User reviews

I think this highly entertaining film is a bit better than Maltin gives it credit for being. More than just a light comedy about the travails of a summer vacation gone wrong, the movie has some hard edges that give it some bite. Among these are the frayed relationships between Hobbs and his elder daughters, the marital difficulties of one of them (bordering almost on being painful to watch), and the mutually hostile relationship of Hobbs with his grandson. Hobbs is no kindly buffoon; a well-meaning but irascible fellow, he has plenty of cutting and sarcastic comments for the family members that cause him so much grief, yet who he obviously cares for. There are some genuinely touching moments throughout the film, especially as Hobbs reconnects with his teen son. The script is excellent, with many sharp edges and plenty of crackling repartee. Stewart, in a fine performance, makes the movie; his expressive face completely reflects the frustrations, disasters, and surprises he encounters, as well as the warmth and pride he feels for his family. The brief narrative voiceovers he supplies (continuations of the letter he dictates at the beginning of the whole flashback movie) are well-placed and witty. Maureen O'Hara is perfect as the well-meaning Mrs. Hobbs. This is a thoroughly enjoyable 60's movie that stands up well to the passing years.

This is an old-fashioned movie about a married couple's attempt to bring their distant family back together. It's not raunchy, violent or nasty, and its depiction of a mum, dad and children living in a "nuclear" family may seem quaintly out-dated, but Stewart and O'Hara provide warmth and depth. Based on a book by Edward ('Father of the Bride') Streeter, Mr Hobbs is one of this American author's typical small-town, upper-middle class heroes who the whole world and his wife (and Mr Hobbs's own wife)are out to get. Simple mechanical devices, plumbers and visiting luminaries' wives all spell trouble, but somehow Mr Hobbs comes through to win the day. Not the greatest film ever, but for anyone who grew up in the early 60s and wants a reminder of how simple life seemed back then, this is a good film to watch.

This pleasant comedy may seem a bit on the dull side to modern audiences conditioned by R-rated gross-out fests (at least it's in color, for those so spoiled they lack the ability to get into a black and white story), but a nice nostalgia trip for those longing for the "simpler, more innocent" times of the mid-twentieth century. (I'm not an old fuddy-duddy chronologically, just in spirit.) Stewart is your average Dad, taking above average Mom (Maureen O'Hara) and family to spend the summer in a rustic Victorian house at the beach. They encounter the usual problems with antiquated plumbing and teenage romance, with a few interesting plot developments. If you know character actor Johm McGiver, he has one of his funniest roles as a bird-watching executive. Definitely recommended for Stewart fans or those interested in '50 & '60s nostalgia; but not for those who can only laugh at the stuff in Austin Powers or Team America (I like all these movies, incidentally).

I am reading reviews of Mr Hobbs takes a vacation and can't believe some of the stuff I'm reading .. "boring script?" ... "miscasted" .. I firmly believe anyone who doesn't like this movie was not born in the 60's or never took a vacation with his family .. This is a simple story of a simple time .. sorry no sex violence .. Jimmy Stewart doesn't turn into a Zombie ... it's just a pure and simple movie filmed during a pure and simple time .. and yet some of the issues are still here today: family troubles, growing up with braces, identifying and communicating with a Grandfather ..

I smile ear to ear when I see this BECAUSE it doesn't have sex or violence .. it merely transports me to a simpler time when my Mom and Dad poured us all into the back of the station wagon .. me complaining the whole time .. and yet when it was over I was so sad to leave and have memories I still cherish ..

So sad they don't make these type of movies anymore... it simply wouldn't sell ...

Jimmy Stewart plays a St. Louis bank executive who goes on vacation with his wife(Maureen O'Hara) and children on a beach front house in California, where his planned romantic getaway with his wife does not go as planned, since the children get involved with their own problems(his lovelorn teenage daughter and young son who only wants to watch television, especially westerns!) On top of that, the plumbing does not work properly at times, especially a water pump with a mind of its own.

