Vivir con papá

"Life with Father" is a superbly subtle comedy about family life in an age long ago. The setting is New York City in 1883. This film is based on a play that was based on the memoirs of Clarence Day. It is a look at family life in an age that is perceived as having husbands and fathers as firm and rigid rulers of their roosts. Of course, any number of books and stories from that time attest that the stereotype was not true for all, or even very widely applicable.

But this film is a snapshot of Clarence Day and his family. It has an unusual twist that winds through the story. The fact that the father, Clarence, can't recall that he was ever baptized guides the outcome of this story.

The film has a superb cast from top to bottom. William Powell and Irene Dunne are the perfect match for the roles of Clarence and Vinnie Day - Father and Mother. The comedy here isn't in the usual clever or funny dialog, or in pratfalls or other humorous antics. Rather, it is an ingeniously subtle humor woven into the parts and acted so excellently by the players. By that stereotype of the family of the time, Clarence is the master of his domain. But Dunne's Vinnie has the cunning and ability to steer things her way after Father has put his foot down on one matter or another. This happens repeatedly, and by Mother's sly changing of topics or the direction of a discussion, Father winds up giving in. Powell's Father isn't frustrated for long, because the challenges of a large brood of boys and a household come one after another.

Two scenes in particular in this film do evoke hearty laughter. Both have to do with money, bills and exchanges. And Dunne's Mother leaves Powell's Father bewildered at the conclusion of each. He is a Wall Street investment and finance broker, but Vinnie's household math logic is beyond his grasp.

In the roles of the children are some up and coming stars and actors with long futures ahead of them. Elizabeth Taylor plays a cousin of the family, Mary Skinner. Marty Milner is in his first of more than 100 films, here playing John Day. And Jimmy Lydon (at 24) plays the oldest teen son, Clarence Day Jr. He already had more than a dozen films behind him and would be in 150 films in his career. Not all child actors go on to have successful film careers as adults. Two of the boys here were such. Johnny Calkins plays Whitney Day and he made only a dozen films before he quit acting in 1949. Derek Scott as Harlan Day is in his only film role.

The rest of the cast are mostly accomplished actors who lend a good hand to the plot with their skills. Leading this bunch is Edmund Gwenn as Rev. Dr. Lloyd. He would win an Oscar for his role as Kris Kringle in the Christmas movie, "Miracle on 34th Street" later in 1947. Another well-known actress is Zasu Pitts who plays Aunt Cora Cartwright.

This is a wonderful film for the whole family, but one which younger members of the family may see only as being about a harsh father. Even with explanation, they may not appreciate the humor of Mother getting her way out of most disputes. On second thought, perhaps only we senior members may enjoy this film for what it is.

As an adult, Clarence Day Jr. (1874-1935) joined his well-known father on Wall Street--but developed a form of arthritis that left him a semi-invalid. Shortly before his death he published LIFE WITH FATHER, a humorous memoir of his Victorian childhood; sadly, he did not live to see its great success. A best seller, the novel was adapted to the stage in 1939 by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse. Warner Bro.s bought the film rights, agreeing to wait until the show finished its Broadway run; as it happened the studio had a long wait, for the play went on to become one of Broadway's longest running shows, playing almost eight years.

In acquiring the rights, Warner Bro.s also gave Clarence Day's widow and playwrights Lindsay and Crouse substantial power over the film version. Censorship issues of the day prevented an absolute translation of the script to the screen, but on the whole the script survived the transformation extremely well, and fueled by a host of flawless performances and remarkably fine production values LIFE WITH FATHER became as memorable on screen as it was on stage.

Clarence Day is an eccentric man, absolutely certain that he alone is correct in all decisions, and eternally running afoul of wife Vinnie's scatterbrained logic, his four sons, visiting relatives, and terrified servants. When a conversation reveals that he has never been baptized, Mr. Day laughs the matter off--but Vinnie is determined that he will be baptized whether he likes it or not. Comic battle-lines are drawn, and the result is a hilariously amusing portrait of Victorian manners and attitudes about everything from religion to the place of women in the world.

