Half a Hero (1953)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

Absolutely brilliant

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Ben Dobson (Red Skelton) is a newly wed who just got a job working for a very old fashioned and frugal boss. The boss values thrift and expects Ben to do the same. Unfortunately, Ben's wife, Martha (Jean Hagen) is NOT so inclined. She is like many folks in the post-war era...she wants it all. She wants a big house in the country, a car, a television and all the stuff that comes with it. As for Ben, you don't really know how he stands on any of this as he's henpecked and Martha makes all the decisions for them. Eventually, he finally let's it out....they can barely afford this life she's chosen and he thinks they need to move back to the city. Of courses, Martha ignores him and insists they continue living outside their means.As for the frugal boss, he doesn't know that Ben's moved to the suburbs and thinks he still lives in the small New York City apartment he was in at the beginning of the film. This leads to a hilarious scene where he takes the boss 'home'....sneaking into his old apartment and pretending the little girl there is his kid...yet, she inexplicably only speaks French!!Soon the boss commissions Ben to write an article about life in suburbia...and he wants the article to talk about how folks are over- extending themselves and cannot afford this extravagant lifestyle. Ben decides to do it, after all it IS his job, but doesn't tell his wife about it....and when she learns, she is furious with him. What's next? See the film.This is a comedy but I found myself only laughing a bit. Mostly, I found myself wanting to throttle Martha...and fortunately my wife also was watching the movie and agreed with me. She didn't seem to love Ben during most of the movie...just what he could buy for her. Because of this, the film has a very dark undertone and is quite the morality tale about the post-war acquisitiveness that infected many in the States. Now this is NOT a complaint...I actually like that the film was less comedy and more morality tale. It gave the film some depth you rarely see in a Skelton picture.

MGM designs another 1953 B feature here. They put television director Don Weis behind the camera, and sitcom writer Max Schulman who would punch Dobie Gillis to write a forgettable script. One could only wish MGM got more committed to making a better film here.The cast here, while experienced is really not a lot of support, and that does not help this one. If you tune in for Red Skelton being funny, you get what you want out of this picture. Most of the cast is television actors. It feels like a summer vacation from TV movie.If you tune in looking for a classic film, this one is not even close.Splitting Diamonds is not the same as crop dusting, though both can be killers. The bad guys act like Ben Dobson (Red's) family. In the end the family all falls apart and breaks down while Red is still prepping to cut a large diamond.It is a hopeless tale with some humor.

The problem with this film is that it stars Red Skelton. And, if it's a Red Skelton film, then it must be an uproarious comedy. Right? Well, no. This is one of those films that can't quite decide if it's a drama with some comedy, or a comedy with some drama. And, in my view, that dichotomy is always a problem for a film.Don't get me wrong. I adore(d) Red Skelton since I was a little boy. And I find him rather pleasant in this role. But this is not "The Yellow Cab Man" or "The Fuller Brush Man". This film actually has a pretty serious topic -- a married man gives into his wife and buys a home in the suburbs, only to find himself slowly going broke. Will they lose the house? Will they divorce over it? And then, just to complicate things, his boss at the magazine where he works assigns him to write an article about the "slums of the future" -- the suburbs.Nope. Not really a comedy.Jean Hagen is the wife here, and frankly, I'm not so sure she fared well. She was not very successful as Danny Thomas' wife in his series "Make Room For Daddy" (which began the same year), so perhaps playing a mother/housewife was just not right for her. The other main character in the story is the magazine owner, played by Charles Dingle...not one of my favorite character actors. You'll notice other character actors here, as well.The film has a rather short run time. This is a rare Skelton film I had never seen. Thanks to Warner Archives for releasing it!

Half A Hero was a cute bit of fluff. It was a cute story, with the main interest watching Red Skelton perform. He is a real doll to watch. I could relate to his struggles. It was funny, clever, very much the same things we struggle with currently. Tho' I disagreed with his decisions. It was pleasant, but mainly I just enjoyed seeing Red. He is one of the greats that is gone from this world forever, to a much better place I pray.