Amusing comedy is quite warm and funny, with a charming performance by Jimmy Stewart as the harried father, whose attempts at sailing and bird-watching also meet with mixed results, but film remains a nostalgic comedy of a (sadly) bygone era, but one that can still be enjoyed on DVD whenever the viewer likes.

Out of 20th Century Fox, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation is directed by Henry Koster and stars James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara. The film is based on a novel by Edward Streeter and also features a popular singer of the time, Fabian. The adaptation for the screen is by Nunnally Johnson, music is from Henry Mancini & William C. Mellor provides photography (location work mostly in California on Laguna Beach and Dana Point). Plot sees Stewart as Hobbs, a harried city business man who after yearning to take his family to the seaside for a vacation, finally gets his wish. However, once arriving at their destination they find that peace and relaxation is hard to come by.

Middle tier Jimmy Stewart piece that merrily skips along without breaking any comedy boundaries. It's framed around all-American family values and tribulations, and even tho the situational comedy set ups are far from fluent, Johnson's script pings with sharp references and gags. Unsurprisingly it's Stewart who carries the main portion of the comedy throughout, both in his dialogue delivery and his visual ticks and mannerisms. Be it laying down a funny walk or pulling faces at the sight of Valerie Varda's cleavage, Stewart's acting prowess finds amusement where others struggle to do so. Maureen O'Hara is pretty as Mrs Hobbs and is good foil for Stewart, but outside of an amusing turn from John McGiver the rest of the cast don't fare so well. With Fabian providing further proof that he should have stuck to singing.

Enjoyable time filler if some what low on the revisit scale. 6/10

Jimmy Stewart was fifty-four when he made this film, and was just beginning to turn into everyone's idea of the perfect Grandpa, while Maureen O'Hara was forty-two and had undergone the transition from fiery young redhead every hot-blooded male would love to tame to mature woman with a touch of sophistication – a little like the childhood friend's mother you secretly thought was hot. Together they should make a temperamentally incompatible screen couple but it is probably the scenes they share together that work best in this almost unbearably wholesome comedy.

Stewart plays the eponymous Mr. Hobbs, an harassed bank executive who's a little dismayed to discover the intimate vacation he had been expecting to spend with his wife has become a family get-together of daughters, son-in-laws and grandchildren. The location is a ramshackle old house on the Californian coast that a modern-day family wouldn't spend five minutes in but, with admirable fortitude they make the most of the place and its not long before it begins to feel like a home from home.

Nunally Johnson's script seems to spend most of its time skirting around its more adult strands – the marriage difficulties of one daughter, and the roving eye of the other's husband – and remains firmly on safer ground, such as the romance of Stewart's awkward brace-wearing daughter and Stewart's trials with stubborn pumps and tipsy guests. In fact, where John Saxon's part as the wayward husband is concerned, it looks suspiciously as if some major chunks of film were left on the cutting room floor. Perhaps the subject matter was considered too risky for a film that jumps through hoops to remain staunchly inoffensive and middle-of-the-road. Of course, there's nothing wrong with clean family fun, but why introduce these more adult strands into a film if you're not going to do anything with them?

Old Pros Stewart and O'Hara give typically reliable performances, although they both have to rely heavily on audience goodwill at times to see them through the slower stretches. John McGiver and Marie Wilson liven things up for a while as a drab couple with guilty secrets, while Fabian's beard probably provides the film's funniest moments, and the whole film benefits from being filmed on location. All in all, if you like gentle old-fashioned humour that makes no demands on the viewer other than a capacity to be easily pleased, you will enjoy this film.

One other thing: unless you enjoy watching a pair of apparently ownerless noses holding conversations from opposite ends of the screen I suggest you attempt to catch a widescreen print.

There is nothing wrong or bad about this film; the cast is strong, and the writing acceptable. The problem, frankly, is that it is just not that interesting. However, if we approach this film without high expectations, then we can accept it for what it is: a mildly amusing movie that allows us to sit comfortably with two of our all-time favorite actors, Jimmy Stewart and Maureen O'Hara (although, to be honest, Maureen is not that interesting here either). So, if you love Jimmy Stewart, and want to make a point of seeing every movie he is in, then definitely watch this movie. But be prepared to have to put up with unappealing child actors, badly dated 1960's "teen scenes", and a number of other actors and actresses who we never particularly care about. Luckily, very few scenes indeed do not feature Jimmy Stewart.

