This was Marilyn Monroe's debut film, but you've got to be fast to catch her coming down the church steps. A scene of Marilyn with Colleen Townsend in a canoe, featured in many books, is not in the movie. So that's disappointing, but the film is an entertaining rural piece nonetheless. It features some fine acting, particularly from Anne Revere in a rare, unsympathetic role. Tom Tully also has a meaty role, and young Natalie Wood is very convincing. In fact, under the expert direction of screenwriter, F. Hugh "The Moon I Blue" Herbert (of all people!), just about the whole cast come up with great performances. Karnes is an exception, but he's still okay as the villain. And I thought Hull was more effective in his early scenes than in those later on. Tom Tully, Natalie Wood, June Haver, Walter Brennan and Lon McAllister are all excellent. And there's some great Technicolor photography.

This rustic film, something not usually made by 20th Century Fox has come down in screen legend as the debut of Marilyn Monroe. She's very briefly seen paddling a canoe after church. As it turns out she's not the only tragic legend in Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! Natalie Wood who plays June Haver's little sister and a little miss fixit is also here.Young Lon McCallister quits his home and hearth leaving it to mean stepmother Anne Revere and her lugnut of a son Robert Karnes. Almost on a whim he buys a pair of mules who won't work for anyone else but him. Still he's in debt to miserly Tom Tully for them. And Tully is not a man to give anyone a break even with daughter June Haver falling for McCallister.The man who teaches McCallister about how to work and the dignity of the mule is Walter Brennan playing another of his rustic old timers with lots of wisdom. He also has a nice taste for booze which nearly costs McCallister his mules.Except for the Francis series, Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! is the only film I know that's about mules. And McCallister's two don't have quite the talents that Francis had. Incidentally the title is what Walter Brennan teaches McCallister to say if he wants his mules to give that 110%.McCallister and Haver make a nice young couple. Not the greatest of films but a worthy debut for a legend.

The movie was premiered in Sedalia, Missouri,on a snowy March 10, 1948, not Sedalia Kansas as listed. The only other town with the name Sedalia is in Colorado! Sedalia held a parade in honor of the visiting stars Lon McCallister, Collene Townsend, Luanne Hogan, and Betty Ann Lynn, The premier is still talked about by old timers who marched in it and viewed the movie. While it was the only movie premiered in Sedalia, the city gained further fame as the end of trail town in the TV series RAWHIDE in the 1960s. RAWHIDE gave Clint Eastwood his career start and he even visited Sedalia in January 1959 to promote the program. Sedalia is celebrating it's 150 Anniversary in 2010, and Clint Eastwood is being invited back to participate in a Eastwood Film Festival. The area around Sedalia was famous for breeding high quality MISSOURI MULES, thus the reason for the selection of Sedalia for the premier.

An enjoyable film dealing with a male Cinderella-like relationship. Fed up with his nagging wife and bullying son, a man heads out to sea and leaves his son $20.00 to fend for himself.The film is a gem as it shows the warm relationships that can develop with still another family and a man's determination to get those mules to work.Anne Revere appears briefly as the wicked wife but she is memorable once again. As her n'eer-do-well son, Bob Karnes, is miserable at his best. Lon McAllister shines as the step-son and Natalie Wood steals the show as a precocious youngster who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Another good performance is given by Tom Tully as as a nasty neighbor, and Walter Brennan is in fine form as an understanding friend to the McAllister role.