In the first of the seventeen Jones Family movies, father Jed Prouty learns that being a father requires more than lecturing, and the youngsters learn that family is the most important thing.
I was surprised to discover this came out in 1936. I thought this 20th Century-Fox series was a reaction to MGM's Andy Hardy series, but it predates it. James Tinling does what he can with the movie, but while Spring Byington and Florence Roberts inhabit the roles of the mother and grandmother of the family, Prouty's role requires him to blow hot or cold as the state of the plot requires, so he never really seems to be the father of the assorted children. I also feel the script is rather old-fashioned. A great change was taking place with the realization that adolescence was an actual phase of human development, and the handling is rather clunky.
Even so, it's clear enough in retrospect there was a demand for this sort of movie, with even Paramount joining the market with the Henry Aldrich movies. And the writers and players at 20th Century-Fox would figure out how to make this series work.