The performances are superlative. This would prove to be among the last great roles for both William Powell and Irene Dunne, who play Clarence and Vinnie Day, and to describe their work as flawless is actually an understatement: we completely believe in them from start to finish. The same is true of the cast in general, which includes a remarkably beautiful Elizabeth Taylor; legendary comic ZaSu Pitt; and even a very young Martin Milner. The costuming and sets also capture the look and feel of the era in remarkable fashion. The film is perfectly executed from start to finish.

But you might as well throw your money away than buy any of the releases presently available on VHS and DVD. There is not a one of them worth a dime: the color is atrocious, the sound is horrific, and the picture so blurry that the only thing you'll get for your money is a headache--and this has been true of every factory release I've seen to date.

It is a terrible shame that such a fine, indeed such a great film has been so incredibly neglected. Fortunately for all concerned, LIFE WITH FATHER continues to turn up on television fairly often. Until there is a restored release, don't buy a VHS or a DVD: tape it from television instead, for I can almost guarantee that the version you find there will be superior.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

When I first saw this movie, I thought it was fair at best. On the second viewing, I really, really liked it. I'm almost afraid to see it for the third time, as I could almost dislike it again since I seem to flip-flop on this.

THE GOOD: The film has "charm" written all over it. Although Irene Dunne has some Grace Allen-type gag lines, William Powell is the one who provides most of the laughs in this tale of upper-crust family life in the 1880s. However, both Powell and Dunne are excellent and play off each other well. The story revolves around the personal and business life of the Clarence Day family, a true family in the sense of the word it, which is nice to see. Every character is interesting and the supporting cast includes Edmund Gwenn and Zasu Pitts (love that name!). Nice Technicolor, too.

THE BAD: The romance between Jimmy Lydon and a young Elizabeth Taylor gets a little sappy. Powell's constant exclamation "Gad!" is very annoying as a close as screenwriters apparently could get to saying "God" all the time in 1947.

All in all, it's a nice period piece that takes you back life a little over a century ago, and provides us another one of these more-innocent family stories. To my knowledge, there has never been a good print made of this, either on tape or DVD, which doesn't make sense considering the fine cast and good reputation of this movie.

This film's excellent cast brings interest to a story of otherwise routine family events. Almost all of the performers are nicely matched with their characters, especially William Powell and Irene Dunne as the parents. The period piece setting works well most of the time, and although it is occasionally stagy, "Life With Father" is a pleasant movie to watch, with many good comic moments.

Powell is perfect as Mr. Day. The character in himself is not especially distinctive - an autocratic, mildly eccentric, often oblivious patriarch - but Powell gives a fine performance that makes him a worthy center of attention. Dunne is, if anything, even better as the charming and patient Mrs. Day, who is much more clever than she appears, and who in most respects actually runs the household. The rest of the cast includes some fine supporting actors like Zasu Pitts and Edmund Gwenn, with Jimmy Lydon adding a good performance as Clarence, Jr. There is not that much to the actual plot, but the acting, writing, and careful production (including attractive Technicolor photography) make innocent day-to-day events seem significant, and make the viewer want to see how things come out.

Because of the fine cast, this movie works well as comedy and as a thoughtful look at family life. If you enjoy classic cinema, take a look.

Life With Father, the story of an eccentric, excitable 1880s gentleman and his continually exasperating family is the perfect showcase for the under-appreciated talents of William Powell. Powell, best know for his work with Myrna Loy in the "Thin Man" series of films. Powell uses every second of this plum role to display his charming style and verbal acuity.

The story is simple: Powell and his wife, played by Irene Dunne, face a series of calamities, some serious and some ridiculous, mostly brought on by their four rambunctious, red-headed sons. After a visiting cousin brings along fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Taylor, events are put into motion which threaten to turn Powell's neatly-ordered world upside down.

The performances are uniformly fine, and Powell and Dunne are absolutely sterling. A supporting cast that includes Zasu Pitts, Edmund Gwenn and early appearances from Martin Milner and Elizabeth Taylor round out the picture quite well. If there is anything to detract from the complete enjoyment of the film, it is Taylor's performance, which can get grating, but hey, she's just a kid, and when you look at her, you can already see the amazing beauty still to come. The exceptional visual style of the film makes you long for the day when people rode in horse-carts to Delmonico's for dinner.

Watch for some classic dialogue between Powell and Dunne over the cost of a new coffee pot, between Powell and his son about "the facts of life where women are concerned," and the nonsensical wordplay over the return of a Porcelain Pug-Dog.