Belles on Their Toes

Belles On Their Toes takes us through the further adventures of the Gilbreth family after the loss of the family patriarch Clifton Webb in Cheaper By The Dozen. Webb has left Myrna Loy with quite the large family to raise on her own now.

Webb was a real life and well known industrial efficiency expert and Loy has had the same training. The big issue for her is acceptance in a man's world and she has a rough go of it. She does however make an ally and a convert of industrialist Edward Arnold and a bit more than that with him.

Loy however is mostly in a mother role and she's there for advice with her older daughters like, Jeanne Crain, Debra Paget, and Barbara Bates all of whom have their usual romantic problems.

Belles On Their Toes is not as good a piece of nostalgia as Cheaper By The Dozen, but it's a pleasant piece of family entertainment that holds up well aftr half a century.

Myrna Loy (Thin Man series and much more) diligently takes over her loveable brood after Clifton Webb's character dies in this wonderful true story adaptation of the famous Gilbreth story made famous by the first installment called "Cheaper By The Dozen".

Loy's irresistible charm is joined by legendary songster Hoagy Carmicheal (Stardust) as the Gilbreth's comical stillman/houseman, lovely Jeanne Crain (Pinky), veteran Edward Arnold (You Can't Take It With You), dashing Jeffrey Hunter (King of Kings), lovely Debra Paget (The Ten Commandments), likeable Robert Arthur (Hellcats of the Navy) and very young [19 y/o] Martin Milner (Route 66, Adam-12).

Simple story of strong woman's determination to continue in her husband's "male" career as industrial engineer. There is enough going on on all sides to keep you interested in this remarkable family's life in the early part of this century.

How many times have I seen this movie! and still it never goes stale...good clean fun is never out of style.

It is graduation day for the youngest of the Gilbreth children and, sitting in the crowd, Lillian Gilbreth is moved by this to reflect back on times when things were not so rosy for her family and a reduced income. And so this film-long flashback begins although it didn't help my interest in the material to find that these "harder times" were a sort of Norman Rockwell version of poverty rather than what most people would consider "hard times" (they have a butler for goodness sake).

So it was no surprise to me to find that this film had no real interest in producing an actual character drama so much as churning out a cheerful melodrama with basic family morals and the Americana virtues of the 1950's writ large across every scene. I'm not sure if this world ever did exist but regardless I'm sure some viewers will find this nostalgia to be just about enough to justify watching the film for. God knows there is not much else to bother spending the time on. The humour is very basic and involved harmless pratfalls and good ol' wholesome joshing – shame there are so few laughs to be had in this.

The cast aren't much cop either. Webb shows up on a picture while Loy buzzes round full of worry, love and strength while the cast of children are more about quantity rather than quality. The odd turn from Hunter, Arnold, Carmichael and others provide some distraction but this is not a film where anyone is given the material to turn in a good performance. Overall then a fairly basic comedy melodrama that has a chocolate box nostalgia about it that some might find appealing but really has little else to recommend it for.

I love this movie. First, the music is so great. Full orchestration of many old tunes from the 1920s, particularly "You Wore a Tulip" and "Linger Awhile". One disappointment is that the sound did not come out so well on DVD - kind of scratchy and distorted at times....yet NOT this way in the VHS format. How can anyone dislike this crazy and loving family? Next, there are the many great vintage cars in various scenes that an historic automobile enthusiast would appreciate. Of course, there are some really, really attractive people in this movie too. Feast your eyes on the likes of Jeffrey Hunter and Jeanne Crain. Anway......want to see a fun family picture? Well, this is it. I should mention that you should see the the original 1950-version of "Cheaper by the Dozen" first (an equally great picture)....so that you have some background on the Gilbreth family. The final scene is a killer - watch as Myrna Loy closes her eyes and remembers the past......and grab a tissue for that one. Good Sappy Flick!!

I personally thought that Belles on Their Toes held up well as a sequel to Cheaper By The Dozen. Sequels rarely have the same magic of the movies they follow, so it is wise to not make too strong a comparison. Once the characters are accepted on their new terms, Belles on Their Toes is much easier to watch.

The entire movie is a flashback sequence to the events that took place after the prior movie ended. The focus is not on the eccentric Mr. Gilbreth and the humorous view of life in a large family. This time it is placed on the characters themselves. Their situations are less of a focus than their personalities. Myrna Loy is allowed to continue as a strong character, and she gets to show much more depth as Ann Gilbreth than she did in the first movie. The same is true for the oldest Gilbreth daughters, too. Jeanne Crain takes center stage for much of the movie. Debra Paget and Barbara Bates tilt the story toward the girls in the family.

What makes the biggest difference in the feel of the movie is the presence of Hoagy Carmichael and the talented Debra Paget. With Carmichael in the cast it was obligatory that he perform his music. Debra Paget performed a dance routine that would never have been allowed by the conservative Frank Gilbreth. The feel of the 50's replaced the 1920's charm of Cheaper By The Dozen.

Movies are geared toward target audiences. Sequels are created to capitalize on previous successes. Belles on Their Toes is fun to watch, but it cannot be held to the same standard as Cheaper By The Dozen. Accept it on its own and you will have an enjoyable hour and a half while you watch it.