Big Hearted Herbert

BIG HEARTED HERBERT (WB, 1934), directed by William Keighley, is a domestic comedy, one of many turned out by many film studios during the Depression era '30s. Clocked at an hour's length, the characters are fully developed during its opening minutes showing middle-aged Herbert (Guy Kibbee) constantly yelling, finding fault with everything from his family to his employees. A self-made man who is in charge of a plumbing factory, Herbert has two things he treasures most, a giant portrait of his father that hangs over the fireplace, and the cuspidor which gets in the way of everyone in the living room. His wife Elizabeth (Aline MacMahon) is a simple-minded and patient mother who accepts her husband for what he is. The family has three children, Alice (Patricia Ellis), an attractive 19-year-old blonde; Junior (Trent Durkin), who would rather go to college to become an engineer than carry on in his father's business; and Robert (Jay Eaton), the youngest with a round face and big smile, who not only enjoys eating bananas, but appears to be the only one of the siblings who worships his father, finding his mannerisms more amusing than threatening. Alice is engaged to Andrew Goodrich (Phillip Reed), a college graduate, and wants her fiancé and his parents (Henry O'Neill and Nella Walker) to meet the family. The dinner becomes a disaster, thanks to Herbert's constant roaring. When Herbert wants to bring one of his most important client and his wife (Hale Hamilton and Claudia Coleman) over to dinner so they could be in the company of "just plain folks," Elizabeth decides to turn the tables around by presenting the family to his Havens as "just plain folks," much to the dismay of Herbert.

Supporting players include Marjorie Gateson as MacMahon's sister; Robert Barrat as her husband; Joseph Crehan as the IRS man; and George Chandler.

Straight-forward story, amusing comedy that pre-dates many of those situation comedy shows produced for television told within 30 minutes. Guy Kibbee succeeds in making his unsympathetic character likable while Aline MacMahon, as always, brings sincerity to her role. Helen Lowell plays a once-a-week housekeeper who finds it difficult to remember her line, "Dinner is served," at the gathering of the future in-laws. She gives a performance that would have have been more suitable to the likings of Ruth Donnelly.

Not as laugh-filled as the domestic stars of that genre ranging from the comic supplements of WC Fields, the wholesomeness of Will Rogers, the sentimental knowhow by Marie Dressler or the wackiness of Charlie Ruggles and Mary Boland, but this production, based on the play by Sophie Kerr, combines a little of all, and thanks to the delightful team of the tall but sad-eyed Aline MacMahon and short, fat and bald Guy Kibbee, these two secondary scene stealers from the classic Depression musical, GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (1933), make this rarely seen production worth viewing.

A sort of domestic comedy that might have prospered into a film series, but as it stands, nothing developed. BIG HEARTED HERBERT was remade by Warners as FATHER IS A PRINCE (1940) with Grant Mitchell assuming the role as the self-centered, egotistical father. Both movies, along with other MacMahon-Kibbee domestic comedies, can be seen and compared whenever presented on Turner Classic Movies. (**1/2)

Guy Kibbee plays Herbert, self-made man. Opinionated and irascible, Herbert delights in telling the story of how he went to went to work when he was 10 years old and worked his way up to owning the factory. Aline MacMahon is Herbert's loyal (but suffering) wife. She loves him patiently but wishes he would take down the unpleasant portrait of his scowling father and put away the family heirloom cuspidor.

The trouble starts when grownup daughter Patricia Ellis brings home handsome young lawyer Phillip Reed, whom she plans to marry. A family dinner is planned to welcome Reed and his parents - all before Kibbee has even heard about the engagement. Naturally Kibbee doesn't like lawyers, as he doesn't believe in college at all. He makes a scene, insults the guests, everyone is embarrassed.... and MacMahon decides to teach him a lesson.

Kibbee's antics and rantings are fun to watch even though his character is kind of a pain. MacMahon is excellent - an hour long B movie doesn't offer much room for character development but MacMahon really succeeds in portraying a loving spouse who can put up with a lot but be pushed only so far.

A simple, straightforward story that keeps the subplots and side characters to a minimum: Very enjoyable even though there's really not much to it.

Aline MacMahon is her always wonderful self as the matriarch of a blue-collar family. The kids in this family have plans extending beyond the plumbing supplies business, however.

Guy Kibbee is such a likable actor we admire his performance but don't hate him as her skinflint husband.

It contains a scene that presages what is possibly the funniest in movie history: By that I mean the scene in which Irene Dunne masquerades as Cary Grant's sister in that greatest of all comedies, "The Awful Truth." Here we have the upright MacMahon putting on an act when guests come to dinner. The act lives up to her husband's penurious manner and is truly funny and is charming as well.

Big Hearted Herbert (1934)

*** (out of 4)

Charming adaptation of the Broadway play about Herbert (Guy Kibbee), a self-made rich man who is always going off about how he didn't need college, how he had to teach himself everything and his ego has gotten to the point where his family can't take it anymore. With Herbert always screaming and throwing around demands, his wife (Aline MacMahon) decides to give him a taste of his own medicine. BIG HEARTED HERBERT is a comedy but I must admit that I didn't laugh a lot in it. There were a couple big laughs but for the most part I sat there watching the film and never really laughing throughout. So, how can I not laugh at a comedy and still enjoy it so much? Because the two leads are just so downright perfect that you can't help but get wrapped up in the charm of the situation. If you watch enough Warner movies on Turner Classic Movies then you're bound to be familiar with Kibbee who was one of their stock players and showed up in countless movies. He always plays the lovable older fellow but here the screenplay gives him a chance to shout and scream. He's constantly talking about how great he is and telling everyone what he had to do in his life and he expects those around him to follow what he says. This guy is certainly a jerk but Kibbee plays it so perfectly that you never hate him or get to the point where you hope someone punches him out. This is very important because the actor allows the character to really take shape yet he knows how to play it to make sure our feelings don't turn on him. MacMahon is also perfect in her part as the wife as she starts off putting up with the mess but when it's time for the tables to turn she really nails the comedy. I won't ruin what exactly happens but the final ten-minutes are great. This thing clocks in at just 59-minutes so there's really no character development or silly scenes added just to try and beef up the situation. Instead this thing stays pretty close to what you're imagine the story was like on Broadway and the two stars just make this a winner.

...except this film stars real people instead of the creations of Termite Terrace, the source of WB cartoons from the 30's to the 60's. Guy Kibbee is Herbert, but he is anything but big-hearted and is far from his usual role as a sweet older gentleman who is not necessarily the brightest bulb in the room. Here he is a cross between Scrooge and Yosemite Sam.

I say this film is practically a cartoon because the characters lack any perceivable motivation, and probably it was made that way on purpose, seeing it only has an hour's running time. The film is an enjoyable comedy in the fast-talking Warner Brothers tradition. You just have to sit back and enjoy the humor in the situations presented and try not to over analyze. Don't bother asking yourself why Herbert is always yelling at everybody, why he wants to hold on to what he has if he is always as unhappy as he seems, and why his wife would marry and stay with such a tight-fisted grouch in the first place - it will get you nowhere.

On the bright side, there is the comedy of Aline McMahon who decides to give husband Herbert what he claims he wants for a family - just plain folk - at the worst possible time, that time being a dinner Herbert is hosting for potential clients of his plumbing supply business. What she delivers is a 1930's version of the Beverly Hillbillies.

Recommended if you are in the mood to put your mind on hold and just laugh without thinking too hard.