Ihre zwölf Männer

I grew up in the 50's and like most kids my age was a big fan of the Mickey Mouse Club.In it's first season one of the segments was Spin & Marty.It was a serialized story about two boys at a western summer camp - who even got to ride horses thus becoming the envy of every boy watching. Spin (the All-American boy) was played by Tim Considine,and Marty (the snobby rich kid) by David Stollery.It became a HUGE hit & the sensation of that first season.Both boys appear in Her Twelve Men,and met there.Tim originally tried out for the part of Marty,but was offered Spin instead.Disney still needed a Marty and Tim told them he had recently worked with a boy who would be just right for the role,David Stollery from Her Twelve men!So this film was somewhat responsible for the ideal casting of that well-loved Disney serial.This information was related by Tim & David in the interview feature of the Disney Treasures DVD Box Set that came out a couple years ago.

I found it to be quite an affecting, warm-hearted film. Surely nobody could have played the new teacher as well as Miss Garson, and it is always a pleasure to see Robert Ryan playing a "good guy" instead of a pyscho-killer! Many excellent small parts for worthwhile players such as Barbara Lawrence, Ian Wolfe, Ivan Triesault, Frances Bergen, etc. Maybe it is just a big hunk of middle-brow sentimentality but I loved it!

The opening credits give you a cheerful, jazzy rendition of Mozart's "Minuet" from Don Giovanni, so you know you're in for a cutesy, good time in Her Twelve Men, one of Greer Garson's last movies. She plays a new teacher in an all boys' school, the first lady teacher they've ever had. Headmaster Richard Haydn thinks she's just what the school, and the young boys need, but her colleague Robert Ryan thinks she has a lot to learn. He's critical at every turn, but will their antagonism make way for respect and camaraderie? You'll have to watch this charming movie to find out.

Greer is such a pro, and she adds class and grace to all her roles. If this were a June Allyson movie, it would have turned into an annoying screwball comedy. Even Deborah Kerr (who, it can be argued, replaced Greer) probably would have added more drama than was necessary. Greer is just right, and it's a pleasure to see her grow, learn, and care for the boys in her charge.

It's also a great treat to see Robert Ryan in a role he doesn't usually take on. When's the last time he played someone highly educated but too shy to act on his romantic feelings? Never. Greer is a strong woman, and she needs a strong man who can equal her stature and presence. Robert is a great match for her, but will he speak up in time, or will she get swept up off her feet by another strong man, Barry Sullivan (a wealthy, respectful father of one of her students)?

Robert is a seasoned teacher who isn't afraid to tell Greer when she's handling the boys badly. In one scene, a child comes to Greer with a tummy ache, and she tries to fix it with castor oil. Robert tells her it was just a case of homesickness, and the next time it happens, she treats the problem with a hot chocolate instead. There are several lessons to learn, and not just for the boys. If you liked this heartwarming movie, try watching The Emperor's Club, a modern movie about a beloved teacher in an all-boys' school.

This is a rather easy film to predict and it was pretty schmaltzy--having a very liberal helping of sentimentality thrown into the mix. However, despite this, the acting and script were so much fun that I still encourage you to give the film a look--especially since it's a lovely film that can be enjoyed by the entire family.

Greer Garson (in one of the later roles of her career) plays a new teacher at a boys boarding school. Since all the faculty had been men, people at the school are taken a bit back by her arrival. However, since it is sweet old Greer, it's not surprising that the kids all come to love her and need her. She is like a slightly sterner version of the movie Maria Von Trapp, but without all the singing! About the only story element I disliked was when Greer wrote letters to one lonely boy in which she pretended to be the kid's uncaring mother and father. Lying to the boy seemed cruel and stupid--as one day he's bound to realize his parents were too self-absorbed to even bother writing. Why she didn't just send him letters in her name or arrange for mail to come for him I just didn't understand.

Still, the film is enjoyable and sweet, so I suggest you give it a try. Not among Garson's best, but still a likable little film.

GREER GARSON's long career at MGM came to an end in a sentimental tale about a new teacher at an all boys school who triumphs over inexperience and falls in love too. A slim tale for Garson with Robert Ryan and Barry Sullivan hovering in the background as possible suitors, it is strictly formula stuff and worth watching only if you're an ardent fan of Greer Garson. It strives to be no more than a modest programmer.

It's almost quaint to see how "rambunctious" the boys are by today's standards, so mild is their behavior. Richard Haydn as the school's headmaster is effective and the boys are competent enough child actors, but it all has the feeling of having been done before.

As I say in my article on Greer Garson due to appear in FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE: "At a time when she could have used a different kind of role to broaden her appeal, Garson let herself be cast in the sort of vehicle that had an all too familiar ring to it."

Of interest to fans of James Arness, he has a brief role as a physical ed coach at a time when he had not yet emerged as a TV western star.