Papa se marie

It is likely that the viewer's main interest in the film will be Gloria Swanson, and this is her only film appearance from the 1940s. That said, she is not photographed at her best, and appears in need of an image overhaul. Her lipstick is dark, and formed into a 1920s-looking pout. Her face has aged considerably since her heyday just a decade earlier. Her hairstyle is unflattering as well. Her comic timing and talent, however, seem to be somewhat intact, but it's hard to tell under such feeble direction.

It is a mildly amusing comedy. It has moments that absolutely work, and other moments that are of their era and rather dated. Some of the situations, such as Swanson giving up her career for marriage, will not be taken lightly by feminists. Yet other scenes point in a more modern direction. The dialogue is hit-or-miss. Certainly, you will find yourself chuckling now and then! The performances are adequate, yet ordinary. Even Swanson, one of the greatest actresses, is below par. However, the film is a curiosity and is not by any means bad or unwatchable. It is worth viewing.

In the period between Sadie (28) and Sunset Blvd (50), Gloria Swanson's movie roles were rare (8) and critical review just medium. But in Father Takes a Wife, her still gorgeous glims, deftness at dialogue and flair for funny makes one wonder what might've been had she the opportunities of the slightly younger Joan Crawford (08) and Greta Garbo (05), the former set to soar (The Women), the latter leaving her best "faces" in the Silents. Directed by Jack Hively (The Saint, Lassie TV), Father co-stars Adolph Menjou, Mary Treen, Helen Broderick, Neil Hamilton, Grady Sutton, Desi Arnaz, Florence Rice and John Howard as jealous Junior, the stepson (2.5/4).

This was Swanson's supposed film comeback, followed ten years later by her last and quite different film, SUNSET BOULEVARD. A tightly scripted nutty comedy which probably played better on the stage where one line followed the other without long silent panning shots, it has Swanson playing familiar Hollywood names Adolf Menjou and Desi Arnaz, and stage personalities John Howard, Florence Rice and Helen Broderick.What makes the film enjoyable, to me, are the long, tight scenes so superbly played by Gloria and Desi, that their charisma creates comic genius. Beyond this, you have the potential of a very funny, nutty comedy which neither the director nor the camera operator seems to help make shine.

1941's FATHER TAKES A WIFE was Gloria Swanson's first motion picture in seven years. This quite modest little comedy is hardly an ideal comeback vehicle but Swanson herself in her autobiography admits it was the first movie she had been offered in years. If playing second fiddle to 51-year-old Adolphe Menjou, generally a supporting player in films at this point, was a bit humbling, 42-year-old Gloria dived in and proved she was ever the pro and still durably glamorous. Menjou stars as a shipping magnate who has fallen for stage star Swanson; all business for decades, he is now in his second youth with this new romance. He hands over the business to son John Howard and the middle-aged newlyweds embark on a honeymoon cruise to Mexico. Returning to the states, Menjou discovers a stowaway on board, Desi Arnaz, who is a concert singer in his unstated native country (doubtlessly Cuba). Sympathetic at first, Menjou moves Arnaz into the family mansion so he can practice for launching a career in America but the arrangement quickly gets on his nerves as Arnaz more than makes himself at home and in particular, his resentment at wife Swanson's devotion to being the benefactress for the young protégé.

This movie is only 79 minutes but it seems longer with it's episodic turns and not particularly amusing attempts at humor. Swanson looks gorgeous in some very lovely fashions but in several scenes she saddled with a not particularly flattering hairstyle. Her voice at times a little too hesitant for her role as a headstrong veteran star, as if she may be afraid some of her character's actions may seem a bit unsympathetic but it's still a good performance. Menjou is in fine form as the bewitched if often exasperated spouse. John Howard and Florence Rice do well as Menjou's son and daughter-in-law and Arnaz is fun as the conceited if innocuous protégé. Indeed, a times the Swanson-Arnaz angle seems like a family-friendly version of SUNSET BLVD's Swanson-William Holden. Trivia buffs may want to watch for unbilled bits by Loretta Young's ex-husband Grant Withers (as Judge Waters) and Ginger Rogers' future husband Jack Briggs (as Menjou's chauffeur).

Predictable and unmemorable, FATHER TAKES A WIFE deserves at least one viewing for the rather rare chance to see the legendary Gloria Swanson in a sound motion picture.

A business magnate retires to enjoy his marriage to a famous actress, much to his adult son's annoyance. Mediocre comedy from RKO that initially looks as though it might cover new ground, but which quickly falls back on the usual formula of marital suspicion and misunderstandings when immigrant singer Desi Arnaz shows up.