The Good Humor Man

The Good Humor Man (1950, U.S.) black and white, 80 minutes
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Story: Roy Huggins ("Appointment With Fear")
Screenplay: Frank Tashlin
Music: Heinz Roemheld
Cinematography: Lester White
Produced by S. Sylvan Simon
Directed by Lloyd Bacon

With: Jack Carson (Biff Jones), Lola Albright (Margie Bellew), Jean Wallace (Bonnie Conroy), George Reeves (Stuart Nagle), Peter Miles (Johnny Bellew), Frank Ferguson (Inspector Quint), David Sharpe (Slick), Chick Collins (Fats), Eddie Parker (John), Pat Flaherty (Officer Rhodes), Richard Egan (Officer Daley)

On June 1, 1950, Columbia Pictures, along with producer S. Sylvan Simon, released a zany comedy, that featured the misadventures of a hapless ice cream vendor: The Good Humor Man. Based upon author Roy Huggins' story Appointment With Fear (which was published in The Saturday Evening Post), the film opens on a bright and sunny afternoon, as Good Humor Man Biff Jones (played by comic/character actor/singer and dancer Jack Carson) is driving his vehicle thru the city streets, trying to sell his wares. His efforts are not too successful, however. because his customers seem to lack the necessary funds to buy his ice cream treats. Being a kind hearted, but not too bright fellow, he either loans the monies to those who can't pay, or gives them free Good Humors, which he hopes they'll repay him later. Later that day, Biff stops to see Johnny Bellew (played by kid actor Peter Miles) and the members of The Captain Marvel Fan Club, for a long time, the club members have refused to accept the ice cream vendor's application for membership.

When he says that if they'll accept his membership, he'll give them all free Good Humors for life. They reconsider their decision and Jones is made a member of the club. On one of his last stops for the day, Biff parks in front of The Peerless Insurance Co. ,in the hopes of getting a date with his girl Margie Bellew (Played by Carson's third wife Lola Allbright), Margie refuses Biff's request for a date she also refuses his marriage proposal. Mainly because he doesn't make enough monies to care for her and her brother Johnny , She is also fearful that her boss Stuart Nagel the chief undercover investigator of the company is jealous of Biff's feelings for Margie and he will prevent Biff from seeing his secretary by breaking Biff in two. Biff shrugs off Margie's fears about Nagel, but the secretary's suspicions about Nagal are right on target. Nagel (played by actor/singer/musician/songwriter and director George Reeves, who would go onto greater fame three years later as TV's Superman )is not only jealous of Biff ,he is also the leader of a gang of crooks. Who are plotting to steal from a factory (which is one of the company's top policy holders) the next night.

When Nagel sees Biff with Margie in the elevator, he tells The Good Humor Man to leave and stay away from his secretary, when the elevator stops short, Biff inadvertantly smashes one of his ice cream pops into the detective's ear. Enraged! Nagel throws Biff out of the building and he gives strict orders to the doorman and the elevator operators to prohibit Jones from ever coming back into the building. As he drives home for the night, Biff's truck is nearly run off of the streets by three cars,(Which are manned by Nagel's Gang),the hoods are chasing a pretty blonde Bonnie Conroy(Jean Wallace).

Mrs. Conroy wants the vendor to help save her from the thugs, but before he can do anything. Two of the thugs, grab Mrs. Conroy and take her away in one of their cars and the other crooks grab Biff and stuff him inside of his truck's freezer unit. Hours later, the abandoned truck and it's driver are found by Police Inspector Quint (Played by character actor/ director and drama coach: Frank Ferguson, who had played Wax museum owner MacDougal in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein two years before)and his squad of uniform cops and police detectives. Inspector Quint and his men take Jones back to the station and they try interrogate him into finding out what caused the damage to the truck, to one of the city's fire plugs and what happened to the harassed girl?

Biff is unable to explain the strange events that had occurred, just then a bouquet of flowers is delivered to the startled Biff Thanking him for helping her get away from the mob. Quint and his men believed that the efforts to kidnap the girl are a hoax and that Jones is involved with the gang, he is released on bail. But, he is under suspicion. Things don't get any better for the hapless man, the next morning, Watkins (played by character actor Paul E. Burns) informs Biff that he has received complaints about his employee from Nagel and from The police. Angrily, Watkins informs Jones that his services to the company will be terminated by Saturday night.

