It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

A shame that hardly anyone except Turner shows (or preserves) black and white movies anymore. I tripped across this one during the Christmas Holidays. It's right up there with "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Bishop's Wife". It was nominated for an Oscar in 1947 (for best Screenplay). "Miracle on 34th St." won that year. A great cast including Charles Ruggles, Ann Harding, Gale Storm, Don Defore and Alan Hale Jr. Aloysius T. McKeever (Victor Moore) "squats" in the mansion of Michael O'Connor (Charles Ruggles) during the wintertime and holidays. He's a vagrant with principles and charm and acts like he owns the place. In all, eleven people and a dog end up "squatting", mostly down-on-their-luck unemployed WWII vets, their wives and children. Don Defoe and Gale Storm (Jim and Trudy) fall in love at first sight. She is beautiful at age 25 and plays an 18-year old spoiled brat AWOL from finishing school. She and her mom and dad act like squatters too, but actually own the house. A mild Scrooge-like plot, as O'Connor is a lonely old real estate magnate and the 2nd richest man in the world who, at first, seems to only love money and success. He has been divorced for four years. The predictable and satisfying ending has everyone falling in love and the ex-GI's get to build their dream project of converting an old Army barracks into apartments, as O'Connor buys and transfers the property over to them. Wonderful to watch, with many funny scenes involving babies, mistaken identities, a "fruiting", and an ethnic used clothes merchant, that hates wool clothes because they attract "all the moths and their friends". Lots of cute little continuity errors: "Jim" calls "Trudy" "Margie" and a "silent" vacuum cleaner! Still available on WB-DVD as part of a collection or a single title. Almost filmed by Frank Capra, but he made "It's a Wonderful Life" instead. Worth your time and very charming. Just like "It's a Wonderful Life", no man is poor who has friends. How true!

Charming, sweet and funny movie.A homeless man moves into the house of a very wealthy man, while the owner is away for the summer, as he does every year. This year, however, he manages to accumulate a mixed band of fellow house sitters, some of whom aren't what they seem...A quite farcical, yet sweet and funny, movie. The dialogue is sharp and there's a wonderful innocence and warmth about it that keeps it going.Decent performances all round, with the vivacious and gorgeous Gale Storm to the fore.Ideally watched around Christmas (though any time is good)...

While most classic film fans have made It's A Wonderful Life (1946) and Scrooge (1951) mandatory holiday viewing, It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947) is woefully ignored, even by old movie lovers. It has everything you could want in a feel-good comedy: slapstick, witty banter, romance, and most importantly, fun characters. Add some heartwarming sentiment that pairs well with its Christmastime setting, and you have the cinematic equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows.So why isn't it more remembered? Is it because there are no big names like Frank Capra or Jimmy Stewart attached to it? Is it because it's not based off a literary classic like A Christmas Carol? Who knows? All I know is that it needs more love and attention.

Sad to say but sweet and whimsical films like It Happened On Fifth Avenue just aren't being made today. Of course you have to have players like Victor Moore and Charles Winninger who can carry off whimsy. And whimsy isn't in with today's audiences.In fact the notion of a millionaire who leaves his Fifth Avenue townhouse for the winter from Election Day to St. Patrick's Day and has it occupied by a gentleman hobo during most of that time is a bit much to swallow. But Victor Moore as the occupier brings it off. No one could ever believe harm would befall anyone in Moore's path.But Moore's life gets a bit complicated when Don DeFore a recently discharged serviceman decides to move in on what he thinks is a boarded up mansion. Then Gale Storm who actually is the daughter of Charles Winninger and is rebellious and estranged shows up and pretends to go along with the gag. She kind of likes what she sees in DeFore. Before you know it a small community springs up in the drafty old house.Eventually that community includes Storm's parents Charles Winninger and Ann Harding who are similarly estranged. But its the Yuletide season coming on and people are just a bit nicer to each other at that time of the year.Of course it all comes to an end and hardly the end you would think in real life. Still It Happened On Fifth Avenue is possessing a certain magic to it. You can't help but like these people.Part of the reason is that for those years between World War II and Korea, returning servicemen of the Greatest Generation are treated like the family jewels. It's not questioned by the theater audience of the time that you extend yourself to them. It Happened On Fifth Avenue could never be remade today for that reason as well.It Happened On Fifth Avenue is a bit sugary, but a warmly sentimental film a favorite of the Yuletide season.