Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!
Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! | |
---|---|
Directed by | F. Hugh Herbert |
Screenplay by | F. Hugh Herbert |
Based on | Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! by George Agnew Chamberlain |
Produced by | Walter Morosco |
Starring | |
Cinematography | 20th Century Fox[1] |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox[2] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes[4] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2 million[5] |
Box office | $2 million (US rentals)[6] |
Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! is a 1948 American romantic
The screenplay was adapted by the director F. Hugh Herbert from the novel of the same name by George Agnew Chamberlain.[7]
The film tells the story of two antagonistic stepbrothers living on a mid-western farm with their mother. One of them takes a job as a hired-hand with a neighboring farmer from whom he buys a pair of mules and must learn to train them, and whose daughter he is in love with, though she entices both brothers to compete for her affections.
Colleen Townsend is also featured in the film, though not credited, playing a small role.
Plot
Farmer Milt Dominy (Henry Hull) and his son Daniel (Lon McCallister), who is called "Snug", commiserate with each other about their loathing of Judith (Anne Revere), Milt's second wife, and her brutish son Stretch (Robert Karnes). Milt decides to return to the sea while Snug takes a job as a hired hand with a neighboring farmer, Robert "Roarer" McGill (Tom Tully), with whose daughter, Rad (June Haver), he is in love, although the daughter gets her kicks out of keeping him guessing about her true feelings. Her father neither encourages nor endorses the courtship.
Some days later, Snug offers to buy two mules, named Crowder and Moonbeam, from his boss, to add to his income. Roarer agrees but warns Snug that ownership of the mules will revert to him if Snug misses even one payment. Snug then takes Crowder and Moonbeam to Tony (Walter Brennan)'s farm, and Tony, who was once a dedicated mule driver before falling down on his luck and becoming an alcoholic. While learning about the mules, Snug also deals with Judith and Stretch, who are trying to take over the Dominy farm.
Eager to help Snug, Tony introduces him to logging foreman Mike Malone (G. Pat Collins), who offers him a well-paying job, which will start when Snug learns how to drive the mules. Tony teaches Snug the commands "scudda hoo" and "scudda hay," which mean "gee" and "haw," the teamster's commands for "right" and "left," respectively.
One day, Snug's deliberate insolence prompts Roarer to fire him, and Snug goes to work at the
Meanwhile, Snug learns that his father has died, leaving him the Dominy farm, and Tony promises to consult Judge Stillwell about evicting Stretch and Judith. Soon after, Stretch places a wire snare in Crowder and Moonbeam's stall in an attempt to cripple them. Snug and Rad, who are out on a date, return to Tony's house and there catch Stretch as Crowder is crushing him against the barn wall. Snug rescues Stretch from Crowder then throws him off Tony's property. Later, Judge Stillwell and Sheriff Bursom evict Stretch and his mother from the Dominy farm. As Snug, Rad and Tony are riding back to Tony's, they pass Roarer, whose tractor is stuck in the mud. Snug bets Roarer that if Moonbeam and Crowder can pull the tractor free, Roarer will forget Snug's debt, but if they fail, Roarer will reassume possession of them. Snug also asks for Roarer's blessing of his marriage to Rad if he succeeds, and Roarer reluctantly agrees. Snug expertly drives the animals and soon the tractor is free. Finally, as a happy Rad joins Snug, Roarer concedes that at least the mules will still be in the family.
Cast
- June Haver as Rad McGill
- Lon McCallister as Daniel "Snug" Dominy
- Walter Brennan as Tony Maule
- Anne Revere as Judith Dominy
- Robert Karnes as Stretch Dominy
- Henry Hull as Milt Dominy
- Tom Tully as Robert McGill
- Natalie Wood as Eufraznee "Bean" McGill
- G. Pat Collins as Mike Malone (uncredited)
- Marilyn Monroe as Betty (girl leaving church service greeting Rad) (uncredited)
- Colleen Townsend as girl leaving church service (uncredited)
Marilyn Monroe's participation
After having been signed to
In popular culture
In a scene from the 1989 film Driving Miss Daisy, the movie theatre marquee in town indicates Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! is playing when Hoke drives Miss Daisy to the Piggly Wiggly grocery store.
References
- ^ "Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948): Company Credits – Production Companies". IMDb. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
- TCMDB. Archivedfrom the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
- ^ "Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948): Release Info – Release Dates". IMDb. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
- ^ "Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948): Technical Specifications – Runtime". IMDb. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
- ^ Variety 18 February 1948 p7
- ^ "Top Grossers of 1948", Variety 5 January 1949 p. 46
- IMDb. Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- Planet Green). Archivedfrom the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.