Well, Johnny and his fellow Capt. Marvel fans wont tolerate this unfair dismissal of their fellow club member and they protest Biff's firing, Watkins is unmoved by the boys' protest and he calls in Inspector Quint and his men to bodily remove the unruly kids from the company's offices. Margie and Johnny however still have faith in Jones and later that Saturday night, Biff runs into Mrs. Conroy again. She has him stay in her home, to protect her from the mob, but, Biff is knocked unconscious by an unseen assailant, Mrs. Conroy is dead and, Biff's ice cream truck is missing. Early Sunday morning, Biff is awakened by the police and by Watkins, he is under arrest for breaking into a factory, stealing their entire payroll and killing one of the company's top execs.

Again, unable to account for his whereabouts or the missing body of the nervous blonde, Our hapless fellow is in trouble with the law, again he is on bail and Margie and Johnny see that the only way to save Biff ,is to find that dead woman and bring her corpse to the law. During their investigation, they find out that Mrs. Conroy is not really an innocent victim of Nagel's Gang. Both The woman and her husband Steve (played by character actor Arthur Space, best remembered by TV fans as Dr. Weaver on The Lassie TV Show )are members of Nagel's gang. But? The pair have gotten too greedy for their own good and they're trying to snatch the stolen factory payroll, kill off the rest of the mob and get out of the country with the funds. They also used Biff''s ice cream truck and a phony story as an alibi. After finding out the woman's home address at a local residential hotel, from a local laundry owner(played by Character actor Harry Tyler),the pair head for the hotel and they find Mrs. Conroy , who is not dead but alive.

Mrs. Conroy and her husband hold the pair at gunpoint but Biff manages to route the villains and Margie calls Nagel on the phone and tells him to call the police and meet them at the public school(The monies are hidden in one of the class rooms). Unaware that they're falling into a death trap. Nagel tells the pair to head for the school and to stay there until he arrives. As Nagel and his men head for the public school to finish off his ex secretary and her boy friend. Quint and his men find Conroy and her husband in their hotel room and after getting a full confession from Mrs. Conroy ,the cops head for the school to catch Biff and Margie . Johnny also finds out from one of the club members that Nagel and his men are behind the murder and the robbery of the factory and that the gang are after his sister and her boyfriend.

Quickly, all of the kids in town head for the school, where the kids find our two heroes trapped in the auditorium about to be killed by the crooks. Using the musical instruments from the school orchestra and a collection of pies,the kids, Biff and Margie thwart Nagel and his gang in a slapstick battle worthy of The Three Stooges , The Little Rascals and Laurel & Hardy. Inspector Quint and his men come in just in time to save Biff & Margie , recover the stolen monies and arrest Nagel and his gang. The two embrace for a well-earned kiss.

The Good Humor Man was not a hit with the critics and the film had a minor release back in the summer of 1950. The film did became a hit, when it was rereleased to TV stations, who screened the movie on their daily film program WCBS TV Ch.2 NYC's Early Show reran The Good Humor Man many times back in the late 1950's and into the early to mid 1960's. The movie has been screened many times on TCM on Cable TV and it has since gained a new and loyal audience with today's fans of zany slapstick and thrill comedies. The script is warm and funny (Written by Huggins and by Frank Tashlin) and the performances by Carson as the good-natured but hapless hero is wonderful, Allbright has the right amount of charm and empathy as the caring and loyal girlfriend. Ferguson is perfect as the not too understanding head cop and Reeves has the perfect blend of suave but underlying menace as the debonair but crafty crook. There are also some cameos in this film by Three Stooges stock company members Emil Sitka (As a sloppy street cleaner) and Vernon Dent as a sleeping men on a park bench. The film is also filled with hilarious and brilliant sight gags, created and presented by veteran cartoon and film comedy craftsman, Frank Tashlin.

- Kevin S. Butler