It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)

IMDb plot summary: Two homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South.

Directed by Roy Del Ruth. Stars Don DeFore, Ann Harding, and Charles Ruggles.

It Happened on Fifth Avenue tells the story of a group of down-on-their-luck people who squat in a rich man's mansion for the winter while he's in his summer home. When the daughter of the rich man joins them -- although the others have no idea who she is -- she starts hatching a plan to help them get back on their feet. This is a warm movie with lots of Christmas spirit that I can definitely see growing on me and becoming part of my yearly rotation. I kind of hoped for a more staunchly anti-hoarding message, more than "rich people just need to learn to be generally kind," but this is a nice contrast to the more materialistic stories. It's fun to watch the large cast of characters grow and interact with each other in various ways. There aren't a lot of laugh out loud moments, but it's very cozy, and I plan to return to it and see if it grows on me further.

🎥 It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)

📊 Ranked #980/4229 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 77

beat Eddington (#2131 → #2132)

beat Blink Twice (#1110 → #1111)

lost to The Big Sick (held at #595)

lost to Bodies Bodies Bodies (held at #853)

lost to Anna Karenina (held at #978)

beat Wag the Dog (#1044 → #1045)

beat The Man in the Iron Mask (#1013 → #1014)

beat Boy A (#993 → #994)

beat Little Women (#985 → #986)

beat Mirage (#981 → #982)

lost to Twins (held at #979)