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It is a performances centric movie

Good movie but grossly overrated

Excellent but underrated film

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

If you watched this film and knew nothing about William Holden, you'd likely be shocked to learn that he become a mega-star only a few years after making "Father is a Bachelor". Now I am not saying this because the film is bad...but it is very slight and the sort of film that seems to have nothing to do with Holden's later, grittier films (such as "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Stalag 17") seem so incredibly different and earthier. Instead, this film is almost like a Disney family film of the 1960s.The movie begins with Johnny (Holden) singing. However, it's obviously not him singing...and he's in black face!! He's apparently part of a traveling medicine show and they are shysters. But when they run out of town with the law behind them, the law doesn't recognize Johnny without his makeup and he gets away and takes up refuge with some orphan kids. Their parents recently were killed and they have been able to scrape by...but how much longer will it be until the law also looks at them? And, what will happen when Johnny finds he's actually falling for the kids and wants to do right by them? This is just a nice and cute film....nothing more and nothing less. Light, easy viewing and a movie that's hard to hate.

Father Is A Bachelor is a movie best appreciated by the baby boomer generation and by those who love the old black and white sappy type movies. The opening song creates the mood for the entire movie. William Holden is okay. I am used to see him in more challenging roles and doing a great job. The movie has a slightly different romantic twist about it though. This is a good movie for those late night insomniacs or the rainy day afternoon crowd. The movie has a slow pace so for those late night watchers, you might want to drink some coffee or other caffeinated beverage to stay awake to finish the movie. I give the movie two thumbs up.

Some people might think that William Holden was a bit miscast in this light-hearted comedy that doesn't feature laughs as much as smiles. This was before his rise from respectable actor with only two classics at that time ("Golden Boy" and "Our Town") under his belt. But with two of 1950's top rated films ("Born Yesterday" and "Sunset Boulevard") just down the road, he would be ranked a lot higher than he was throughout the 40's.The film's simple story is of a traveling medicine man (Charles Winninger) who ends up in jail for fraud, while his minstrel man (Holden) comes across five orphaned children and reluctantly takes on the job of being their papa. At first, he only breaks bread with them to get some greens to eat with the fish he has caught, but soon, is taken in by the sweet Mary Jane Saunders, the youngest of the children, all named after the first five months of the year. A concerned citizen (Colleen Gray) looks in on them and believes Holden to be their uncle. When Holden is forced to remain around after beating up a nasty local who insulted the children, he finds he has no choice to continue the facade. The town's shady lawyer (Clinton Sundberg) blackmails him into becoming engaged to one of his spinster sisters, but its obvious that the kids won't have anybody else but the lovely Ms. Gray for their newly found "uncle".There is nothing to criticize about this film other than its formulatic and predictable plot. The children aren't all sappy, and the songs are pleasant, if unremarkable. Everything is resolved nicely, something a growing cynical audience in 1950 wanted. Holden and Gray are a nice team, and Saunders is adorable without being an imitation of Shirley Temple or Margaret O"Brien. It won't win any awards, but that also means it won't be on any worst list either.

This movie has many charms. It has a fine cast. William Holden, in an atypical role, is fun as the dreamer who sings many standard songs. (It opens with him singing in black-face, though. That is always shocking when encountered today. And I wonder if it wasn't viewed as somewhat inappropriate even in 1950 when this was released.) Coleen Gray makes a charming love interest for Holden. And Charles Winninger is always a welcome presence.The supporting cast is excellent too. Stuart Erwin gets low billing but what a fine actor he as! And the two spinster sisters who are interested in Holden are nicely cast also.It is indeed a pleasure to see Columbia pictures other than the Capra films and those with Judy Holliday (whom I love) turn up. A few with Jean Arthur have been around in the VHS/DVD era but none to compare with the great number to which we were treated in the 1960s and seventies when local TV stations showed old movies.However, the print of this one was terrible. At first I thought it was a nighttime scene. But it wasn't. It was very, very dark.I am delighted at the Columbia movies trickling out again. Now, what about the Republic movies other than the ones that star John Wayne?