The Great Rupert (1950)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Just what I expected

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 Christmas MOVIES. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM FARE.The Great Rupert, is a 1950 comedy family film, produced by George Pal, directed by Irving Pichel and starring Jimmy Durante, Tom Drake and Terry Moore. It is based on a story, written by Ted Allan, which has also been published as a children's book under the title "Willie the Squowse".The story revolves around a little animated squirrel who, with lots of charm, accidentally helps two economically distressed families overcome their obstacles.Rosalinda Amendola, the daughter of happy but impoverished former acrobats is in love with the boy next door, aspiring composer Pete Dingle. Though Pete's parents are wealthy, his miserly father Frank insists on hiding his money from his investments in the wall of their family home.The situation changes when Joe Mahoney, a vaudeville performer has fallen on hard times and has to leave his best friend and stage companion, Rupert a dancing squirrel, in Frank and Rosalinda's town where he will have to fend for himself with the other squirrels and live in a tree. Unsatisfied with tree life, Rupert gains access to the Dingle home and unbeknownst to Frank, has his bed in Frank's hidden cache of money. Rupert decides to clear room in his domicile by throwing Frank's money through a hole so that it floats down into the Amendola household who think the money has come from Heaven in answer to Mrs Amendola's prayers.Now this is a very funny movie. It has lots of heart. It has charm to spare and more laughs a minute than most comedy's. The film is also sold under the title "A Christmas Wish". Buy the film under that title. Legend Films has a restoration DVD that is sold through FOX that has the best picture and sound. It also includes a colorized version!

No, this isn't the beloved pet teddy bear of "Family Guy's" Stewie. This is a cute little squirrel who has run off from his trainer (Jimmy Conlin) back to the old apartment that Conlin has been tossed out of. An old vaudeville pal of Conlin's (Jimmy Durante) moves in with his down and out family, and the little prankster squirrel plays a trick on the miserly owner (Frank Orth) by tossing down bills hidden by Orth in the walls. Thinking that a Christmas miracle has happened, the family's fortunes begin to rise but Orth becomes puzzled as his stash begins to dwindle.This sweet low budget Christmas fantasy was created by George Pal, best known for some of the most groundbreaking science fiction films of the 1950's. The cheapness of the film is obvious, but it is done with such humanity that it really doesn't matter that you can tell that this is a mechanical squirrel. You really begin to care about this family as they go through a series of bad circumstances, and hope that the miserly Orth will learn some lessons from this and begin to care more about people than money, and that includes his long-suffering wife (Sara Haden). There are a lot of familiar character actors from the golden age of movies and television, including Frank Cady of "Green Acres" and that queen of the bit part Queenie Smith in a much larger role than normal. Terry Moore of "Mighty Joe Young" fame is the romantic heroine. While younger audiences of our high-tech era might find this silly and sappy, those of us who grew up in more innocent times can sit back and enjoy the film from a non-cynical point of view and hope the younger generation will eventually realize the charm of film like this.

I Had seen the great Rupert on a religious channel that has been showing all the great Christmas movies like scrooge,and the bishops wife.and i loved it.its somewhat a Christmas movie about a family led by the great Jimmy Durante.and a squirrel named Rupert that shares the same household.the great Rupert also stars the dazzling and beautiful; Terry Moore(mighty Joe young)who i think looks great in this movie,playing jimmy Durante's daughter.if you like sentimental comedies,you will love the great Rupert.i totally recommend it.if you spot it on DVD buy it.i hate myself for passing it up as a dollar movie a while back,but i see it again I'm grabbing it.although I'm not sure its a public domain movie,its well worth repeated viewings,I'm not giving away the plot.no spoilers here.all i can say is watch it,you will love it.and its the first movie produced by the late great George Pal.10 out of 10.

Why isn't it? I have no clue. Some very fine movies, for no very good reason, simply seem to get lost in time. I suppose this is one of those. Well put together and with wonderful talent Jimmy Durante and Terry Moore shine. The stop motion animation used for Rupert is neat given the day in which this was made. Cute, silly, funny, sweet, campy, good natured family fun this movie made me, being the sentimental sap that I am, laugh until I cried. Given the very repetitious nature of Decembers television line up over the past several decades I don't know why someone doesn't latch onto this thing and promote it. But being able to view it at will on DVD makes it, well, what can I say? It makes it a wonderful life.