“He’s coming in through the front door next winter.”

From It Happened on Fifth Avenue.

Every year, when the super-wealthy developer Michael O’Connor (Charlie Ruggles) leaves his New York mansion and heads to Florida for the winter, a homeless man named McKeever (Victor Moore) moves in.  McKeever sleeps in O’Connor’s bed, eats small amounts of his food, wears his clothes, smokes a few of his cigars, and makes sure that everything is as he found it when he moves out in the spring.  McKeever invites a down-on-his-luck veteran, Jim (Don DeFore), to join him in the mansion.  Things go fine for the pair of peaceful trespassers until Trudy O’Connor (Gale Storm) runs away from finishing school and sneaks in to her home; Trudy doesn’t tell the men who she is and stays in the mansion as another homeless guest.  O’Connor is able to track down his daughter, but Trudy has fallen in love with Jim and convinces Michael to join her in hiding their identities in order for Trudy to build an untainted relationship.  As more people are added to the group of trespassers (included Michael’s estranged wife played by by Ann Harding), Michael must fight the constant urge to reveal his identity as he sees life from the other side.  If he can keep the O’Connor family’s identities hidden, they just might find the secret for a truly successful life.

While it is classified as a Christmas movie, it is only Christmas-y in the sense that one scene takes place on December 25th, but for the most part, the story is timeless.  However, this movie is definitely a comedy that the whole family can enjoy for the physical and verbal comedy scattered throughout the movie.  Solid acting throughout allows the movie to soar on every level.  It is a simple story at the start, but it develops into a complex blend of storylines that is endearing to watch unfold.  This Prince and the Pauper type story is genuinely enjoyable to watch, and this classic movie should be added to everyone’s must-watch list!

| Rated: G | Running Time: 116 minutes |Genre: comedy/romance |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 0 of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 0 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|