Cheaper by the Dozen (1950)

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Copyright 22 March 1950 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy: 31 March 1950. U.S. release: April 1950. U.K. release: 26 June 1950. Australian release: 22 December 1950. 7,733 feet. 86 minutes.SYNOPSIS: On a summer day in 1921 Frank Bunker Gilbreth (Clifton Webb), a time and motion expert, imperils traffic in all directions as he pilots his Pierce Arrow down a street in Providence, R.I. Stepping into the hallway of his home, he whistles the "family assembly", and children of all ages quickly converge on him. Home from a trip, he has presents for everyone, for his wife, Lillian (Myrna Loy), who is carrying a baby, Jane. For Ann (Jeanne Crain), his eldest daughter, Ernestine (Barbara Bates), and all the other children. The children are thunderstruck when he breaks the news that they are moving to Montclair, N.J. Mrs Monahan (Sara Allgood), the cook, helps them pack, and a few days later they climb into the Pierce Arrow and head for Montclair. As they are moving into their new house, the mailman comes by. "How do you feed 'em?" he asks. "Oh, they come cheaper by the dozen, you know," Dad answers.NOTES: Number 4 at the domestic box-office for 1950 with a rentals gross close to 4½ million. The movie came in at number 11 in Australia for 1951, but did less well in the U.K. A sequel "Belles On Their Toes" was released in 1952. Although sold as a remake, the 2003 movie is really a different story altogether.COMMENT: A period comedy based on a best-selling book about an eccentric but decidedly fertile and opinionated pater familias. Sound familiar? Fox's attempt to cash in on the success of Warners' "Life With Father" demanded ditto Technicolor — and got it from Fox's ace cameraman Leon Shamroy. Although the book was written by Ernestine (Barbara Bates) and Frank (Norman Ollestad), the movie is narrated by Jeanne Crain's Ann, the spoiled, willful daughter who comes to realize that father knows best after all. Clifton Webb, Myrna Loy, Edgar Buchanan and company do fortunately manage to make their characters likable — so much so in fact that you often have the feeling that moments of bright comedy are just around the corner. Alas, the film never really delivers this. The scriptwriter seems determined to stick to the facts – a recipe that many will argue is highly admirable!Nonetheless, there's really no excuse for Lang's dull-as-usual direction. Lang also cops the blame from me for allowing some of the less attractive youngsters to hog the camera to the exclusion of more promising moppets.For me, the film's most entertaining asset turns out not to be Technicolor nor players nor script, but the wonderful music score. Songs include "When You Wore a Tulip" by Jack Mahoney (lyrics) and Percy Wenrich (music); "Memories" by Richard A. Whiting and Frederick Hollander; and Bob Carleton's "Jada, Jada" to which Clifton Webb and Jeanne Crain dance their famous "Toddle".AVAILABLE on an excellent Fox DVD.

When you see Clifton Webb go to new School of yous children and trying some advises with the professors is hilarious...the old days was almost like it according my grandfather told me,The Couple Webb and Myrna Loy are fantastic portrait of an generation which no longer exist...firstly by the high number of sons,second the way of education.....and finally by the court 's family to decide something leading by the father as judge...the final was a spoiler of this classic family comedy!!!

"Cheaper By the Dozen", based on the real-life story of the Gilbreth family, follows them from Providence, Rhode Island, to Montclair, New Jersey, and details the amusing anecdotes found in large families.Although most people have heard of "Cheaper by the Dozen", these days (2014) they are probably more familiar with the Steve Martin incarnation. This is unfortunate, as the Gilbreth clan (as depicted here or in the book) are a very interesting slice of American life. While some of the measurements Frank makes seem silly, he did have some important contributions to society, such as the use of a surgeon's "caddy".The film is a bit more of a comedy, and tends to focus on Frank's struggle with his eldest daughter and the fight against modernity. This is a bit interesting itself in hindsight, as one could see the 1950s/1960s cultural divide, which was obviously not the intent for a film made in 1950 and taking place in 1923.

I was really forward to this movie. For a number of reasons. First of, I'm a family type of guy and it seemed to be up my street. Then I knew that this movie (and the autobiographic novel behind it) single-handedly created the genre of "large family comedy" (viz The Brady Bunch, etc.) and was eager on seeing the original, which might well have turned out to be the freshest of the fray. Then the plot just seemed promising: a time-and-motion guy having to cope with a chaotic family of thirteen, especially as it was based on a true story. Finally I was looking forward to seeing Myrna Loy, who in this case was promising a strong female lead.OK, well, I was disappointed. This movie was stolid throughout, and the humour pretty lame. Myrna Loy just teletyped her role in, her role consists entirely of looking approvingly at her husband. But worst of all, the movie is often decidedly reactionary. In one scene a birth control advocate is ridiculed for being a birth control advocate. In another, almost breathtakingly un-PC scene that would have made Larry Flint cringe, one of the girls has it explained to her by her heartthrob that he respects her for not putting out because, while he plans to sow as many wild oats as possible before marriage (wink, wink), he will only marry a pure girl. The whore-madonna-complex in living colour.I can see why many people like this movie, it's by no means god-awful, but it was less than I expected.