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Miriam Wilkins, teen-age daughter of Senator Wilkins, starts a Society for the Rahabilitation of Criminals and, without the approval or knowledge of the Senator, elects him to the position of honorary president. When a new gardener, Bacter, of the family turns out to be an notorious ex-convict who was sentenced to prison by Senator Wilkins when he was a judge, Wilkins is about to fire him until his daughter point out that would be an unwise decision considering the position her father held on her society. Further complications arise involving a fuss-budget banker, Albert, a former suitor of Miriam's older, married sister, plus some domestic misunderstandings between Baxter and his wide, and the older sister and her husband.
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Totally Delightful Lost Classic
This is a near farce about a teenager who decides to rehabilitate a criminal by hiring him to work at her father's home. Her father was the judge that sentenced him.
I looked at this because Of Natalie Wood. She was only in the film for the last 20 minutes and only for about 10 minutes screen time. Yet,I wasn't at all disappointed. She's terrific in her few scenes.
There are three delightful performances here. Edward Arnold (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). He plays a senator who is also a thoughtful man and loving father. He's wonderfully relaxed in the role. Billy DeWolfe is one of the few obviously gay actors in Hollywood films of the 40's and 50's. Usually he is just given a couple of scenes as comic relief. Here is plays a significant role in the plot and mugs deliciously through every scene. Mona Freeman is the real star. She is hilarious as the sincere, liberal with a heart of gold who wants to reform all criminals through love and understanding. In a way she foreshadows Gale Storm in "My Little Margy." and Ann Margaret in "Bye, Bye, Birdie." William Seiter directed the classic Astaire-Rodgers film "Roberta". He keeps the laughs coming with a clean clear simple directing style.
If you want to see a beautiful piece of Americana from 1951, this is the film. It may not be Frank Capra, but this film seems to be taking place in the next town over from Pottersville.
It is a gentle giggle from start to finish.
I looked at this because Of Natalie Wood. She was only in the film for the last 20 minutes and only for about 10 minutes screen time. Yet,I wasn't at all disappointed. She's terrific in her few scenes.
There are three delightful performances here. Edward Arnold (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). He plays a senator who is also a thoughtful man and loving father. He's wonderfully relaxed in the role. Billy DeWolfe is one of the few obviously gay actors in Hollywood films of the 40's and 50's. Usually he is just given a couple of scenes as comic relief. Here is plays a significant role in the plot and mugs deliciously through every scene. Mona Freeman is the real star. She is hilarious as the sincere, liberal with a heart of gold who wants to reform all criminals through love and understanding. In a way she foreshadows Gale Storm in "My Little Margy." and Ann Margaret in "Bye, Bye, Birdie." William Seiter directed the classic Astaire-Rodgers film "Roberta". He keeps the laughs coming with a clean clear simple directing style.
If you want to see a beautiful piece of Americana from 1951, this is the film. It may not be Frank Capra, but this film seems to be taking place in the next town over from Pottersville.
It is a gentle giggle from start to finish.
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THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; Dear Brat,' Starring Mona Freeman and Billy De Wolfe, Opens at the Paramount
The predominantly youthful audience that crowded the Paramount Theatre yesterday for the obviously paramount purpose of seeing Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis on the stage was incidentally treated to an equally scatterbrained display of juvenile stuff and nonsense in the so-called attraction on the screen. It is an off-hand conglomeration of domestic farce, entitled "Dear Brat," which continues the characters if not the humor of the previous "Dear Ruth" and "Dear Wife."In this sequential saga of the Wilkins family, which Devery Freeman has contrived pretty much as though he were advancing a "soap opera" on the radio, the previous romantic principals, Ruth and Bill, have been "written out," with the farcical focus now centered upon Miriam, the earnest kid sis. And the traffic in nonsense is developed out of Miriam's bringing home as gardener a handsome young parolee whom her father had previously sentenced to jail.From this situation, Mr. Freeman has frantically derived a scramble of complications that Director William Seiter tries to spin. Mona Freeman as Miriam starts things rolling and Edward Arnold as her father shoots them along like hot potatoes to Mary Philips, as the mother, and Billy DeWolfe, as the old family friend. As a matter of fact, most of the nonsense is best transported by Mr. DeWolfe, who at least has the head-start advantage of being thoroughly established as an oaf. Lyle Bettger plays the parolee with a solemn and cynical air, which well can be understood in any jailbird who is suddenly exposed to this brood. And William Regnolds is the high-school athlete whom Miriam has picked up as a beau.It is plain, however, that the absence of the love-birds, Ruth and Bill—and particularly of the previous writers—has damaged the Wilkins family's wit and has considerably deteriorated the natural good humor of the tribe. Now they are down on the level of mugging and slugging slap-stick farce, which the Martin and Lewis audience appeared to be pleased with yesterday.In addition to the popular comedians, the stage show at the Paramount includes Helen O'Connell, Barr and Estes, the Mayo Brothers and Dick Stabile and his orchestra.
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MY WEB PAGE TO NATALIE WOOD
