CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN (1950) C 86m dir: Walter Lang

w/Clifton Webb, Myrna Loy, Jeanne Crain, Betty Lynn, Edgar Buchanan, Barbara Bates, Mildred Natwick, Sara Allgood, Anthony Sydes, Roddy McCaskill

From The Movie Guide: "A big hit in its day and a typical Hollywood evocation of a genteel, bygone middle America of the 1920s that never was, this poor man's MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS presents prissy, spinsterish Clifton Webb as the father of twelve. Get real! Though Webb has his fair share of amusing moments, his trademark waspish but kindly crankiness loses its grip here amidst the floodtides of familial fondness. Loy, sadly soft-pedaled in the footage department, is on firmer ground as his devoted wife, a psychologist who uses the tricks of her trade on her efficiency expert husband whenever necessary. The film has no particular driving story but rather is a host of minor family incidents designed to show the closeness of the 14-member clan. Some are amusing, though others cloy in the way that only 20th Century-Fox lollipops can.

"Journeyman director Lang is no Vincente Minnelli when it comes to either visuals or mood, and this is the type of film that plays better on television because there's nothing in it which really uses the big screen with any creativity. Honors go to Mildred Natwick as a birth control activist in the film's funniest scene. A true 1950s cultural relic and suitable 'family entertainment,' the film inspired a modest, quasi-feminist sequel, BELLES ON THEIR TOES."

The following contains information you may not want to know before viewing the film for the first time:

From the website A March Through Film History (www.ryanmccormickfilmhistory.blogspot.com), this 2020 article about the film:

"At the very onset of what would become the baby boomer generation was released a popular motion picture about a family booming with a large, busy household and it stringent yet loving parents. A colorful, light family comedy Cheaper by the Dozen was a nostalgic look at the early century culture while providing light humor about family life that proved near universally appealing for a post-war generation of Americans. Aside from the perceived absurdity of such a very large and uniquely structured family unit, the story was based on real people and actual events presented in such a way that delighted and entertained a great many audiences of its day.

"Cheaper by the Dozen is a Technicolor semi-biographical family comedy about an efficiency centered father and how he manages his family of a dozen children. Respected productivity expert Frank Gilbreth (Clifton Webb) uses his business acumen to raise his twelve children with his wife Lilian (Myrna Loy). Looking to raise an effective and efficient family unit, Frank uses a unique way of raising his children which is manifested in a series of events, including board room style family meetings, monitoring the family’s tonsillectomies, and his insistence to interview the children’s school staff. The film is narrated by eldest daughter Ann (Jeanne Crain) who periodically feuds with her father over his nature, but when Frank insists on chaperoning her at the school dance he surprisingly becomes the life of the party, making father and daughter grow closer. Underlying the run of events is Frank’s desired invitation to speak at a series of prestigious business lectures which is finally extended to him, only to see him tragically pass shortly after his departure. In honor of their late father the children agree to take on more responsibilities around the home while Lillian carries the mantel of her husband.

"A delightful comedy with some amusing scenes, Cheaper by the Dozen is an enjoyable little picture well shot in glorious Technicolor for the sake of wholesome family entertainment. Lacking any protagonist, underlying drama, or real plot, the series of events for this large family proves to be simple cinematic amusement with a series of set-ups and punchlines. A look back on early 20th century living with common harmless feuds between children and parents, the film’s appeal in found in the nostalgia of growing up, the pain of eventual loss, and the lesson of perseverance. In a way it can ultimately be looked at as a coming of age comedy from the right angle. With a large cast the film focuses on a select few.

"With its episodic construction and lack of plot the picture can feel a bit disjointed, but does not take away from the moments of enjoyability in this family comedy. The film was based off the semi-autobiographical novel by two of Frank Gilbreth’s children, Frank Jr. and Ernestine Carey, focusing on their late father and the raising of his large family. The book is little more than a series of short stories about growing up in a house of twelve children and their father whose focus on time and motion efficiency using his children nearly as a laboratory for his ideas. The task of adapting it to a film was picking out stories and trying to assemble them into some sort of cohesive narrative restructured to be told by Ann, the eldest daughter, who did not write the book.

"Directed by Walter Lang, known for bringing to life a series of brightly colored Fox-produced musicals, he helped provide the guidance in delivering the tale to Technicolor glory in a smooth and palatable package. Brightly created with many scenes shot outdoors and even on location, the loose story flows cleanly, with its colorful vibrancy, without drawing much attention to its lavish nature as a period piece with elaborate costumes. The simplicity of the film is implemented in the best manner possible with aid of Lang’s creative choices.

"With a title like Cheaper by the Dozen, it features a large cast within the Gilbreth family, but the film primarily focuses on three characters, Frank as the structured father, Lillian as the loving matriarch, and the eldest daughter Ann. 60-year-old and three-time Academy Award nominated actor Clifton Webb portrays the patriarch of strict discipline but overlying love, creating a pleasing main character. Perhaps the hero of the picture is the wife Lillian played by Myrna Loy who has transferred from her days in The Thin Man movies to more motherly roles. Loy quietly proves to be the glue of the picture as a character that mixes the humor provided by Frank with the serious nature of raising a family and ultimately becoming the torchbearer of the family by film’s end. 24-year-old Jeanne Crain portrays teenager Ann. Even coming off of a mature picture like Pinky (1949) where she earned a nomination for Best Actress, Crain finds herself playing a teenager in a silly comedy, manifesting the studio’s creative control over stars at this point in the business.

"Critics would generally praise Cheaper by the Dozen for its humor and fine production, only slightly criticizing for its lack of plot. Meanwhile, audiences made it the fourth highest grossing picture of 1950.

"Only three months following the release of the film saw the publishing of a sequel novel Belles on Their Toes. Due to the success of Cheaper by the Dozen, the sequel novel was adapted into a sequel motion picture released in 1952 to lesser fanfare, with Myrna Loy and Jeanne Crain reprising their roles. Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), a Steve Martin comedy co-starring Bonnie Hunt, other than by name and the concept of a family with twelve children had nothing to do with the 1950 film or its novel, simply proving how the name and rough idea was a source of comedic ideas for later film executives and writers.

"Today the film does not hold up as strongly as other comedies of its time, but remains a decent motion picture. Comedies would soon be evolving in the coming years into more silly situational exaggerations with motion pictures studios vying for the attention of audiences who had access to free television programming. The rise of larger, more elaborate comedies in the 1950s and 60s make Cheaper by the Dozen look awfully tame, but its execution should be commended, for it remains a rather welcoming and charming comedy to view from this age in cinema."