Myrna Loy plays the wife of the persnickety father of her 12 children (Clifton Webb), who has uniquely humorous methods for dealing with the ordeals such an unwieldy family undoubtedly encou... Read allMyrna Loy plays the wife of the persnickety father of her 12 children (Clifton Webb), who has uniquely humorous methods for dealing with the ordeals such an unwieldy family undoubtedly encounters.Myrna Loy plays the wife of the persnickety father of her 12 children (Clifton Webb), who has uniquely humorous methods for dealing with the ordeals such an unwieldy family undoubtedly encounters.
- Awards
- 1 win
- Jim Bracken
- (uncredited)
- Mary Gilbreth
- (uncredited)
- Joe Scales
- (uncredited)
- Teacher
- (uncredited)
- Martha Gilbreth
- (uncredited)
- Mrs. Benson
- (uncredited)
- Jed - Delivers Telegram
- (uncredited)
- Jane - Age 1
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the factual Gilbreth family, daughter Mary died from a childhood illness; the movie includes a Mary, but keeps her in the background with no lines.
- GoofsNear the end of the film when Frank Sr. is getting in his car to head for Europe, he tosses his hat on the seat with his coat on top of it. After saying goodbye to his family, he gets into the car and the hat is on top of the coat.
- Quotes
Mailman: All those kids yours?
Frank Gilbreth: Oh, these aren't so many. You ought to see the ones we left behind.
Mailman: How you ever feed 'em?
Frank Gilbreth: Oh, they come cheaper by the dozen.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: This is the true story of an American family.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Jack the Bear (1993)
A film such as this allows us to stop being spoon-fed, and lets us pick and choose what we want from the story, from the film.
It is amusing to me that most of the posts against this fine film appear to be posted while watching the film through 2004-style glasses. It isn't a pretty thing, but women weren't held in the same position that they are today - and the film portrayed this wonderfully. Did it make the wife in the film any less admirable? I think it showed the inner strength that women had to have, making a remarkable statement about women of the era - that even though they might not be able to be out in the forefront - they had every bit as much (if not more) strength then the men. Even the father couldn't handle all the children - but the mother could -WHILE having a profession to boot!!
While the father wasn't necessarily warm, and you didn't get that fuzzy feeling modern movies give us - I believe the character was very true to life when put in the context of the 1920s. I have spoken a great deal with many people I know, that had lived through that time period. I can tell you now, that many people in the early 1900s never experienced the type of love and closeness we feel today. Survival wasn't a near-guarantee back then, and harshness, crassness, and distance from others was more common. Children died at an alarming rate . . . adults too.
History is what it is - and it is NOT subject to change, regardless of the nature of today's political attempts. Slavery happened, women weren't seen as equals, people were lynched by mobs of overzealous citizens, people starved, the dust bowl occurred. None of these events are wonderful, but they are our history, and there should be no shame in discussing - or accurately portraying / conveying these topics. I think this film is what it is too - a look at the life of an average family (perhaps an above average number of children - but even that wasn't all that rare).
Enjoy this film - but please, be prepared to leave your glasses smudged with 2004 politics and standards behind - this is a treasure where we can get a glimpse of the type of characters that lived with our grand parents, great grand parents, and the like. If you like to be spoon-fed, please DON'T watch this movie.
- skitrees-geo
- Sep 4, 2004
- Permalink
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Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $9,646,500
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1