MovieChat Forums > It's a Wonderful Life (1947) Discussion > Hee Haw!!

Hee Haw!!

posted 8 years ago by joeann_21
5 replies | jump to latest

I love this movie and have watched it endless times but

I am curious what was the significance of some of the cast members speaking out that phase to one another and then putting their hands by their ears?

[–] tmaj48 8 years ago

It was apparently a trendy catch phrase of the early 20th century. I have an antique postcard collection and one of them is inscribed on the back with this greeting. Sam Wainwright liked the childhood phrase so much that he made it his signature greeting and used it his whole life. He was just that kind of boisterous, aggressively friendly guy, maybe even a bit of an ass, so it suited him.
Frank Albertson, who played Sam, also played the loud, aggressively friendly millionaire in Psycho, whose money is stolen by Janet Leigh's character.
He was good at playing this type.

I'm not crying, you fool, I'm laughing!

Hewwo.

[–] joeann_21 8 years ago

Thank you very much for all the info!

[–] crlnrgbrght5 8 years ago

He was known for playing that type when he was young, he was also in "Bachelor Mother" with Ginger Rogers, playing that same type. But, the interesting thing about Albertson is, when he was old and gray he played more authoritative roles on television. He played 'Wally's' teacher, in several "Leave it to Beaver" episodes.

[–] Navaros 8 years ago

I think they were just trying to annoy the viewing audience as much as humanly possible.

The Hee Haw scenes are unwatchable. They drag down the quality of this film immensely.

[–] doctor_work 8 years ago

Having been a young boy once, I assume the "Hee Haw" and the hand gestures were just a call sign ("Give me the high sign!") this gang of boys came up with to make to each other as a greeting, kind of like a secret handshake. It would make them feel like members of an elite clique, like the He-Man Woman Haters Club of the Our Gang TV show.