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hyped garbage

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I have just seen this film for the first time and was charmed by the slightly drifting plot, the beautiful sets, and first-class acting from Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy. Only the typically 50's freckly-faced children grated somewhat (just a personal dislike !!). But such a contrast between this gentle humour and the 'in-your-face' style of the Steve Martin remake, which is admittedly good in its way, but with its modern setting cannot hope to characterise the situation of the real family. There's an interesting parallel between this father and Christopher Plummer's character in The Sound of Music. CP portrays a man who finds it difficult to express emotion, and regiments his children to avoid dealing with their individual needs. Clifton Webb's character is very loving in his own way, there is real concern that the children be equipped for the adult world, and his relationship with his wife shows a delightful tenderness. I thoroughly recommend this as a family film, if you're not too jaded by modern crassness to appreciate it !

Mr. Frank Gilbreth (Clifton Webb) and his lovely wife (Myrna Loy) are the parents to 11 children in Providence, Rhode Island in the 1920's. Father is an efficiency expert, telling businesses how to speed up production and he often tries his ideas out at home. When he blows the whistle, the kids come running to line up. He also has ideas on how to bathe in the quickest method possible and still be clean! The children love him and try to please him. However, oldest daughter Ann (Jeanne Crain) often locks horns with her dad, because she wants to "bob" her long hair and wear more modern clothing. Ann is also very interested in young men and longs to start stepping out with them but has few opportunities to meet any. Even at a weekend beach retreat, the young lady's old-fashioned swim clothes are an embarrassment to her. Will she succeed in changing father's mind a bit? We'll see. Also, the Gilbreths always wanted a dozen children so will number twelve arrive? Yes! From father signing the kids up for tonsilectomies, to improve health, to dad riding in the rumble seat on Ann's first date, life is far from dull for the Gilbreth family! This is a lovely, funny family movie that shows nothing really changes over the ages. Teens still long to follow the time's fashion trends, to their parents' chagrin, and mothers and fathers keep trying to find out whether a boy is "good enough" for their daughters and such. What is unusual here is the escapades that Mr. Gilbreth puts his kids through, in the name of saving time and effort. Now, that's entertainment. As father, Webb is simply sensationally comic. When he volunteers his own tonsils to the scalpel, it is a good thing he came last in the operation, for he finds out its not so much fun! But, what a side-slapper! Loy, Crain, and all of the darling children do a fine job as well. What a treat it is, too, to see a recreation of the sets, costumes, and issues of the Roaring Twenties. Based on Gilbreth's own experiences and memoir, the script is great and so is the sure-handed direction. If you seek out this older version of CBTD, you will be glad you did, for this rich story of family love and loyalty is one joyful ride.

Forget the mediocre Steve Martin remake, this film is the Cheaper By the Dozen to see. Jeannie Crain is a little too old for her role as the oldest daughter that I have to agree with. The rest however is delightful entertainment. There is nothing hilarious here, but some lines and scenes are funny and very pleasant, plus some moments are touching. The film looks great, has a beautiful soundtrack and a story to warm the heart, and it has a script that has its humorous and sweet parts. The film is short but not too short, and it is snappily paced. The children are very believable, Myrna Loy doesn't have as much to do but is suitably warm and sympathetic and Clifton Webb is absolutely wonderful. All in all, still a joy. 8/10 Bethany Cox

The film succeeds because it brings back such nostalgia regarding what the meaning of a true family is.Clifton Webb, as always, is just fabulous in the title role. Eccentric, loving and king, he etched an unforgettable character.In order to show the subservience of women at that time, Myrna Loy's role is very weak and only until the unhappy ending is it revealed what she went on to achieve.Webb, a great character actor, was able to relate to children so well in this film as well as his Oscar nominated performance in "Sitting Pretty." (1948)When tragedy strikes at the end of the film, the children react in a manner that only children who were brought up so well would react.Surprised though that Sara Allgood, such a great actress, was relegated to such a tiny part here. This was probably her last film and it was sad to see her career end on such an unimportant role.The film succeeds because of Webb's tight but loving rule of the children.Mildred Natwick steals one scene as a woman who asks Webb and Loy to use their home for meetings regarding the limiting of children in a family!"Cheaper By the Dozen" succeeds because it's a part of Americana that can never be captured again.