A Hole in the Head (1959)

Director:

Frank Capra

Writer:

Arnold Schulman (play)

Release Date:

15 July 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The most wonderful entertainment in the whole wide wonderful world!

Plot:

An impractical widower tries to hang onto his Miami hotel and his 12-year-old son.

Plot Keywords:

Boy | Father Son Relationship | Greyhound Racing | Motel | Liar

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Frank Sinatra	...	Tony Manetta
Edward G. Robinson	...	Mario Manetta
Eleanor Parker	...	Eloise Rogers
Carolyn Jones	...	Shirl
Thelma Ritter	...	Sophie Manetta
Keenan Wynn	...	Jerry Marks
Joi Lansing	...	Dorine
Connie Sawyer	...	Miss Wexler
James Komack	...	Julius Manetta (as Jimmy Komack)
Dub Taylor	...	Fred (the clerk)
George DeWitt	...	Mendy Yales
Benny Rubin	...	Abe Diamond
Ruby Dandridge	...	Sally
B.S. Pully	...	Hood
Joyce Nizzari	...	Alice (Jerry's secretary)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

New Zealand:G | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Cardozo Hotel - 1300 Ocean Drive, South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida, USA

Company:

Sincap Productions

Trivia:

Average Shot Length (ASL) = 12 seconds

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Ally is shown running back along the street calling for his father at the end, in the distance the taxi is seen making a U-turn while a large crowd of onlookers stand on the streets behind it, obviously watching the scene being filmed.

Quotes:

Fred: Life is just a bowl of cherries
Tony Manetta: Why
Fred: I don't know. I ain't a philosopher!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Mole People (#9.3)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

ALL MY TOMORROWS

An Underrated Gem

This is film is a rare commodity as a Hollywood product - a wonderful "little" film. By little, I mean unpretentious. Perhaps this is because Frank Capra had a talent for telling inspirational, uplifting or "message" stories without seeming to preach. We all know the Ralph Cramden character - the botched hero with "high hopes". This is Frank Sinatra's Tony Maneta. Unlike Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey in Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," Tony Maneta isn't beset by problems circumstantial so much as personal. Yet, whether the antagonist is an ungrateful world or a character flaw, Capra and playwright/screenwriter Arnold Schulman recognize the abiding nobility of the human spirit's determination to overcome the odds.

I love the setting in "Hole in the Head". It's a treat to see South Miami Beach during a period when formerly glamorous hotels had gone to seed, knowing that they would one day rise again. I don't think anyone would have given them a chance at the time of the story, just like Tony Maneta's prospects. But "Hole in the Head" makes us want to believe, that just by surviving, like South Beach, Tony will one day triumph.

By the way, there's a wonderful performance by the underappreciated Eddie Hodges, whose minor billing is unjustified, considering his character's major part in the story.