My Pal Gus(Film, 1952)

My Pal Gus is a 1952 American comedy drama film directed by Robert Parrish which follows Gus (George Winslow), the young son of divorced industrialist Dave Jennings (Richard Widmark). Unable to cope with Gus' mischievous streak, Jennings places the boy in a day-care center. Gus' teacher Lydia Marble (Joanne Dru) manages to curb the boy's prankishness, and along the way falls in love with Jennings. Enter the villainess of the piece: Jennings' ex-wife Joyce (Audrey Totter), who claims that the divorce is invalid and demands a huge sum from Jennings, lest she claim custody of Gus. The film was officially dubbed My Pal Gus in August 1952. Prior to that, four different pre-release titles had been announced—in order of appearance, How High Is Up?, The Problem Is Love, Big Man, and Top Man. The next-to-last of these would reemerge in December to play a prominent part in the film's advertising campaign. ()