AboveDeepBuggy Some things I liked some I did not.

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

JohnHowardReid Copyright 22 March 1950 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy: 31 March 1950. U.S. release: April 1950. U.K. release: 26 June 1950. Australian release: 22 December 1950. 7,733 feet. 86 minutes.SYNOPSIS: On a summer day in 1921 Frank Bunker Gilbreth (Clifton Webb), a time and motion expert, imperils traffic in all directions as he pilots his Pierce Arrow down a street in Providence, R.I. Stepping into the hallway of his home, he whistles the "family assembly", and children of all ages quickly converge on him. Home from a trip, he has presents for everyone, for his wife, Lillian (Myrna Loy), who is carrying a baby, Jane. For Ann (Jeanne Crain), his eldest daughter, Ernestine (Barbara Bates), and all the other children. The children are thunderstruck when he breaks the news that they are moving to Montclair, N.J. Mrs Monahan (Sara Allgood), the cook, helps them pack, and a few days later they climb into the Pierce Arrow and head for Montclair. As they are moving into their new house, the mailman comes by. "How do you feed 'em?" he asks. "Oh, they come cheaper by the dozen, you know," Dad answers.NOTES: Number 4 at the domestic box-office for 1950 with a rentals gross close to 4½ million. The movie came in at number 11 in Australia for 1951, but did less well in the U.K. A sequel "Belles On Their Toes" was released in 1952. Although sold as a remake, the 2003 movie is really a different story altogether.COMMENT: A period comedy based on a best-selling book about an eccentric but decidedly fertile and opinionated pater familias. Sound familiar? Fox's attempt to cash in on the success of Warners' "Life With Father" demanded ditto Technicolor — and got it from Fox's ace cameraman Leon Shamroy. Although the book was written by Ernestine (Barbara Bates) and Frank (Norman Ollestad), the movie is narrated by Jeanne Crain's Ann, the spoiled, willful daughter who comes to realize that father knows best after all. Clifton Webb, Myrna Loy, Edgar Buchanan and company do fortunately manage to make their characters likable — so much so in fact that you often have the feeling that moments of bright comedy are just around the corner. Alas, the film never really delivers this. The scriptwriter seems determined to stick to the facts – a recipe that many will argue is highly admirable!Nonetheless, there's really no excuse for Lang's dull-as-usual direction. Lang also cops the blame from me for allowing some of the less attractive youngsters to hog the camera to the exclusion of more promising moppets.For me, the film's most entertaining asset turns out not to be Technicolor nor players nor script, but the wonderful music score. Songs include "When You Wore a Tulip" by Jack Mahoney (lyrics) and Percy Wenrich (music); "Memories" by Richard A. Whiting and Frederick Hollander; and Bob Carleton's "Jada, Jada" to which Clifton Webb and Jeanne Crain dance their famous "Toddle".AVAILABLE on an excellent Fox DVD.

TheLittleSongbird 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

Karl Self I was really forward to this movie. For a number of reasons. First of, I'm a family type of guy and it seemed to be up my street. Then I knew that this movie (and the autobiographic novel behind it) single-handedly created the genre of "large family comedy" (viz The Brady Bunch, etc.) and was eager on seeing the original, which might well have turned out to be the freshest of the fray. Then the plot just seemed promising: a time-and-motion guy having to cope with a chaotic family of thirteen, especially as it was based on a true story. Finally I was looking forward to seeing Myrna Loy, who in this case was promising a strong female lead.OK, well, I was disappointed. This movie was stolid throughout, and the humour pretty lame. Myrna Loy just teletyped her role in, her role consists entirely of looking approvingly at her husband. But worst of all, the movie is often decidedly reactionary. In one scene a birth control advocate is ridiculed for being a birth control advocate. In another, almost breathtakingly un-PC scene that would have made Larry Flint cringe, one of the girls has it explained to her by her heartthrob that he respects her for not putting out because, while he plans to sow as many wild oats as possible before marriage (wink, wink), he will only marry a pure girl. The whore-madonna-complex in living colour.I can see why many people like this movie, it's by no means god-awful, but it was less than I expected.

Neil Doyle CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN is based on the true life experiences of a family with a dozen children, although when watching the film you have to suspect that some of these "events" were embellished for the sake of laughs rather than accuracy. And Clifton Webb, in stiff collar and still bossing everyone around, reminds one of Mr. Belevedere with a family.Still, he's the main reason for watching this highly sentimental illusion of what family life was like in America in the early 20th century. The film itself is no more than a series of vignettes, just glimpses of humorous minor events that happened in a family where the father ruled the roost while the mother (MYRNA LOY) took care of the children and her husband, not necessarily in that order.MYRNA LOY and JEANNE CRAIN (as the oldest daughter), don't have much to do and Crain is a bit simpering and coy in a role she was really too old to play. But most of the kids have some good moments and it's all over in a brisk 86 minutes, so no need to squabble about too many dull moments.If you like CLIFTON WEBB as an eccentric and overbearing efficiency expert, you'll get a lot of amusement from this one.