It's a Joke, Son! is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Benjamin Stoloff (in his final directorial role in a film) featuring radio comedian Kenny Delmar as Senator Beauregard Claghorn, a character on Fred Allen's radio program and later the inspiration for the cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn.p. 712 Sterling, C. Encyclopedia of Radio Taylor & Francis, 01/12/2003 The film was the first American production for Eagle-Lion Films,p.23 Balio, Tino United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1987 and although it was produced on a very small budget compared to other Hollywood films, it was a box-office disappointment; one theater chain removed the film after less than a week after it only drew $1,000 in ticket sales."It's a Joke, Son did a folderoo...", at Variety (magazine), 12 March 1947. p.19, column 5
The film contributed to a multimillion-dollar loss for Eagle-Lion in 1947, and Arthur B. Krim later stated that the studio had overpaid for Delmar and overestimated his bankability.Balio, Tino. United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1987. p. 24 It is in the public domain.
Plot When the Daughters of Dixie nominate Magnolia Claghorn as a candidate for state senator, the local political machine run by northerners fears that its candidate will be defeated. Through the Claghorns' daughter's boyfriend Jeff, the members of the machine concoct a plan to run Magnolia's husband Beauregard to split the antimachine vote. However, when Beauregard attracts great popularity, they must seek to stop him.
Cast
Kenny Delmar as Senator Beauregard Claghorn Una Merkel as Mrs. Magnolia Claghorn June Lockhart as Mary Lou Claghorn Kenneth Farrell as Jefferson "Jeff" Davis Douglass Dumbrille as Big Dan Healey Jimmy Conlin as Senator Alexander P. Leeds Matt Willis as Ace, Healey's Henchman Ralph Sanford as Knifey, Healey's Henchman Daisy as Daisy Vera Lewis as Hortense Dimwitty Margaret McWade as Jennifer Whipple Ida Moore as Matilda Whipple
Soundtrack Dixie The Bonnie Blue Flag
References
External links