Has Anybody Seen My Gal │ Kino Lorber
Courtesy of Kino Lorber
by CHAD KENNERK
Set in the 1920s, Has Anybody Seen My Gal? gets its name from the once-popular jazz song recorded by the California Ramblers in 1925. Loosely based upon the Eleanor Porter novel Oh Money! Money! (she was also the author behind Pollyanna), the 1952 jukebox musical comedy was given the full Technicolor treatment – a visual bee’s knees in Kino Lorber’s sterling release.
The Universal Pictures title makes good use of Twenties tunes such as ‘Tiger Rag,’ ‘When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along,’ ‘It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More,’ ‘Gimme a Little Kiss, Will Ya, Huh?’ - and of course, ‘Has Anybody Seen My Gal?’. It was directed by studio regular Douglas Sirk, who would go on to make his name with lush, slyly ironic melodramas such as Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind (all with Rock Hudson), There's Always Tomorrow, and Imitation of Life.
“This is a story about money, remember it?” The year is 1928 and elderly millionaire Samuel Fulton (Charles Coburn) decides to bequeath his fortune to the family of the one that got away. He leaves behind his mansion in Tarrytown, NY and heads up the Hudson for the fictional town of Hilverton, Vermont. Disguised as a poor lodger, he takes up residence with the middle-class Blaisdells to discover how they react to receiving a small portion of his funds. Rock Hudson and Piper Laurie (both Universal contract players at the time) lead the ensemble cast, but it's veteran Charles Coburn and the sparkling Gigi (gee-gee) Perreau that steal the film — Perreau in particular. She has the best comedic chops and subsequently all the best lines. That’s James Dean ordering a malt at the soda fountain, one of only four films in which the screen legend appeared uncredited. Though the moment is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, Jimmy’s ingenuity is on full display, foreshadowing the talent the young actor would bring to the screen three years later in Elia Kazan’s East of Eden.
The disc is accompanied by a very rare gem – new audio commentary from the late Piper Laurie, moderated by film critic and historian Lee Gambin. In the commentary, Laurie discusses going years without a day off as a Universal contract player and her screen test before the age of 18. She was asked to prepare three minutes for the screen test and brought in the opening scene of Tennessee Williams’ This Property is Condemned. No one stopped her and she ended up doing the entire one act play. Another actor apparently remarked, “That’s the best piece of work I’ve ever seen in this room.” Getting signed to Universal was a mixed blessing for Laurie, given that she had little say in her roles and career. Studio press dubbed her “the girl who ate flowers” and told the gossip columnists she bathed in milk, presumably as publicity stunts for her roles in the films Louisa (in which Edmund Gwenn tosses marigold petals from a centrepiece into her salad) and The Milkman. She would eventually have the chance at more serious work, including her role opposite Paul Newman in The Hustler. To horror fans, she will forever be remembered as the controlling and abusive Margaret White, mother of Carrie.
The disc also contains a featurette filmed in 2008 with Piper Laurie and Gigi Perreau reflecting back on their careers. By the time she made Has Anybody Seen My Gal?, Perreau was already an established star, having appeared in over 25 films. She made her screen debut as baby Ève Curie in 1943’s Madame Curie starring Greer Garson. Throughout her career, Perreau appeared in films such as Mr. Skeffington, To Each His Own, Song of Love, Green Dolphin Street, Shadow on the Wall, and The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. She was also directed by Sirk for The Lady Pays Off, Week-End with Father and There's Always Tomorrow. Her brother Gerald performed under the stage name Peter Miles (not to be confused with the British actor of Doctor Who fame). The pair appeared together in Enchantment, Family Honeymoon, and Roseanna McCoy. Miles had a successful career in his own right, appearing in films like Quo Vadis. Both went on to successful television careers, with Perreau later teaching theatre and acting. Among her former students is Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.
With a brand new HD master from a 2K scan of the 35mm interpositive, the endearing film has simply never looked better. Has Anybody Seen My Gal? was released on blu-ray 9 January from Kino Lorber.
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KINO LORBER has been a leader in independent art house distribution for over 45 years, releasing 35 films per year theatrically, which have garnered seven Academy Award nominations. The company also brings over 350 titles to home entertainment each year through digital and physical media releases. Most recently, the company has expanded its own direct digital platforms through the acquisition of leading international series streamers MHz Choice and Topic, as well as the launch of Kino Film Collection, a subscription service for film lovers showcasing new releases direct from theaters plus curated international, indie, and documentary films and newly restored classics from the Kino Lorber library.
