After we met The Lemon Drop Kid yesterday, one of Bob Hope’s old comedy sparring partners Jimmy Durante joins us next with 1950’s The Great Rupert, an odd but charming little tale where the distinguished titular fellow just happens to be an adorable stop-motion squirrel. In this comedy, directed by Irving Pichel, the furry little rodent Rupert accidentally helps two poor, destitute families overcome various obstacles just in time to have the perfect Christmas. It’s pleasant, silly old-school stuff but I find Durante’s schtick far more palatable than Hope’s - Jimmy’s more of a cheeky, winking grandad type with his kind eyes, gravelly voice and big hooter.
Rupert is a sweet domesticated animal who’s been trained to dance and juggle by his owner. When they’re turfed out of their lodgings for not paying the rent, Rupert’s owner sets him free. However, the furry fella heads right back to the old gaff where his behind-the-scenes shenanigans inadvertently lead to good fortune for the new tenants, the Amendola family, led by Durante’s jolly patriarch Louie. Along with his happy-go-lucky wife (Queenie Smith) and stunning daughter Rosalinda (Terry Moore), the family are a travelling entertainment act - a ‘human pyramid’ - who things have turned sour for now that Rosalinda has grown up and become a little too big for the routine.
The family are skint, but get by on faith, good humour and hope, which is very cute. I realise I could learn a lot from these guys who, even though they don’t have two pennies to rub together, are just thankful for what they have, facing each day with a smile. Rosalinda ends up falling in love with Peter (Tom Drake) the handsome son of their penny-pinching landlord Frank (Frank Orth) who has secretly come into some money. Frank stashes the dough in the building’s walls, unaware that’s where Rupert’s been hiding. Disturbed, the fuzzy scamp chucks the money out of the wall down to the naive Amendolas below who are convinced that God’s answered their Christmas prayers, making it rain money from the skylight. Things get out of hand real quick, with Louie spending money like it’s going out of fashion, arousing suspicions all over town. How long before everyone figures out what’s really going on?
There’s a nice understated festive vibe to it all, with Louie’s family believing this is all some sort of Christmas miracle. Durante also gives an enchanting, jolly rendition of ‘Jingle Bells’ on an old piano, while there’s a great gag about Louie scrounging hard to secure a Christmas tree, unaware his wife has used the money to buy the grandest tree in town.
The squirrel, represented as a cute cartoon on the film’s poster, is actually a lifelike, slightly creepy animated creation, but works well for the story and must have looked impressive for the time. But it’s Durante who’s the real star of the show, effortlessly winning me over with his iconic voice and delivery that helps sell even the lamest of gags.
The film also has an agreeable universal message about giving and wealth distribution - it shouldn’t take a dancing rodent to teach us that you shouldn’t squirrel (groan!) your money away when you could be doing some real good with it to help those in need. It also teaches us that putting a rodent in a little kilt is both adorable and hilarious, if a little bit nutty.
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