LIFE WITH FATHER (1947) C 118m dir: Michael Curtiz

w/William Powell, Irene Dunne, Elizabeth Taylor, Edmund Gwenn, Zasu Pitts, James Lydon, Emma Dunn, Moroni Olsen, Elisabeth Risdon, Derek Scott, Johnny Calkins, Martin Milner, Heather Wilde, Monte Blue, Mary Field, Queenie Leonard, Nancy Evans, Clara Blandick, Frank Elliott, Arlene Dahl, Russell Arms

From The Movie Guide: "Based on an autobiographical book by Clarence Day, Jr., and a play [by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse] that ran 3,224 performances on Broadway (a total that was eclipsed only by 'Fiddler on the Roof'), LIFE WITH FATHER is a son's fond remembrance of his Victorian youth spent in the home of his authoritarian but lovable father (William Powell). There's really not much of a plot, just a lot of alternately quiet and raucous moments of love and laughter as the family goes about its urban, urbane life. Irene Dunne, playing the mother of the red-headed Day clan, is frequently rankled by Father's sexist ways, but, like the rest of the family, she loves dear old Dad anyway.

"Powell is nothing less than magnificent as the mustached philosophizing patriarch, and Dunne casts a warm glow beside him. Elizabeth Taylor, Martin Milner, Jimmy Lydon, and Edmund Gwenn all contribute strong supporting performances; Michael Curtiz (CASABLANCA; YANKEE DOODLE DANDY; THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD) provides his usual sure-handed direction. There was an attempt at a sequel, LIFE WITH MOTHER, but it doesn't hold a candle to this. Day's story also inspired a brief TV series in 1955. Look for a very young and beautiful Arlene Dahl in a scene at Delmonico's Restaurant. Older TV fans will also recognize singer Russell Arms as the stock quotation operator."

From The Ace Black Movie Blog website (www.theaceblackblog.com), this 2013 review of the film:

"A comedy about turbulent family dynamics, Life With Father pokes fun at life within New York's upper crust, and explores the balance of power between men and women.

"Clarence Day (William Powell) is a well-respected New York stockbroker, as crusty and set in his ways as he is rich. Married to the resourceful Vinnie (Irene Dunne), they have four red-headed children: Clarence Jr. (Jimmy Lydon), John, Harlan, and Whitney. While Clarence thinks that he runs his household with strict discipline and a tight hold over the family finances, the reality is that Vinnie and the kids successfully navigate around him to do almost as they please.

"Clarence hates to have house guests, but that does not stop Vinnie from welcoming cousin Cora (Zasu Pitts) and blossoming teenager Mary (Elizabeth Taylor) for a visit over a few days. Clarence Jr. is immediately infatuated with Mary, but gets no useful advice from his father on how to nurture the romance. Life in the Day household gets a lot more complicated when it is revealed that Clarence was never baptized. This horrifies Vinnie, but she struggles to get her stiff husband to acknowledge her feelings.

"Based on the play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, Life With Father is a sharply written comedy, delivered by a glimmering cast in top form. William Powell and Irene Dunne demonstrate terrific chemistry as a long-married couple who have learned to keep their household thriving for the benefit of their growing children. While the film generally focuses on ultimately frivolous issues besetting a rich family with no real worries, it is nevertheless a pleasing and playful examination of homefront politics.

"Powell is quite funny as Clarence Day, nailing the stuffy mannerisms of a man believing that he is the master of his domain. Powell keeps his nose in the air, his tone haughty with finality, and his attitude imperious. Unfortunately for Clarence, the main theme of Life With Father is his utter lack of actual influence. Vinnie and her children have mastered the art of circumventing him, and Vinnie controls the real levers of power. Irene Dunne has all the subtle tricks of household command and control, including controlling on a strict need-to-know basis the flow of information to Clarence, turning on the faucet of tears when convenient, and befuddling Clarence with financial castles in the air to liberate money from his pocket.

"Elizabeth Taylor, at just 15 years old, already bedazzles the screen whenever she is on it, with a combination of coquettish girlishness and irresistible charm. Clarence Jr., who initially claims no interest in girls, falls under Mary's spell the minute she walks through the door. Their relationship shows all the signs of evolving into another asymmetrical arrangement where one partner is love-blinded into miscomprehending where the domination lies.

"For a two hour comedy that takes place mostly inside one house, director Michael Curtiz is light on his feet, briskly moving the action through the many rooms in the Day mansion, and maintaining a steady stream of playfulness in the antics of the various family members. A running joke about the household maids ties the film together, while there are excellent comic punctuation marks dispersed throughout, including Clarence's intolerance for house guests, a condition ignored with a smile by Vinnie.

"A late appearance by an ugly dog statuette, immediately despised by Clarence, is ingeniously deployed by Vinnie to resolve several lingering bones of contention. Life With Father is all about getting the best out of the family patriarch, despite his best intentions to stand in the way of his own happiness."

LIFE WITH FATHER was nominated for four Oscars: Best Actor (Powell), Cinematography (J. Peverell Marley, William V. Skall), Score (Max Steiner), and Art Direction (Robert M. Haas, George James Hopkins).