Tonight's Movie: Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

The colorful Universal Pictures comedy-drama HAS ANYBODY SEEN MY GAL (1952) was recently released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

The movie, written by Joseph Hoffman from a story by Eleanor H. Porter, tells the story of a family which unexpectedly comes into money and how it impacts them.

The surprise inheritance, courtesy of secretive millionaire Samuel Fulton (Charles Coburn) -- it's a loooong story -- wreaks havoc with the romance of Millicent (Piper Laurie) and Dan (Rock Hudson), and in particular it brings out an unpleasant side to Millicent's wealth-obsessed mother Harriet (Lynn Bari).

I first saw HAS ANYBODY SEEN MY GAL at the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival and wrote about it afterwards at considerable length, including sharing the reflections of the late Piper Laurie, who was interviewed before the screening.

Laurie wasn't a fan of working with director Douglas Sirk, while on the other hand this movie was the first of Sirk's nine collaborations with Rock Hudson.

Although I wasn't 100% sold on the film, I enjoyed a number of aspects and wanted to take another look at it via this new Blu-ray. I came away feeling much the same; the young leads are appealing, most of the cast is enjoyable, and the film is lovely to look at.

And, as I wrote after my first viewing, the movie is "a curious mix of lighthearted family comedy with darker overtones." Bari's character being so over the top is the film's main drawback. Despite the movie's reassurances at the end, the viewer is left wondering if relationships have been irreparably harmed by her behavior.

I'd like to suggest readers click over to my 2022 review for more thoughts on the film and its background, then return here for additional information on the Blu-ray release.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray has excellent extras, including a commentary track by Piper Laurie, who passed away in October 2023. The track is moderated by Lee Gambin.

The disc also includes the 31-minute featurette "Fun on the Lot," with Laurie and Gigi Perreau, who plays Laurie's kid sister. It was originally produced in 2008 and is a fun watch, as the actresses share detailed memories of the film and its place in their careers. The documentary is very nicely edited and well illustrated with both clips and stills. It's interesting to note that Perreau liked Sirk better than Laurie did!

Watching the documentary, I was struck anew by my good fortune seeing both Laurie and Perreau interviewed in person in the last few years, all the more so as Laurie is sadly no longer with us.

HAS ANYBODY SEEN MY GAL runs 88 minutes. The supporting cast includes Larry Gates, William Reynolds, Skip Homeier, and Frank Ferguson. Eagle-eyed viewers will also spot James Dean in a bit role as a drugstore customer.

The movie was filmed in lovely "candybox" Technicolor by Clifford Stine. The color is shown off to great effect on the Blu-ray, which is from a new HD master of a 2K scan of the 35mm interpositive.

The trailer included on this disk was newly mastered in 2K. The disc also includes 11 additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

Despite the referenced mild story flaws, this colorful family film was pleasant Easter Sunday viewing, and fans of the cast and director will want to check it out. This release, including print quality and extras, is another winner from Kino Lorber.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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