory Ratoff as Behrman The Last Leaf

            Richard Garrick as Doctor The Last Leaf

            Oscar Levant as Bill The Ransom of the Red Chief

            Lee Aaker as J.B.

            Fred Kelsey as Santa Claus The Gift of the Magi

            Irving Bacon as Mr. Dorset

            Robert Cherry
            
            Frank Cusack as Waiter

            Abe Dinovitch as Bartender

            Robert Easton as Yokel

            Fritz Feld as Maurice

            James Flavin as Cop

            Kathleen Freeman as Mrs. Dorset (uncredited)

            Steven Geray as Radolf

            Gloria Gordon as Ellie Mae

            Harry Hayden as Mr. Crump

            Bert Hicks as Sheldon Sidney

            Marjorie Holliday as Cashier

            Richard Hylton as Bill

            Frank Jaquet as Butcher

            Richard Karlan as Headwaiter

            Norman Leavitt as Yokel

            Nico Lek as Owner

            Tyler McVey as O. Henry

            Alfred Mizner as Storekeeper (uncredited)

            House Peters Jr. as Bascom

            Stuart Randall as Detective

            Sig Rumann as Menkie

            John Steinbeck as Narrator

            Beverly Thompson as Girl

            Philip Tonge as Man with Umbrella

            Phil Tully as Guard

            William Vedder as Judge

            Ernö Verebes as Waiter

            Ruth Warren as Neighbor

            Billy Wayne as Bystander

            Martha Wentworth as Mrs. O'Brien

            Will Wright as Manager

            Hal Smith as Dandy

            Warren Stevens as Druggist

            Tom Browne Henry as Manager

            Richard Allen as Pete [uncredited]

            Alan Bangs
            
            Steven Van Zandt
            
See full cast