... and had it not been for that aspect and good performances by the cast, this probably would have been a 5/10.
John Parker (Lewis Stone) is a recently divorced archaeologist and father of two sons. He invites his sons out on his latest dig in the desert southwest. When his youngest son, Terry (Jackie Cooper), returns home he finds a greatly changed domestic situation. His mother has married a local physician, Dr. Shumaker (Conrad Nagel). They live in a different house, and the doctor says he is Terry's new dad. This is not too shocking if you understand that, at the time, in the case of divorce fathers usually just completely exited their childrens' lives. Even in the case of death of the mother, an aunt would usually take over raising the children and the father would still exit the chidrens' lives other than providing material support.
Terry and Shumaker, from the beginning, rub each other the wrong way. Shumaker admits that since he has never been a parent and has been a lifelong bachelor up to this point that he has a lot to learn, but he treats Terry too much like a patient, trying to regulate what he does and what he eats past what you'd expect a controlling mother to do. He means well, but he smothers the boy in some ways and ignores him in others. When Terry's much older brother Al returns home from military school Terry is expecting some relief and some back up, but then Al falls for the girl next door and forgets all about Terry. Complications ensue.
Watching this film right after viewing "Skippy" I can really appreciate Norman Taurog's tight direction in that film. This film meanders too much, and Cooper's performance gets too whiney at times. Lewis Stone is good as the father of the two boys, but it is unclear why he abandoned his dig in the southwest to move back to his cabin near to where his sons live in order to be near them and then doesn't let them know he is there until he has been there a long time, like he is some sort of "ghost of dad".
John Parker (Lewis Stone) is a recently divorced archaeologist and father of two sons. He invites his sons out on his latest dig in the desert southwest. When his youngest son, Terry (Jackie Cooper), returns home he finds a greatly changed domestic situation. His mother has married a local physician, Dr. Shumaker (Conrad Nagel). They live in a different house, and the doctor says he is Terry's new dad. This is not too shocking if you understand that, at the time, in the case of divorce fathers usually just completely exited their childrens' lives. Even in the case of death of the mother, an aunt would usually take over raising the children and the father would still exit the chidrens' lives other than providing material support.
Terry and Shumaker, from the beginning, rub each other the wrong way. Shumaker admits that since he has never been a parent and has been a lifelong bachelor up to this point that he has a lot to learn, but he treats Terry too much like a patient, trying to regulate what he does and what he eats past what you'd expect a controlling mother to do. He means well, but he smothers the boy in some ways and ignores him in others. When Terry's much older brother Al returns home from military school Terry is expecting some relief and some back up, but then Al falls for the girl next door and forgets all about Terry. Complications ensue.
Watching this film right after viewing "Skippy" I can really appreciate Norman Taurog's tight direction in that film. This film meanders too much, and Cooper's performance gets too whiney at times. Lewis Stone is good as the father of the two boys, but it is unclear why he abandoned his dig in the southwest to move back to his cabin near to where his sons live in order to be near them and then doesn't let them know he is there until he has been there a long time, like he is some sort of "ghost of dad".