We all define family differently, and the idea that it is only established by a biological connection is a fallacy – blood may be thicker than water, but it doesn’t necessarily always need to be the primary reason for forming an ironclad bond with those who enter our lives and become increasingly important. It lends itself to a lot of fascinating conversation, usually relating to the importance of family – it is those people with whom we celebrate our victories and lament our losses, and while it is an unexpected source, one of the more potent examinations of this subject comes on behalf of Frank King, who created the comic strip Gasoline Alley, which has been running for well over a century (and continues to appear in newspapers daily), and is often viewed as one of the more endearing daily glimpses into the lives of an ordinary American film. Patriarch Walt Wallet and his wife Auntie Blossom oversee a ragtag group of youngsters, including their adopted son Skeezix and biological children Corky and Hope, all of whom have diverse and compelling personalities, making them the quintessential American family, as defined by generations of idealism. Like any popular piece of media, it didn’t take long for these characters to be brought to life on screen, which in this case is delivered in the form of a film by Edward Bernds, a veteran comedy director who extracts the fundamental themes present in the original works and cobbles them together to create a wonderfully effervescent and upbeat comedy in which the Wallet family find themselves in a few hilarious situations that test their resolve and love for one another, centering around Corky’s efforts to become a self-made man through purchasing a nearby diner, only to come into a few unexpected obstacles in the process. Not a particularly complex or daring film, but rather a lovely little confection, Gasoline Alley is tremendously entertaining, managing to overcome its narrative flaws and simplistic execution through the sheer strength of its charm.

At a glance, Gasoline Alley does appear to be quite outdated – this is a film made in the early 1950s, based on a comic strip launched in the late 1910s, meaning that even by this point, some of the values and ideas embedded in the material were seen as somewhat passé and perhaps even slightly contrary to the changing structure of society. Yet, King was from the same generation as artists like Norman Rockwell and Betty Smith, who primarily set out to craft works that were defined by their realism and firm roots within a kind of deep, spiritual realism that evokes a very particular kind of image and narrative with a simple glance, whether at a painting or written passage. Arguably, a syndicated comic strip is not often considered the definition of high art in most circles, especially one that relied quite heavily on humour – yet, the appeal is not too difficult to understand, with this film in particular highlighting the core themes and what they represent. At its core, Gasoline Alley is a film about family, and how we may not always agree with one another, but in times of crisis, there is no one we can depend on more than our loved ones, especially when it comes to getting us out of sticky situations. The approach taken by Bernds is quite similar to the work he did on his more famous projects – find a specific angle and work it to the very core, allowing anything else that emerges in the process to gradually become part of the narrative, rather than attempting an intentionally wide set of themes. The results speak for themselves – Gasoline Alley is extremely funny and has a lot of heart and humour beneath the surface, which makes for profoundly captivating viewing, even if it is profoundly simple and lacks the cohesion that we may expect from a film with these underlying ideas.

Gasoline Alley was always going to be a primarily conservative piece of cinema – at the time in which the film was made, the United States was at the peak of its desire to hammer in traditional values, to the point where it actually feels slightly regressive at some points. However, once we set aside our biases and instead embrace it for what it is, the sooner we can realise the charm and candour that pulsates throughout this film. Bernds was not a neophyte – he had worked on films featuring the likes of The Bowery Boys and The Three Stooges, groups that were beloved to the point of becoming cultural institutions in themselves. This material is not quite as cherished, but it still has its fervent supporters, who likely found a lot of value in how he chose to adapt the material, which he did in his capacity as screenwriter (a rare distinction for a director at the time – usually this was outsourced to someone who was tasked specifically with adapting the existing material), writing an absolutely hilarious screenplay that combines witty wordplay with old fashioned commentary on society and culture, which is very insightful if we can look past some of the more questionable aspects that are peppered throughout the film, which we can attribute quite easily to being a product of their time. They’re supported by the sleek, fast-paced direction that features an abundance of well-crafted slapstick to accompany the dialogue-driven humour. The cast is quite good, with the whole ensemble (consisting of both veterans and newcomers) making a formidable group, and bringing so much charm and eccentricity to a film that proved to be far more engaging than we may have expected based on a cursory glance. In both concept and execution, Gasoline Alley is a very strong effort, albeit one that does rely quite heavily on the audience’s willingness to suspend disbelief.

Ultimately, when it comes to a film like Gasoline Alley, the less thought we put into its themes and approach to exploring them, the more compelling the experience – watching it from a contemporary perspective will undoubtedly evoke the feeling that this is an intensely conservative work with a limited worldview and a lack of attention to reality. Yet, its important to understand the context in which it was made – like many other countries, the United States was emerging out of the Second World War, which led to at least a decade of very conservative works based around family values and the American Dream, and while those are both still relevant, they were at their peak around this time, which is why the film comes across as being far more simplistic than it before ought to have been. If anything, we can appreciate this film as a relic of the past, a perfectly preserved snapshot of the era in which it was made, and which we can appreciate, even if only at face value. It’s nothing particularly serious, and should be viewed as more of a balm for a country still recovering from a devastating war, designed to provide relief and motivation for those who needed it the most. It manages to be very engaging and wonderfully funny, and at only 76 minutes, there’s very little room for anything superfluous throughout, which only allows the film to become a more enticing work, and something that we can truly appreciate as a remnant of the past more than anything else, a valuable status for just about any film.