Well, I take some of that back; "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" is saved towards the end by the appearance of John McGiver and Marie Wilson as Mr. and Mrs. Turner, a business couple who make a point of being very dull. They are actually pretty funny, especially McGiver, and the scenes featuring these actors save the whole movie from being a completely dreary waste of time. To be fair, Fabian is not bad either, playing his role rather sympathetically; and the family's 1960 Dodge wagon, with its fantastically distinctive grill, is also cool to see.

Particularly annoying is a lengthy sequence in which Jimmy Stewart and his son are piloting a sailboat out of a harbor; this they do with great difficulty, barely missing hitting other boats, and upsetting a water-skier. The problem is, Stewart and his boat are clearly sitting in front of a projection screen. Now I understand that it is much easier and cheaper to film scenes sometimes in front of a projection screen; scenes with people "walking down the street", when they are actually in front of a movie screen showing the sidewalk, are common and harmless enough. But here, the humor of the situation completely depends on us believing that Stewart is hardly able to control his boat, causing several near misses with other boats. The fakeness of the projection is so obvious that the whole scene is just a painfully long (over 2 minutes of this) debacle.

The beach scenes are odd too. Valerie Varda, a Hungarian-born actress, has an accent that is definitely not Hungarian (I grew up surrounded by Hungarians, and can pick up the accent across a room). I don't know what the accent is, but it is very hard to follow; she had a blessedly short acting career after this film. John Saxon appears in a bathing suit, with a shockingly well-built body (if I may say so), and it appears that, though he is married to Jimmy Stewart's daughter, he is on the verge of having an affair with Varda; in the end, though, this idea is not pursued.

One final note: when Stewart's family enters the massive yet run-down vacation house, Stewart goes to climb the stairs; as he takes the first step, he grabs the large knob on top of the railing, and it lifts right up. He stares at it a moment before replacing it; I have to believe that this moment was intended to pay some minor homage to "It's a Wonderful Life", where a similar stair-railing knob comes to symbolizes the crumminess of Stewart's home in that film.

"Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation" is one of the most enjoyable family films ever made. When it was released back in 1962, it was a big hit. But if you are a sophisticate, don't write it off just yet. The plot is simple: Harried St. Louis banker Roger Hobbs (James Stewart) is looking forward to a quiet, romantic vacation with his wife Peggy (Maureen O'Hara) who, unknown to him, has instead opted for a family reunion in a rented Northern California beach house. Not only has she included her teenage daughter Katie and younger son Danny but her married daughters and their families as well. The beach house turns out to be a monstrosity which Hobbs describes as "Dragonwyck". When their daughter Susan and her husband Stan show up with their bratty kids, things quickly get worse. The family is complete when daughter Jane and her husband Byron arrive with their infant daughter. By now, both Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs are somewhat disenchanted with this "family reunion" as Susan and her husband fight until he walks out on them, while Jane's husband takes up with the local bathing suit-clad vamp Manika. Daughter Katie meanwhile, grows more sullen by the day, sulking because of her new braces and brother Danny simply glues himself to the television set. Add an unhappy Finnish maid and you really have a recipe for disaster. But thanks to the delightful performance by Stewart, the laughs come thick and fast. His dry wit enlivens the film and almost single-handedly keeps it alive. And I mean alive because in spite of a capable cast including Fabian, John McGiver and Marie Wilson, the film belongs to Stewart. He does wonders with his hapless father role and keeps the audience in his corner every second. With the support of the eternally beautiful O'Hara (who's hardly anyones idea of a grandmother) and a memorable Henry Mancini score, "Mr. Hobbs" may depict a harrowing "vacation" but it's one the the viewer will thoroughly enjoy taking. The film has just been released on a beautiful widescreen DVD, with an original trailer and a few other extras. Bon Voyage!

