Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . according to the doddering producer\director of A HOLE IN THE HEAD. As he forces viewers to stumble through a cornucopia of false endings for this story, each sappier than its predecessor, most watchers no doubt will hope that the "Buffalo Gals" will come out tonight to stomp some sense into Frank before he takes names higher than "Walt Disney" and "Marilyn Monroe" in vain. Though tons of flicks have ended in muddled jumbles, A HOLE IN THE HEAD really takes the cake (in the sense of the kid who slams the kitchen door with one rising in the oven, causing it to fall). While it may be impossible for a great musical composer to write a symphony with even one bad note, it boggles the mind seeing how a demented HUAC stool pigeon can string together at least 20 minutes at the end of A HOLE IN THE HEAD where EVERY note is wrong, and then convince a major movie studio to actually distribute the resulting cacophonic mess. If one of this film's major Franks is a kiwi, the other surely qualifies as being a dodo bird.

Jimmy L. A HOLE IN THE HEAD (1959) might not live up to Frank Capra's earlier classics like MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) or IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946), but it's a fine film. The story deals with a single father struggling to keep his Miami hotel business afloat while dreaming of bigger, better things. The material comes from a stage play, but there's a sense of the familiar Capra values. The Capra-esque resolution is not as powerful as in his earlier films, though, and isn't completely satisfying.The film has its weaknesses, but should not be dismissed. The movie is actually pretty funny at times, to go with the family-friendly themes. The cast is universally excellent and boasts Frank Sinatra (in single dad mode), the great Edward G. Robinson (hilarious as Sinatra's square older brother), the incomparable Thelma Ritter (as Eddie G.'s wife), Eleanor Parker (as a lonely widow), and even Keenan Wynn (as Sinatra's successful friend). Sinatra's on-screen son is played well by young Eddie Hodges and Sinatra's out-there, bongo-chick girlfriend is played by Carolyn Jones (Morticia Addams on "The Addams Family").Robinson and Ritter are superb as the shop-owning husband and wife who fly down to Florida to help out Sinatra. Who knew Edward G. Robinson was so adept at comedy? The man could do it all. He's great complaining about his no-good brother, his hula-hooping embarrassment of a son, the peculiar rocking chair in Sinatra's room, and the holes in the ice cubes. Ritter is the voice of reason between the brothers and wants what is best for Sinatra's young son. Frank Sinatra does alright, playing a loving father who's still a playboy at heart. He struggles along financially, but never admits defeat.Apparently the script was adapted from a Yiddish play, which explains why Eddie G. and Thelma Ritter (and sometimes even Sinatra) seem to be doing some Jewish-style shtick. It's funny stuff, but it was a little odd thinking of Frank Sinatra coming from a Jewish family. (In the movie they're Italians, I guess.)Frank Capra's direction allows the actors time to inhabit the scenes. I noticed the many relatively long takes, which are always impressive. Scenes in Sinatra's living room feature the bickering brothers on opposite ends of the widescreen frame, with Ritter in the middle. The characters are standing up and sitting down and carrying on back and forth without the camera cutting away. Later, Sinatra and Hodges sit down together and sing "High Hopes" in one take and there seems to almost be a spontaneity to the duet (flubbed lines? ad-libs?).When hotel owner Sinatra is desperate for cash before an approaching deadline, we don't feel for him the way we feel for busted banker George Bailey. I guess it's because it seems that Sinatra's character put himself in that position. But considering that he needs to support his darling of a son, we feel sorry for Sinatra. Especially when we see him take what little money he has to the racetrack with his high-rolling buddy.One of Frank Capra's last movies, A HOLE IN THE HEAD has value at least as a curiosity. Frank Sinatra sharing the screen with Edward G. Robinson? Thelma Ritter thrown into the mix as Robinson's wife? The origin of the hit (and Oscar-winning) song "High Hopes" (familiar to fans of another film about a single dad and his son, A GOOFY MOVIE)? But I think the film also has merits of its own. There's some great comedy, particularly from Eddie G., and the widowed-father-meets-lovely-widow story might warm a few hearts.

handyoaka This movie is a classic case of how a good storyline (about a loser who can not or will not overcome his personal flaws) is ruined by an "everything will work out if you let it" ending.You get the feeling the producers did not feel the audience had the maturity to accept a less-than-pleasant finale'.This is disappointing, but not unusual. During the time period, "feel good" family movies were the rule rather than the exception. It was very rare to see a family film that didn't have some sort of sugary-sweet happy ending. It was that mentality the nearly ruined the Disney industry.You make sense of it!

polabaker You forgot to include the name of the most important actor in the film, the boy Eddie Hodges (Ally). The whole film revolves around him, and he has the big moment when he sings with Frank Sinatra the academy award song HIGH HOPES/ Prior to this movie the boy was famous as the boy of the Music Man on Broadway. I wonder if he made any more films afterwards. He is extremely talented in this film. Also this film conrains two important songs by Sinatra "All my Tomorrows" the title song, in which you get to see spectacular views of 1959 Miami Beach. The Other song was High HOPES/ Both of these songs by Cahn and Van Heusen. Please update the information.