Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Life With Father(1947)


Life with Father(1947). Tells the true story of Clarence Day, a stockbroker who wants to be master of his house. Unfortunately, his wife and his children ignore him, until they want him to change his own life. In keeping with the autobiography, all the children in the family (all boys) are redheads. Cast: William Powell and Irene Dunne as Clarence and his wife. Elizabeth Taylor performs as the girl that Clarence's oldest son becomes infatuated with, along with Edmund Gwenn, ZaSu Pitts, Jimmy Lydon and Martin Milner.

Fun Fact:
The play's writers, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, and Clarence Day's widow were on the set and were given power of the film. According to author David Chierichetti, Mrs. Day approved Irene Dunne's characterization and even lent some jewelry that belonged to the real Vinnie.

Click to view LIFE WITH FATHER in full.

I thought this was a very "charming" period film, that takes you back in time, to a simpler life. Powell and Dunne are excellent and play off each other very well. It is fun to see a very young Elizabeth Taylor .


Edmund Gwenn (26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959), appeared in more than eighty films during his career, including the 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice, Cheers for Miss Bishop, Of Human Bondage, and The Keys of the Kingdom. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He received a second nomination for his role in Mister 880 (1950). Near the end of his career he played one of the main roles in Alfred Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry (1955). He has a small role as a Cockney assassin in another Hitchcock film, Foreign Correspondent (1940).

1 comment:

Tom said...

I love this poster.