All-round pleasant family fare for those who enjoy the ups and downs of family happenings. This easygoing story appeals to both young and old. Roger Hobbs (Jimmy Stewart) is the harried father who longs for a quiet holiday with his wife (Maureen O'Hara) but in the end goes along with her wish to have a family reunion, which turns out to be far from ideal. Quite the contrary, there's plenty of room for a good dose of realism -- personal clashes between his married daughter Susan and husband Stan, while the youngsters get out of control. Scarcely a dull moment throughout. Fabian, as Joe, is a nice addition to the scene and he's more mature here than in his earlier movie, which I happen to like best, "North to Alaska." An old familiar face is Reginald Gardiner, as Reggie, who has been a part of countless film comedies dating back to the 1930s. Settle down with some popcorn and have a good time!

Stewart takes his family to the beach house; complications and hilarity ensue. This is a mildly amusing family comedy that plays like a sitcom. Stewart makes the most of his role while O'Hara is lovely as his understanding wife. Pop singer and teen heartthrob Fabian, inexplicably sporting facial whiskers, woos one of Stewart's daughters. In 1962, the year this film was released, Stewart starred in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and McGiver, who plays an unwelcome guest at the beach house here, appeared in "The Manchurian Candidate," arguably the two best films of the year. Unfortunately, none of the magic from those two films rubs off on this lame comedy.

"Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" is the best of the 60's Jimmy Stewarwt family father doesn't know best films, much more palatable than the creepy and antiquated "Take Her, She's Mine", where Jimmy worries more than is healthy about Sandra Dee's virginity and where insipid folk songs are considered raunchy and subversive. "Hobbs" will appeal to everyone, from Baby Boomers nostalgic about their childhood, to the greatest generation, who will enjoy Stewart and O'Hara as famous actors, and Gen X's and Y's, if they're hip enough, will appreciate how "cool" Jimmy is. For some inexplicable and annoying reason O'Hara calls her husband "Rog" in that Madison Avenue shorthand way, as though she were a W.A.S.P. executive telling him he's just been fired. Marie Wilson and John McGiver as the eccentric couple are priceless; their scenes with Stewart are hilarious. And for an unexpected poignant moment, the scene in the boat with Stewart and his son is lovely. After watching an eclipse, the son says they should watch the next one together in about 30 years. The expression on Stewart's face, with it's intimations of mortality, is just beautiful. Fabian of course is thrown in for the demographic, but can be tolerated, though I couldn't stand the actress who played the daughter Katey. I recommend "Hobbs" for inclusion in a Jimmy Stewart collection, if only for that boat scene.

This has been one of my favorite movies, ever since seeing it at the drive-in when I was eleven. I started holding my mouth just like Katey (pretending I had braces), and dreaming that I, too, would meet Fabian on our family vacation. I still find myself humming "Cream puff, shortcake, sweet stuff, jelly rolls....". And Henry Mancini's soundtrack still is great beach music.

All grown up now, my business is renting beach houses, a vocation partially stimulated by my favorite summer movie. I can't help but compare the old beach shack full of cobwebs and broken plumbing to today's sand castles. This video belongs in every modern beach house, to bring back memories of vacations long ago, or to show the kids how we roughed it in the olden days.

In the 1960s, Jimmy Stewart did several family films that were just rather bland and, in my opinion, wasted his amazing talents. I am not saying they are BAD films, just imminently forgettable and are best described as "fluff". In other words, while time-passers, they have very little lasting value. The movie does have a few mildly funny moments but that's really about all. In fact, the only reason the film even gets a score of 6 is because Stewart is in the film and he tries his best with the mediocre material. My recommendation is do NOT run out and rent it or buy it but wait until it comes out on cable. This is a far cry from THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE or MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON. It's more like an episode of GIDGET combined with PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES.

