Good Sam

This article is about the movie. For the camping organization, see Good Sam Club and Good Sam Enterprises.
Good Sam
Directed by Leo McCarey
Produced by Leo McCarey
Written by Leo McCarey (story)
John D. Klorer (story)
Ken Englund
Starring Gary Cooper
Ann Sheridan
Release dates
  • September 1, 1948 (1948-09-01)
Running time
 128 minutes (original release)[1]
114 minutes (reissue)
Country United States
Language English
Box office $2,950,000 (US rentals)[2]

Good Sam is a 1948 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Gary Cooper as a Good Samaritan who is helpful to others at the expense of his own family. The film was directed by Leo McCarey and produced by McCarey's production company, Rainbow Productions.

Plot

Sam Clayton is too good for his own good. A sermon by Rev. Daniels persuades him to help others in every way he can, including his wife Lu's good-for-nothing brother, Claude, who's been living with them rent-free for six months, and their neighbors the Butlers, who need a car for a vacation when theirs breaks down.

Sam is a department store manager whose boss, H.C. Borden, wants him to sell more and socialize less. Sam's a shoulder for clerk Shirley Mae to cry on when her romance breaks up. He also gives a $5,000 loan, without his wife's knowledge, to Mr. and Mrs. Adams, who need it to save a gas station they bought.

Lu is fed up with Sam's generosity, particularly when he ends up paying for the Butlers' car repairs, then letting the mechanic come over for home-cooked meals. The last straw for Lu comes when she learns they have a chance to put a down payment on a new house, except Sam has lent their nest egg to the Adamses.

Sam is unhappy, too. He's annoyed with the Butlers, who have crashed his car and can't pay to fix it. He also wants Claude to move out. Shirley Mae's troubles come to his door after she takes too many pills. Sam even gets robbed, and the bank refuses to make him a loan.

He is at his wit's end when the Adamses surprise him with a check for $6,000. They also give Claude a job, and Shirley Mae suddenly thinks she and Claude could have a future together. Sam and Lu feel better about life, particularly when Borden surprises him with a promotion at work.

Cast

Radio adaptation

Good Sam was presented on Stars in the Air March 13, 1952. The 30-minute episode starred Ann Sheridan and David Wayne.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Good Sam Plot Synopsis". Allmovie. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  2. ↑ "Top Grossers of 1948", Variety 5 January 1949 p 46
  3. ↑ Kirby, Walter (March 9, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 42. Retrieved May 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

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