Le héros du jour

Ben Dobson (Red Skelton) gets a job at a popular national magazine. He is a little disappointed to be only rewriting other people's work. His wife Martha (Jean Hagen) takes the opportunity to argue for a baby. She claims that it's going to save them money. It is the start of their family life and his professional journey over many years.

There is some minor humor going on here from time to time. I am surprised with the darker relationship dabbling in a 50's family comedy. I am often taken by my preconceived notions. My big issue is that I don't like Martha and the couple has little chemistry. Maybe we need to see their meet-cute. Anyways, I like Red and that keeps me engaged.

Those who are expecting some of Red Skelton's more outlandish comedy routines will be somewhat disappointed in Half A Hero. In this film Red essays a role that just post World War II would have been offered to James Stewart. Who's to say this script wasn't seen by Stewart.

Still he and Jean Hagen play a decent post war average couple with her doing the June Cleaver home making and Red working as a writer, or should I say rewriter at a magazine owned by Charles Dingle. One of my favorite character actors, Dingle is at his pompous tyrannical best as Skelton's boss who likes the fact that Skelton and Hagen live in a small New York City apartment and within their means. Listening to Dingle prattle on about that subject I could hear Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter talking about the merits of a thrifty working class.

Anyway Skelton and Hagen do move to the suburbs and face the same problems a lot of post World War II young marrieds face, like my parents for instance. Dingle however wants an expose of these people who don't save who will turn the nation into a mass of suburban slums. Skelton tries to give him what he wants, but he's got his own ideas as well.

The old and young Jimmy Stewart could have phoned in his performance if he had the lead in Half A Hero. Skelton does all right with the part even if it is offbeat casting. Outside of Dingle in the cast, the best performance is by Willard Waterman as a most unctuous real estate salesman.

It's not typical Red Skelton, but it's more than all right.

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.

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.

Trite sitcom from director Don Weis and writer Max Schulman has Red Skelton cast as a harried husband and father over-his-head in trouble after his caustic spouse convinces him to move the family from New York City to the suburbs. As Skelton's wife, miscast Jean Hagen is all wrong for this scenario (she's so brittle, she makes poor Red look hen-pecked, deadly in a family comedy). Supporting cast (including Mary Wickes, Billie Bird, and Polly Bergen playing herself) is much more at ease with this kind of silly material; though, unfortunately, star Skelton isn't given very much to do. Extremely minor fare. *1/2 from ****