James Stewart 's recital in which the beleaguered daddy Mr Hobbs , a St. Louis based banker , and his family enjoying vacation to a central California beach-side house and subsequently find themselves get into problems . After long time without a vacation , Mr. Hobbs wants to spend a quiet holiday at the beach along with his wife Peggy Hobbs, (Maureen O'Hara) . Mr. Hobbs wanted the vacation to be a romantic escape for two , but Peggy insisted that it be a family vacation , as she has invited all their family (Natalie Trundy , Josh Peine , John Saxon , Michael Burns...) to stay with them. Mr. Hobbs/James Stewart ought to keep the family order involving in his own home, at the same time he spends time with his amiable wife who also attempts to resolve the familiar squabbles while the entire brood is on the seaside vacation . Rollicking Fun ! Sand, Sea and Sun! Jimmy Takes A Vacation... You Have All The Fun! .The vacation included all their offspring , and their offspring's respective families where applicable !.

The picture turns out to be an attractive comedy , being pretty entertaining and amusing, as the film contains bemusing scenes, continuous laughters and various chuckles with lots of fun . This is the ordinary film about the subgenre of a numerous family that include notorious titles as ¨Yours , mine and ours¨ with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball and recently remade with Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo , ¨Cheaper by the Dozen¨with Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy and its remake ¨Cheaper by the Dozen ¨I¨ and 2¨ with Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt . Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) is well starred by James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara who are especially funny and fine playing the well-meaning parents. This was the first of James Stewart's three ¨harassed father¨ comedies at 20th Century Fox in the early Sixties . There are some funny anecdotes involving plumbing and the likes , but the enterprise is rather a long way from such former James Stewart comic glories. They're well accompanied by a charming support cast , such as : John Saxon , Fabian, Natalie Trundy , Josh Peine , Michael Burns , Reginald Gardiner , Laurie Peters , and usual John McGiver who delivers the best scenes .

The motion picture was professionally directed by Henry Koster , though nothing especial . He was an expert on super-productions and epic biographies , as he proved in : ¨Desiree¨, ¨The Virgin Queen¨, ¨A man called Peter¨, The story of Ruth¨ , ¨The Naked Maja¨ and , of course , ¨The Robe¨. Koster was a veteran Hollywood filmmaker who also made successfully other genres as Wartime : ¨D-Day the sixth of June¨ and comedy genre , in fact he discovered Bud Abbott and Lou Costello working at a nightclub in New York. He returned to Hollywood and convinced Universal to hire them. Their first picture, which featured the "Who's on First" routine , was ¨One Night on the Tropics¨ (1940) . And following others comedies as ¨Inspector General¨ , ¨Bishop's wife¨, ¨Rage of Paris¨ and ¨Mr. Hobbs takes a vacation¨. Rating . 5.5/10. Acceptable and passable . The picture will appeal to James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara fans.

Jimmy Stewart is one of my all-time favourite actors and I could watch and listen to him reciting a recipe, let alone starring alongside the unique Maureen O'Hara.

This gentle family comedy is a little Disney-like but as the mild mannered but very much put upon Mr Hobbs, Stewart is perfect, eschewing a decent American wholesomeness but without the sickliness that sometimes accompany such a character from this era.

Blending in neatly the Cary Grant turn in Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House, the Hobbs' escape the big city and end up staying at a falling- down old house on the beach; cue broken everything, that usually can't be fixed, at least not without a great deal of comically extended hassle.

The family encompasses the two Hobbs' children, who obviously do as all youngsters inevitably do - cause as much trouble for their parents as possible. It's quite a long film and afterward, you might be a little annoyed that you spent so long on watching it; the scenes are often extended almost beyond what is reasonable, but at the time you won't notice, let alone mind.

It's quite often shown on Channel/Film 4, where I have just seen it, again.

This is a film about a beachside family vacation in a large old dilapidated Victorian that starts with the patriarch dictating a letter to be read upon his death. There is so much humor...there is just about something for everyone.

The story is based on a novel by Edward Streeter who also wrote Father of the Bride.

Our patriarch, played by the always lovable Jimmy Stewart, had wanted to take a vacation with his lovely wife, played by Maureen O'Hara, but ends up taking a vacation with his entire family including his two elder married daughters, their spouses and children, his fourteen year old daughter who is in a mood and not speaking to anyone because of her newly acquired braces, his son who only wants to watch TV, and their cook who abandons them when she finds out there is no running water!

