Product Details

• Actors: Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Jeanne Crain, Farley Granger, Charles Laughton
• Format: Black & White, Dubbed, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Dubbed: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: November 21, 2006
• Run Time: 117 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000HT3PPQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,735 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "O Henry's Full House" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

O. Henry’s Full House is a recently repolished cinema gem, a must for film fans and for those who love the short stories of O. Henry (born William Sidney Porter). This collection features five of O. Henry’s tales made into short films, and released in theaters in 1952 as a collection--an experiment in adapting short stories as simple short films, not padded out to theatrical lengths. The collection features a stable of 20th Century Fox’s top contract players, including Anne Baxter, Richard Widmark, Farley Granger, and a dewy-cheeked Marilyn Monroe, and five topnotch directors including Henry Hathaway and Howard Hawks. The five stories include O. Henry’s signature tale of grace and selflessness, "The Gift of the Magi," as well as "The Cop and the Anthem" (in which a hobo literally can’t get himself arrested); "The Clarion Call" (a noirish crime mystery with loads of side-of-the-mouth cracks, like calling a guy "You clamhead!"); "The Last Leaf" (with a radiant Baxter and Jean Peters); and "The Ransom of Red Chief," a kidnap cautionary tale. The twists that O. Henry’s stories are famous for perhaps work better on the page than on film, and yet the acting and production values are so superb the tales are moving and their short lengths are just right.

The extras are another literary treasure trove. The stories are introduced and narrated by none other than a chain-smoking John Steinbeck, whose admiration for O. Henry permeates his speeches. Other features include a commentary by Dr. Jenny Lind Porter, a featurette on the life and writing of O. Henry (every bit as tragic as his most bittersweet fiction), galleries, stills, and two additional shorts from 1927, "Girls" and "Man About Town." --A.T. Hurley

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Stills from O. Henry's Full House (click for larger image)

Product Description

1952 anthology film features five short stories by O. Henry, each introduced by author John Steinbeck. Each story is crafted by a different famous director, with a diverse cast that includes Marilyn Monroe, Charles Laughton, Anne Baxter, Fred Allen, and others. Among the stories is the well-known Christmas parable "The Gift of the Magi."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Full House Indeed. January 4, 2007

By Chip Kaufmann

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

At long last one of my favorite films has finally made it to DVD and I can throw my TV copy VHS away. O Henry has always been a favorite writer of mine and it just so happens that he is buried right here in Asheville, North Carolina. If you visit his grave you will find coins on it in honor of THE GIFT OF THE MAGI. I remember first seeing this film on television back in the early 1960s. I was especially taken by the story of THE LAST LEAF (and still am today). It spurred me on to find and read other O Henry short stories where I then discovered that he had written well over two hundred of them!

For this 1952 omnibus film 5 stories were chosen (THE COP AND THE ANTHEM, THE CLARION CALL, THE LAST LEAF, THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF, and of course MAGI) along with 5 different directors (Howard Hawks, Henry Hathaway, Henry King, Henry Koster, Jean Negulesco) and a top notch cast (Charles Laughton, Richard Widmark, Anne Baxter, Fred Allen, Jeanne Crain and a young Marilyn Monroe). To top it all off 20th Century Fox got author John Steinbeck to introduce the stories. As is often the case with anthology films the stories are a mixed bag with ANTHEM, LEAF, and MAGI being first rate while THE CLARION CALL and THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF miss the mark due to lack of subtlety in direction and in some of the performances (RED CHIEF was cut after the premiere but restored for TV showings).

Nevertheless this release is a 5 star effort all the way thanks to a beautifully restored print and a slew of informative extras including two silent shorts, a trip to the O. Henry Museum in Austin, Texas and no less than a recording of O Henry himself done in the mid 1900s (he died in 1910). An excellent example of the old studio system school of filmmaking at its best and a great incentive to check out the original stories which had to be altered and expanded for the movie (ie. THE LAST LEAF is only 3 pages long in a full size edition).

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming stories with a message October 7, 2006

By Seen Them All

Format:DVD

These 5 stories are based on O Henry's short stories about the lives of the average human being. Very heartwarming and insightful. Most have a "message" about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Well acted and well written. Funny and poignant. My favorite is "Gift of the Magi" and the true meaning of love. Best if viewed with your family.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Narrated by John Steinbeck November 9, 2006

By G. Singer

Format:DVD

Not mentioned anywhere else in the description and cast, is that the introduction to each story by John Steinbeck. He didn't do many appearances on film, so this is a special surprise and pleasure.