{"id":34330,"date":"2015-04-22T13:02:23","date_gmt":"2015-04-22T20:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=34330"},"modified":"2021-02-05T11:11:07","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T18:11:07","slug":"cheaper-by-the-dozen-1950","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=34330","title":{"rendered":"Cheaper By the Dozen (1950)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;They&#8217;re all mine &#8212; and believe me, it&#8217;s no picnic!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/CBTD-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/CBTD-Poster-157x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"157\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-34331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/CBTD-Poster-157x300.jpg 157w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/CBTD-Poster-67x128.jpg 67w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/CBTD-Poster.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 157px) 100vw, 157px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA work-efficiency expert (Clifton Webb) and his wife (Myrna Loy) raise twelve children &#8212; six boys and six girls (including Jeanne Crain) &#8212; in the early 20th century.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clifton Webb Films<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<\/li>\n<li>Jeanne Crain Films<\/li>\n<li>Myrna Loy Films<\/li>\n<li>Raising Kids<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThis Technicolor adaptation of Frank Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cheaper_by_the_Dozen\">bestselling 1948 memoir-novel<\/a> remains a sincere but lackluster cinematic rendering. The film, like the book it&#8217;s based on, is episodic, telling a number of faithfully rendered tales from the Gilbreths&#8217; nostalgic recollections of their upbringing in a house of 14 (plus help). In stark contrast to the emotional devastation chronicled by Stephen Zanichkowsky in his memoir <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Fourteen-Growing-Up-Alone-Crowd\/dp\/0465094015\/\"><em>Fourteen: Growing Up Alone in a Crowd<\/em> (2003)<\/a>, Frank and Ernestine appear to have genuinely appreciated their experience as part of an enormous family run by efficiency-driven yet loving parents. They fondly recall incidences such as collective tonsil-removal taking place in their house; Mrs. Gilbreth (Loy, looking appropriately tired yet plucky) responding to a visit by a naive birth-control advocate; various Gilbreth family &#8220;council&#8221; meetings; and Crain&#8217;s bold decision to bob her long hair.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Hair.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Hair-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68923\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Hair-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Hair-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Hair-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Hair-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Hair-360x270.png 360w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Hair.png 1385w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The primary problem with the film is the unfortunate casting of Clifton Webb as the Gilbreth patriarch. Webb &#8212; who previously starred to great effect in directer Walter Lang&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15771\"><em>Sitting Pretty<\/em> (1948)<\/a> (and whose character, Belvedere, endorses this film in the poster above!) &#8212; might appear to be a logical choice as an efficiency expert, but (sadly) he lacks the charisma of the real-life Frank Gilbreth Sr., who is described in the book as &#8220;like a breath of fresh air when he walked into a room&#8221;, and someone who people &#8220;couldn&#8217;t be around without liking&#8221;. Webb is many things &#8212; i.e., droll and bright &#8212; but an intrinsically likeable breath of fresh air he is not (at least not here). Viewing <a href=\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/transcoded\/6\/66\/Original_Films_Of_Frank_B_Gilbreth_%28Part_I%29.ogv\/Original_Films_Of_Frank_B_Gilbreth_%28Part_I%29.ogv.360p.webm\">short (silent) clips of the real Gilbreth family<\/a> reveals a ruddy, larger-than-life patriarch who was a rare breed of kid-loving, extroverted control freak. Webb tries hard to convey a loving paternal presence on screen, but there&#8217;s no denying that one can&#8217;t realistically imagine him as the happily married father of twelve. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Webb.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Webb-1024x761.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"476\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68916\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Webb-1024x761.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Webb-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Webb-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Webb-768x571.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Webb-363x270.png 363w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Webb.png 1395w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>With that said, the film moves along pleasantly enough, and will appeal to those who prefer their historical dramas heavily dripping in nostalgia; as noted by Bosley Crowther in his original review for the <em>New York Times<\/em>: &#8220;&#8230;this is far from a picture of real and believable family life. This is a picture of illusions &#8212; happy, sentimental, even absurd.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Driving.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Driving-1024x751.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"469\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68918\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Driving-1024x751.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Driving-300x220.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Driving-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Driving-768x563.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Driving-368x270.png 368w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Driving.png 1403w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Most enjoyable are the occasional zingy lines in the screenplay &#8212; i.e., Webb noting that Crain&#8217;s short-statured, Mickey-Rooney-esque date (Benny Bartlett) &#8220;looks like what might happen if a pygmy married a bobtail penguin.&#8221; However, this turns out to be taken almost directly from the book, which contains infinitely more enjoyable one-liners: <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Dad told mother that the only church he&#8217;d even consider joining was the Catholic church. &#8216;That&#8217;s the only outfit that would give me special credit for having such a large family,&#8217; he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Ultimately, I only recommend this film for diehard fans of the book who are curious to see how it was adapted. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> For the record, I have not seen the Steve Martin remake (2003), and don&#8217;t plan to unless I&#8217;m convinced it&#8217;s significantly better than this version&#8230;  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fun opening credits<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Opening-Credits.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Opening-Credits-1024x766.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"479\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68915\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Opening-Credits-1024x766.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Opening-Credits-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Opening-Credits-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Opening-Credits-768x575.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Opening-Credits-361x270.png 361w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Cheaper-By-the-Dozen-Opening-Credits.png 1383w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo; read the book instead!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0042327\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1950\/04\/01\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-cheaper-by-the-dozen-with-clifton-webb-and.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/cheaper-by-the-dozen\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re all mine &#8212; and believe me, it&#8217;s no picnic!&#8221; Synopsis: A work-efficiency expert (Clifton Webb) and his wife (Myrna Loy) raise twelve children &#8212; six boys and six girls (including Jeanne Crain) &#8212; in the early 20th century. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Clifton Webb Films Historical Drama Jeanne Crain Films Myrna Loy Films Raising Kids Review: This Technicolor adaptation of Frank Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth&#8217;s bestselling 1948 memoir-novel remains a sincere but lackluster cinematic rendering. The film, like&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=34330\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34330"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68924,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34330\/revisions\/68924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}