"I love them dearly, just from different distances."-Mr. Hobbs

"This country needs an un-Edison...someone to un-invent things and the first thing I would un-invent is Television!"-Mr. Hobbs

There are so many wonderful scenes...but my favorite has Jimmy Stewart doing some non-verbal comedy while out birding on an empty stomach at 4:30 in the morning with a man he is supposed to impress so his unemployed Son-in-law can get a job!!!! Hilarious.

"You haven't done much walking have you?" "Only since I was about two."-Mr. Hobbs

I also loved the book discussions with the busty neighbor...both Tolstoy's War and Peace and Herman Melville's Moby Dick! And the discussion of Sherlock Holmes vs the real favorite Nero Wolfe...lots of commentary to unpack there for any book lover!

If you are looking for a funny and fun-loving summer vacation film, this might be for you. I highly recommend this light comedy.

I always watch this movie when I can. There's so many perfect situations in it.

Most of the reviews have gone over the family dynamic involved. People nowadays don't know the significance of ground breaking movies in those days. This movie may have been the first glimpse of a reunited family that didn't step out of a Norman Rockwell painting. They have real life problems with finances, fidelity and maintaining a cohesive family unit.

There are some perfectly defined moments in the film. Hobbs marveling at a 50 year old light bulb, or the maid quitting because she misunderstood him when he said he was going to get "some sun on the beach".

The one scene that chokes me up every time is when Stewart shows O'Hara the $5 bill that Fabian returned to him after the dance.

A 1962 James Stewart vehicle which takes the same route as the Cary Grant/Myrna Loy film Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House where here a vacationing family settles into a beachfront manse only to suffer the plagues of the damned (a feisty water boiler which doesn't work, a maid who wants no part of this vacay, 2 non-attentive kids, a comely Swedish neighbor almost always bikini clad eying poor Stewart, etc.). When the married kids show up w/their own brood & also another couple who're considering one of the jobless son-in-law's for a position, things get more complicated but by film's end, the family's harmony is assured w/another vacation to be had. Nothing especially remarkable here, other than a duet sung by Fabian & Stewart's lovelorn daughter at a diner, the film is on an even coast to its predictable finale. Also starring Maureen O'Hara as Stewart's wife, Natalie Trundy (she was in a few of the original Planet of the Apes films) as one of his daughters, the late, great John Saxon as one of his son-in-law's & John McGiver as a potential employer.

As of this writing, "Hobbs" is approaching it's fiftieth anniversary. I saw this for the first time in the summer of 1962 as a nine-year old and loved it then. I love it to this day. The film plays somewhat like a widescreen color sitcom made for the theater. It is episodic in nature, but hen so is "Auntie Mame", another favorite of mine. There are laugh-out-loud moments and quiet, heartwarming moments mixed in equal measure to produce a family film that is very satisfying to watch. The cast is uniformly good with special mention to John Macgiver and Marie Wilson as the hilarious Turners, and Minerva Urecal as the Hobbs' dragon-like housekeeper. James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara spark some real chemistry here, and the production is easy on the eyes with some lovely location shooting, and wrapped up in a classic Henry Mancini score that will leave you humming the title song.

Clean-cut suburban clan, steadily splintering due to outside interests, grows closer during a summer at the beach after Pop rents a ramshackle manor on the shoreline. James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara are a nice (if curiously low-keyed) marital match in this featherweight diversion for families, adapted from Edward Streeter's book by the esteemed Nunnally Johnson. There aren't many big laughs, but a teenage dance sequence (with Stewart paying boys five dollars each to dance with his daughter) is played very well, and a bit of slapstick near the end (involving Stewart locked in a bathroom with a tippling nude woman) is silly but lively. O'Hara was getting to be rather ubiquitous during this era, always playing hot-tempered wifeys; here she's softer and more subdued, and this appears to have an affect on Stewart, reigning-in his tics and mannerisms. The kids are tolerable, but the grown-ups are the reason to watch. ** from ****