''Pretty Baby'' is a 1950 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

starring Dennis Morgan,

Betsy Drake Betsy Drake (September 11, 1923 – October 27, 2015) was an American actress, writer, and psychotherapist. She was the third wife of actor Cary Grant. Early life and education Betsy Drake, the eldest child of two American expatriates, was b ...

Zachary Scott Zachary Scott (February 21, 1914 – October 3, 1965)Obituary '' Variety'', October 6, 1965. was an American actor who was known for his roles as villains and "mystery men". Early life Scott was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Sallie L ...

and

Edmund Gwenn Edmund Gwenn (born Edmund John Kellaway; 26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959) was an English actor. On film, he is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the Christmas film ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947), for which he won t ...

. A young woman's little white lie leads to unforeseen complications.

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

aggressively promoted Drake, his wife, to Jack L. Warner for the lead in ''Pretty Baby''.

Plot

Patsy Douglas comes up with an ingenious way to get a seat on the crowded

New York subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...

: she pretends to have a baby, using a doll discarded by the advertising agency where she works. One day, however, her agency's primary client, short-tempered Cyrus Baxter, happens to be seated beside her. (His chauffeur had abruptly quit after Baxter berated him for getting stuck in a traffic jam.) He is delighted when he overhears that she named her "child" Cyrus after him. He becomes acquainted with her, letting her assume that he works for Baxter as a watchman. Later, when the agency's two bosses, Sam Morley and Barry Holmes see Baxter to try to get him to sign a contract for a new advertising campaign, he insists they keep her happy, to their puzzlement. Morley and Holmes discover that she has been fired; they quickly hire her back and promote her from her secretarial duties. Meanwhile, Baxter keeps seeing Patsy, trying to help her with his namesake. She manages to maintain her charade, but Morley sees them together and assumes that she is Baxter's mistress. Patsy discovers her new friend's identity when her bosses send her to present their latest idea. Meanwhile, Baxter's temper improves under Patsy's influence. When Morley and Holmes finally learn the truth, Patsy wants to confess all to Baxter, but they insist she carry on the masquerade until they get his signature on the contract. She reluctantly agrees, after they point out that they will probably have to close if they do not get Baxter's business, throwing hundreds out of work. When Morley shows Baxter a photograph of the baby (actually a picture of his partner as a child), Baxter notices a resemblance to Holmes and assumes he is the father. To placate him, Morley arranges for Holmes to start dating Patsy. In the process, however, he becomes jealous, having fallen in love without realizing it. When Baxter's plans for the baby become too overwhelming, Patsy tells him that she will raise her son on her own. She quits the agency as well. Baxter hires private investigator Corcoran to track her down. He finally learns there is no child. Morley confirms what Corcoran has discovered, and also admits he is in love with Patsy. A delighted Baxter insists he go after the girl. Morley catches Patsy on a subway train, and persuades her to get off at the City Hall stop to get married.

Cast

* Dennis Morgan as Sam Morley *

as Patsy Douglas *

as Barry Holmes *

as Cyrus Baxter *

William Frawley William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and actor best remembered for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', "Bub" O'Casey in the television comedy ser ...

as Corcoran * Raymond Roe as Sidney * Ransom M. Sherman as Powers (as

Ransom Sherman Ransom Sherman (October 15, 1898 – November 26, 1985) was an American radio and television personality and writer. Early years Sherman and his family moved from Appleton, Wisconsin, to Chicago when he was 14. He attended a technical school in ...

), Baxter's assistant * Sheila MacRae as Peggy (as Sheila Stephens) *

Eleanor Audley Eleanor Audley ( Zellman; November 19, 1905 – November 25, 1991) was an American actress with a distinctive voice and a diverse body of work. She played Oliver Douglas's mother, Eunice Douglas, on the CBS sitcom ''Green Acres'' (1965–1969) ...

as Miss Brindel, Baxter's secretary * George Chandler as Henderson *

Barbara Billingsley Barbara Billingsley (born Barbara Lillian Combes; December 22, 1915 – October 16, 2010) was an American actress. She began her career with uncredited roles in ''Three Guys Named Mike'' (1951), '' The Bad and the Beautiful'' (1952), and '' Inv ...

as Edna

References

External links

* * * * {{AFI film, id=26456, title=Pretty Baby 1950 films 1950 romantic comedy films American black-and-white films American romantic comedy films Films about advertising Films directed by Bretaigne Windust Warner Bros. films Films scored by David Buttolph Films with screenplays by Harry Kurnitz 1950s English-language films 1950s American films