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, the inspiration for the cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn.[2] The film was the first American production for Eagle-Lion Films[3] and although it was produced on a very small budget compared to other Hollywood films,[1] 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.[4]
It's a Joke, Son! | |
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![]() Original film poster | |
Directed by | Benjamin Stoloff |
Written by | Robert E. Kent Paul Gerard Smith |
Produced by | Aubrey Schenck |
Starring | Kenny Delmar Una Merkel June Lockhart Kenneth Farrell |
Cinematography | Clyde De Vinna |
Edited by | Norman Colbert |
Music by | Alvin Levin |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Eagle-Lion Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 63 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $650,000[1] |
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.[5] It is in the public domain.
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 in order to split the anti-machine vote. However, when Beauregard attracts great popularity, they must seek to stop him.