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The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
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==Production== ===Screenplay=== Sturges developed the idea for ''The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' in the late-1930s: The original story revolved around his heroine, Trudy Kockenlocker, a woman who becomes pregnant by a wealthy banker's son who refuses to marry her, leading her to being cared for by a [[hermit]] before she gives birth to [[sextuplets]].{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|p=294}} The story eventually was reshaped into something "far less sentimental", featuring the character of Trudy becoming pregnant by a soldier, with the character of Norval, her friend, pursuing her.{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|pages=294β295}} Describing the screenplay, Sturges biographer Diane Jacobs notes that the film features small-town characters who "are as diverse and scrappy as city folk. And though perpetually thrown together, they certainly do not blend. Nor do they easily inhabit their landscape."{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|p=296}} Unlike Sturges's previous screenplays, ''[[Easy Living (1937 film)|Easy Living]]'' (1937) and ''[[The Lady Eve]]'' (1941), which blend elements of [[farce]] and comedy, Jacobs notes that ''The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' instead combines farce and melodrama, "maximizing the pain and violence inherent in both forms."{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|p=296}} ===Casting=== While Sturges was completing ''[[The Great Moment (1944 film)|The Great Moment]]'' (1944), he pitched the idea for the film intending to cast Betty Hutton and [[Harry Carey (actor)|Harry Carey]] in the lead roles as Trudy and Norval.{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|p=294}} Hutton was cast in the lead role of Trudy, while [[Eddie Bracken]] was cast as Norval.{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|p=297}} The role of Papa Kockenlocker was written with William Demarest in mind, while Sturges chose to cast pianist Diana Lynn as Trudy's sister.{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|pages=297β298}} ===Filming=== Principal photography took place between October 21 to December 23, 1942, with additional scenes shot on February 25, 1943.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|title=The Miracle of Morgan's Creek: Overview|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/83564/the-miracle-of-morgans-creek/#overview|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228075748/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/83564/the-miracle-of-morgans-creek/#overview|archive-date=December 28, 2021}}</ref> Outdoor scenes were shot at the Paramount Ranch in [[Agoura, California]].{{sfn|Gant|2009|p=297}} Sturges was reported to have been "moody" on the set, partly attributed to the pressure he had received from the production code over the film's controversial content.{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|p=301}} Bracken stated that he and Sturges "never had any real problems" on set, but did note that the director was often harshly critical of the actors, which Bracken felt was a method Sturges employed to help "deepen the performances."{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|p=302}} Despite Paramount's wishes to maintain a tight shooting schedule, Sturges was liberal with his use of film stock, sometimes shooting sequences up to fifty times, inflating the production budget against the studio's wishes.{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|p=304}} Executive [[Buddy DeSylva]] expressed anger over Sturges' shooting methods, stating in a letter to Sturges: {{blockquote|I think it is absolutely disgraceful. You, along with every other director, have been warned that the Company must conserve film. [That you could] waste this much film when you had at least two takes that might have been used actually amounts to sabotage... No other director on the lot needs fifty takes to get a scene. Either you do not properly explain to the actors what they are called on to do, or you engage inadequate actors, or perhaps get so upset after take #15 or #20 that they are no longer capable of giving you what you desire.{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|p=303}}}} ===Censorship=== Problems arose with [[Hays Office]] censors early into the film's production because of its subject matter, particularly its candid representation of an unwed pregnant woman.{{sfn|Jacobs|1992|p=296}} In October 1942, after a story conference, the office sent Paramount a seven-page letter outlining their concerns, including those about lines spoken by the 14-year-old character Emmy and the Trudy character having been drunk and then pregnant.<ref name=afi/> The office wanted the filmmakers to be "extremely careful in handling a subject of this kind because of the delicate nature of the high point of the story," and to refrain from reiterating the basic facts of the story after they have been presented. In December 1942, they also warned about making any metaphorical comparisons between Trudy's situation and the [[virgin birth of Jesus]].<ref name=afi/><ref name=tcmnotes /> Additional concerns were raised about the portrayal of American soldiers' as rowdy and lacking "proper conduct."<ref name=afi/> In a February 1943 letter by the [[United States Department of War|United States War Department]], they urged the filmmakers to ensure that the scene in which the soldiers depart for their deployment "should result in giving the audience the feeling that these boys are normal, thoroughly fit American soldiers who have had an evening of clean fun."<ref name=afi/> There were so many objections raised from the censors that Sturges began production with only 10 approved script pages.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Nixon, Rob|author2= Tatara, Paul|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/83564/the-miracle-of-morgans-creek|title=The Miracle of Morgan's Creek|url-status=live|date=September 25, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228075748/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/83564/the-miracle-of-morgans-creek/|archive-date=December 28, 2021|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]}}</ref> Sturges' intent was to "show what happens to young girls who disregard their parents' advice and who confuse patriotism with promiscuity," and had included in his script a sermon for the pastor to deliver, expressing Sturges' opinions, but the scene was cut by the studio because the pastor was depicted in too comic a manner.<ref name=tcmnotes />
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