Big City

Midge (Margaret O'Brien) is the luckiest girl in New York. Found abandoned as an infant, she's adopted by a cantor (Danny Thomas), a reverend (Robert Preston) and a Catholic cop (George Murphy), who raise her together as only three loving fathers can. But when the police officer marries a saloon singer (Betty Garrett) and insists on sole custody, the trio winds up in court, where Midge, with the help of a kind-hearted judge (Edward Arnold), must decide what's best for her fathers as well as herself. Highlighted by opera legend Lotte Lehmann in her only American film appearance and featuring Broadway star Betty Garrett in her big-screen debut.

MGM's all-purpose title THE BIG CITY was deployed once more for this treacly 1948 drama. To prevent orphaned Midge (Margaret O'Brien) from being sent to an institution, Protestant minister Andrews (Robert Preston), Jewish cantor Feldman (Danny Thomas) and Catholic cop Patrick O'Donnell (George Murphy) jointly "adopt" the girl. Midge grows up in Feldman's home, and all is rosy until O'Donnell, on the verge of marrying funloving "Shoe-Shoe" Bailey (Betty Garrett in her film debut), announces that he wants to take full custody of the child. It's up to Midge herself, with the help of kindly Judge Abercrombie (Edward Arnold), to sort things out. Meanwhile, the Reverend Andrews finds romance in the shapely form of Florence Bartlett (Karin Booth). Though it's hard to forget that Danny Thomas was one of show business' most prominent Catholics, he delivers a convincing performance as the tune-happy Cantor Feldman, at one point foregoing his usual Kol Nidres in favor of a rousing cowboy song!