The Bachelor Father

Bachelor Father, The (1931)

** (out of 4)

A mix of drama and comedy in this pre-code from MGM. An aging man, Sir Basil (C. Aubrey Smith) has been a bachelor from day one. Throughout his rich life he traveled the world and ended up having three kids by three different women. He hadn't had any contact with them but now he wants all three to come live with him with one (Marion Davies) who might not be who she thinks she is. It's really amazing to see some early talkies that sound extremely bad and this here is one such example. I'm really not sure what was going on in 1931 but we have a wide range of sound quality in various films but what's here is perhaps the worst I've heard. There isn't much hiss in the soundtrack but at times it appears the dialogue and sound completely drop off. Just take a look at an early scene where the three kids and their father are getting to know one another. As one character moves away, while talking, the dialogue gets lower and lower until you can't hear what's being said. I'm not sure if this was because of her walking away from the mic or what but it's very distracting. Like many early talkies, this one here is based on a famous play and the film just contains way too much talk. The pre-code nature of a man having kids all over the world is something mildly amusing and we get a couple naughty jokes out of it. The drama in the "twist" isn't really anything special and adds very little to the film. Davies turns in a pretty good performance even though the screenplay really doesn't give her too much to work with. We have Ray Milland in a minor role as well as Ralph Forbes. The main reason to watch this film is the performance by C. Aubrey Smith who really seems to be having a good time in the role. He manages to be quite touching and funny. In the end however, there's just not enough here to make the film work as well as it could have. Fans of the actors are the only ones who will want to check this one out.

This 1931 comedy gets better with every viewing because of the comedic talents of Marion Davies and a terrific performance by C. Aubrey Smith. Smith plays a gruff old man who gathers his grown children (from his younger days as a rake) in his declining years. One is American (Davies), one English (Ray Milland who looks about 18), and one Italian (Nina Quartero). There are some surprises as the plot moves along with Ralph Forbes(was has no appeal at all) falling for Davies.

Davies and Smith are just wonderful together and very touching. Davies also gets to do a few dances and make a few "big" entrances. And of course Davies is just gorgeous.

Halliwell Hobbes, Doris Lloyd, Elizabeth Murray, Guinn Williams, Edgar Norton, and David Torrence co-star. Had they given out supporting Oscar awards in 1931, Smith might well have been nominated. He's just excellent in this this gem.

This delightful, well written film is based on a New York stage play bearing the same title where Sir Aubrey (knighted Sir Charles Aubrey Smith in 1944) originated the role he plays in the film. Here, in 1931, we see him in the early part of his acting renaissance in the very early era of "talkies" and in the character role that he would make his own until his death in 1948 after finishing his last performance in Little Women which released in 1949.

This engaging play is about an elderly British aristocrat who locates his illegitimate children and introduces himself to them, having brought them to his manor in England.

Marion Davies plays his daughter-by-error and it's a tour de force for her. She is all at once endearing, impatient, shallow, enchanting, wise and compassionate while creating an indelible and beguiling character that remains well ensconced in the memory.

The 26 year old Ray Milland appears here in a small but prominent role having already appeared in seven other pictures then only in films for a bit more than two years.

The film should be enjoyed as a representative of 1931 Hollywood factory production of course and as such is not flawless. However, it's a charming pleasure from first scene to the last.

The premise to this film is pretty unique, and clearly pre-Code. An old British gentlemen boasts to his doctor that he's had affairs with women all over the world, resulting in adult children he's never met. While irascible, he's perfectly happy with his life and doesn't want to "fill this place with a lot of noisy ill-bred brats," but is persuaded to summon three of them to his manor.

One of the kids is a plucky American girl played by Marion Davies, who sasses her father and gradually softens him in spite of himself. C. Aubrey Smith is the dad and fun to watch, as his strong appearance and mannerisms are perfect for the role. The other two kids are played by Nina Quartero and a dapper 24-year-old Ray Milland; both are engaging, but their roles are small. After doing things like dance around the place with her siblings, Davies agrees to call their father Chief, because after all, "We're all out of the same firehose," which was funny and eyebrow-raising at the same time.

The film is a little creaky in places, with poor sound quality and clearly based on a stage play, so it's far from perfect and requires patience. It attempts comedy, romance, and drama, and I can't say it does a great job at any of them, though the moment with the airplane towards the end is pretty good, and on the strength of Davies' endearing performance, it's decent enough. My favorite lines from her: "You said you loved me, and so did John. But as soon as I do something wrong, I'm out. That isn't the way I love. When I love somebody, no matter what the other party does, I go on loving them just the same. That's the way I am."

Sir Basil Algernon Winterton has gathered his three grown illegitimate children back to his estate from around the world. They don't really know him if they even have met him before. American showgirl Antoinette 'Tony' Flagg (Marion Davies) doesn't even know what he looks like. She meets the other two, Geoffrey Trent (Ray Milland) and Maria Credaro.

This is a pre-Code film based on a play. All the old mansions are looking the same from this cinematic period. This is missing that modern movie flair. That's why Marion Davies' high energy work makes her stand out. This comedy works best with her.