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

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

grantss 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)...

theolindafoster I just watched this movie for the fifth Christmas in a row and will watch it every year until I am unable to or have died. Not only is there humor and at times out right laughs but it also is about the spirit of Christmas. I can't think of one actor that could have replaced any one in the role they played. A heartwarming, cheerful movie that shows you don't have to have it all to enjoy the season and Christmas Day. The cast jelled together to make this film a joy and worthy of watching again! Every member of the cast was played to perfection ! A feel good , entertaining movie that any age can watch and will want to watch again!!Don't miss out on the delightful "It Happened on Fifth Avenue"!!!

wes-connors Slightly tipsy hobo Victor Moore (as Aloysius T. McKeever) arrives with his dog "Sam" at a swanky New York City brownstone. This is where he spends the winter, while owner and "second richest man in the world" Charles Ruggles (as Michael "Mike" O'Connor) is in Virginia at his "Bubbling Springs" mansion. Meanwhile, World War II veteran Don DeFore (as Jim Bullock) is down on his luck and in his underwear. Thrown out of a tenement, Mr. DeFore is sleeping on a city bench when Mr. Moore happens by, his ragged clothes replaced by Mr. Ruggles' classy duds. Moore invites DeFore over to his adopted mansion...Houseguest DeFore's homeless buddies move in because their prospective apartment won't allow children. Young father Edward Ryan Jr. (as Hank) begs him to reconsider, but landlord Charles Lane asserts, "We don't take children!" Dripping with sarcasm, Alan Hale Jr. (as Whitey) offers to drown the kids while DeFore asks, "If he lets your kids in, everybody'd start having children - then what would happen to the human race?" Meanwhile, nubile young heiress Gale Storm (as Trudy O'Connor) runs away from school, intending to hide out in New York while her father's away. Hoping to stay incognito, Ms. Storm decides to pose as a vagrant in her own mansion. Naturally, father Ruggles hires a detective, and divorced mother Ann Harding (as Mary O'Connor) is also concerned...The whimsical fun continues with Moore and Ruggles reversing their rich man, poor man roles. The older gentlemen are in fine form. Minor bits with tailor Abe Reynolds and waiter Pat Goldin's wobbly table add to the fun, smoothly guided by producer/director Roy Del Ruth. The thoroughly charming script, by Herbert Clyde Lewis and Frederick Stephani, won a much-deserved "Academy Award" nomination. Other than that, "It Happened on Fifth Avenue" seems to have fallen through the cracks. If you're looking for "lost gems" among old movies, you'll find one here.********* It Happened on Fifth Avenue (4/19/47) Roy Del Ruth ~ Victor Moore, Charles Ruggles, Don DeFore, Ann Harding

fung0 It's hard to believe that there are still movies out there as brilliant as this one that I've never seen... or in fact never heard of. But "It Happened on Fifth Avenue" is easily overlooked. It's a sort of accidental masterpiece, a seemingly minor film that turns out to be absolutely unforgettable on several levels.The plot certainly sounds like pure Hollywood cliché: a tramp spends winter each year in a rich man's shuttered New York mansion. He picks up a variety of stragglers, and works like a good fairy to help them with their lives.But in practice, it all becomes fresh and original. Time and again, the film veers away from obvious plot points, into realms of zaniness that rival the most famous screwball comedies. These twists in turn bring out unexpected depths in the otherwise stereotypical characters. (There are some obvious similarities to "My Man Godfrey.")Direction varies - at times awkward, yet frequently sublime. For example, some reaction shots are badly misjudged, obviously spoken to a camera. But there are also many little set-pieces, or even individual shots, that will make you fall off your chair. There's a side-splitting little monologue by the owner of an old-clothing shop, about divorce and woolen suits. And an entirely gratuitous distraction with a restaurant table, that's worthy of Monty Python or the Marx Brothers."It Happened on Fifth Avenue" is a film that sneaks up on you. Don't be misled by the formulaic B-movie trappings, or the absence of major stars. This is a film not to be missed, at Christmas, or any time.