You Can't Run Away from It (1956) DVD-R

Starring June Allyson, Jack Lemmon, Charles Bickford, Paul Gilbert, Jim Backus
Directed by Dick Powell

Print: color
Runtime: 95 min.
Genre: musical
Print Quality: B

You Can't Run Away From It is a musical remake of Frank Capra's Oscar-winning classic It
Happened One Night (remade once before in 1945 as Eve Knew Her Apples), complete with
same-named characters and word-for-word scene reconstructions. It all begins when
spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (June Allyson) is literally kidnapped from the altar by her
wealthy father (Charles Bickford). Escaping from her daddy's yacht with only a handful of
clothes and minimal finances, Ellie hops a bus, intending to travel cross-country to be
reunited with her fortune-hunting husband. Reporter Peter Warne (Jack Lemmon), sensing
a swell newspaper story, tags along. Though Peter and Ellie aren't terribly fond of one
another (that's putting it mildly!), by the end of their journey they've fallen in love — but there
are still several last-minute complications before a happy ending can be reached. Most of
the musical numbers in the remake are awkwardly inserted during the more famous
scenes from the Capra original: the "Walls of Jericho," the impromptu singalong on the bus,
the hitchhiking bit, etc. Benefiting from the breezy performances of Jack Lemmon and June
Allyson, You Can't Run Away From It is easy to take, but hardly within shouting distance of
the original film's brilliance.