Mon père et nous

I have always liked this movie.

Clarence Day was the son of Clarence Day Sr. and Vinnie Day. His childhood (with three brothers) was a privileged one, as his father was a successful broker in New York City during the Gilded Age. Day became a humorist and autobiographer, writing three books that remain very entertaining: GOD AND MY FATHER, LIFE WITH FATHER, and LIFE WITH MOTHER. Day died in the 1930s, but a play by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse was produced from the books entitled LIFE WITH FATHER. It played for nearly a dozen years or so, and for many years had the record of Broadway performances before the coming of the super musical hits from OKLAHOMA onward.

LIFE WITH FATHER is set in 1885 (the historical reference that sets this date is the rant by Mr. Day at the newspaper, where he refers to the then Mayor of New York, "Honest Hugh Grant" and Tammany Boss Richard Croker). The story line is actually quite straightforward - the senior Day (William Powell) faces the daily problems of his household, thinking he is running things but constantly being out-witted by his dearly loved wife Vinnie (Irene Dunne) who insists on having an ugly ceramic pug dog for awhile. Accidentally Mr. Day reveals that his free-thinking parents have never had him baptized, and this horrifies his wife and their local minister (Edmund Gwenn). Being a man in his late forties now, Powell thinks it is absolutely foolish to make him get baptized now. In the meantime his oldest son Clarence (Jimmy Lyden) has met with the first love interest of his life (his mother's cousin, young Elizabeth Taylor). Clarence's brother John, who is interested in science (he has wired up the parlor to cause a bell to go off, that confuses Mr. Day no end), has gotten involved selling a patent medicine. This will have ill-effects on Mrs. Day and Mr. Day, culminating in an oath that Mr. Day will end up regretting. Finally there are some marvelous examples of home economics from Mrs. Day that baffle and confuse Mr. Day no end - watch how she takes back the pug dog (which was charged) and gets a "free suit" for Clarence ("THEY DON"T GIVE AWAY FREE SUITS!", Mr. Day insists.]

I doubt, unfortunately, that a book, play, or movie like LIFE WITH FATHER would last today. And I think we are the poorer for that. It is of a long dead world, with a fierce devotion to order and stratified social life in our homes and in our cities and nation. But it was not without it's charms. Catch the sweetest moment in this wonderful movie, when Mr. Day and Vinnie are singing "Sweet Marie" together in their parlor, on a summer afternoon.

"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.

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.

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.

I saw this film - once again on the indispensable American Movie Classics Channel - for the first time recently and it has quickly become one of my favorites. It perfectly captures the flavor of Clarence Day's books and draws us completely into the era and into this particular New York brownstone. This was my first viewing of William Powell in what was surely his quintessential role; his work is superb, as is the marvelous chemistry between him and Irene Dunne as his "dear Vinnie". The source of the movie was Clarence Day Jr's three books - "Life With Father", "Life with Mother", and "God and My Father" - which recollect his growing up in late 19th century New York in the well-to-do household of his irascible, catankerous, but ultimately loving father Clarence Sr. As the books are mere strung-together pastiches, it must have been a challenge to assemble them into a coherent whole with a story line. Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse succeeded, in the play on which the film is based, and screenwriter Donald Ogden Stewart transferred it to celluloid very nicely. A wonderful character study, and a beautiful snapshot of life in late 19th century New York. Viewers who enjoy it are well-advised to find the books on which they are based (the library is your best bet; the books have gone out of print since their best-seller days long ago). At the conclusion, one hates to have the movie end; you want to spend just another day or two in the Day household.