Contains spoilers.
What I find most interesting in the U.S. Depression-era films is finding out what the filmmakers braved or didn't brave saying in political terms.
Like most (but not all) Hollywood films of the time, Hallelujah I'm a Bum takes such clear pains to defang its political impact that-- whether Hecht et al. intended it or not-- it's not difficult to argue that the ultimate effect of the movie is rather reactionary. In other words, it could almost have been a script concocted by the wealthy and powerful to convince the newly impoverished masses that they should simply enjoy their newfound freedom and-- for God's sake!-- NOT challenge the fairness of the system in any way.
This is done most prominently early in the film when the 'happy bums' of Central Park (about whom the city mayor cares so much) angrily reject the 'radical,' 'red' grumblings of 'Egghead,' who suggests there are freeloading parasites atop the economic system as well as at the very bottom. There are numerous other lines and plot moments that drill in this message: 'Homelessness can be fun if you look at it the right way, so don't get any ideas about clambering for social justice.' That said, there are least two mild exceptions to this message that are allowed to slip through: 1. Many Depression-era films have an 'Egghead' character to distance the impoverished main characters from the dangerous Marxist types. Usually these characters are buffoonish cartoons, and usually they turn out to be nefarious and hypocritical in the end. In this film, Egghead does have his expected moment of 'inconsistency,' and he is certainly rather cartoonish in his dopey demeanor, but he is ultimately allowed to remain a positive character to the end.
2. One surprising line from Frank Morgan's Mayor character is left in the movie: When Bumper insists on distributing his thousand dollars to all the homeless of Central Park, the city mayor says something like, "OK, go ahead with your socialism if you insist," and then the ensuing distribution of money to all the poor is clearly shown in a positive light, even if some of the tramps don't spend the money in the most prudent of manners.
However, it is no surprise that this films ends with the narrator making a supreme sacrifice for the sake of the happiness of the wealthy, and resigning himself to his permanently impoverished state.
What I find most interesting in the U.S. Depression-era films is finding out what the filmmakers braved or didn't brave saying in political terms.
Like most (but not all) Hollywood films of the time, Hallelujah I'm a Bum takes such clear pains to defang its political impact that-- whether Hecht et al. intended it or not-- it's not difficult to argue that the ultimate effect of the movie is rather reactionary. In other words, it could almost have been a script concocted by the wealthy and powerful to convince the newly impoverished masses that they should simply enjoy their newfound freedom and-- for God's sake!-- NOT challenge the fairness of the system in any way.
This is done most prominently early in the film when the 'happy bums' of Central Park (about whom the city mayor cares so much) angrily reject the 'radical,' 'red' grumblings of 'Egghead,' who suggests there are freeloading parasites atop the economic system as well as at the very bottom. There are numerous other lines and plot moments that drill in this message: 'Homelessness can be fun if you look at it the right way, so don't get any ideas about clambering for social justice.' That said, there are least two mild exceptions to this message that are allowed to slip through: 1. Many Depression-era films have an 'Egghead' character to distance the impoverished main characters from the dangerous Marxist types. Usually these characters are buffoonish cartoons, and usually they turn out to be nefarious and hypocritical in the end. In this film, Egghead does have his expected moment of 'inconsistency,' and he is certainly rather cartoonish in his dopey demeanor, but he is ultimately allowed to remain a positive character to the end.
2. One surprising line from Frank Morgan's Mayor character is left in the movie: When Bumper insists on distributing his thousand dollars to all the homeless of Central Park, the city mayor says something like, "OK, go ahead with your socialism if you insist," and then the ensuing distribution of money to all the poor is clearly shown in a positive light, even if some of the tramps don't spend the money in the most prudent of manners.
However, it is no surprise that this films ends with the narrator making a supreme sacrifice for the sake of the happiness of the wealthy, and resigning himself to his permanently impoverished state.