IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
Old man invites three of his illegitimate children to live with him.Old man invites three of his illegitimate children to live with him.Old man invites three of his illegitimate children to live with him.
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams
- Richard 'Dick' Berney
- (as Guinn Williams)
Nina Quartero
- Maria Credaro
- (as Nena Quartero)
Harry Allen
- Harry, the First Airplane Mechanic
- (uncredited)
Rina De Liguoro
- Hortense
- (uncredited)
Bobbie Hale
- Second Airplane Mechanic
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Robert Z. Leonard(uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe original play opened in New York on 13 February 1928 at the Belasco Theater, with C. Aubrey Smith originating the role of Sir Basil; it ran for 263 performances.
- Goofs(at around 35 mins) A young man who does not appear elsewhere in the film is seen prominently on the stairway, center frame, with his arms in the air; it appears he has has just finished clapping his hands. Then he quickly ducks into the doorway to the library set. The camera holds on the empty staircase for six seconds, then Tony Marion Davies descends the stairs.
- Quotes
Sir Basil Algernon 'Chief' Winterton: I am the first man ever to become a father by majority vote.
- Alternate versionsThe French version eliminated the scene inserted to make clear all of Sir Basil's children was legitimate.
- ConnectionsAlternate-language version of Le père célibataire (1931)
Featured review
A little creaky, but Davies is endearing
The premise to this film is pretty unique, and clearly pre-Code. An old British gentlemen boasts to his doctor that he's had affairs with women all over the world, resulting in adult children he's never met. While irascible, he's perfectly happy with his life and doesn't want to "fill this place with a lot of noisy ill-bred brats," but is persuaded to summon three of them to his manor.
One of the kids is a plucky American girl played by Marion Davies, who sasses her father and gradually softens him in spite of himself. C. Aubrey Smith is the dad and fun to watch, as his strong appearance and mannerisms are perfect for the role. The other two kids are played by Nina Quartero and a dapper 24-year-old Ray Milland; both are engaging, but their roles are small. After doing things like dance around the place with her siblings, Davies agrees to call their father Chief, because after all, "We're all out of the same firehose," which was funny and eyebrow-raising at the same time.
The film is a little creaky in places, with poor sound quality and clearly based on a stage play, so it's far from perfect and requires patience. It attempts comedy, romance, and drama, and I can't say it does a great job at any of them, though the moment with the airplane towards the end is pretty good, and on the strength of Davies' endearing performance, it's decent enough. My favorite lines from her: "You said you loved me, and so did John. But as soon as I do something wrong, I'm out. That isn't the way I love. When I love somebody, no matter what the other party does, I go on loving them just the same. That's the way I am."
One of the kids is a plucky American girl played by Marion Davies, who sasses her father and gradually softens him in spite of himself. C. Aubrey Smith is the dad and fun to watch, as his strong appearance and mannerisms are perfect for the role. The other two kids are played by Nina Quartero and a dapper 24-year-old Ray Milland; both are engaging, but their roles are small. After doing things like dance around the place with her siblings, Davies agrees to call their father Chief, because after all, "We're all out of the same firehose," which was funny and eyebrow-raising at the same time.
The film is a little creaky in places, with poor sound quality and clearly based on a stage play, so it's far from perfect and requires patience. It attempts comedy, romance, and drama, and I can't say it does a great job at any of them, though the moment with the airplane towards the end is pretty good, and on the strength of Davies' endearing performance, it's decent enough. My favorite lines from her: "You said you loved me, and so did John. But as soon as I do something wrong, I'm out. That isn't the way I love. When I love somebody, no matter what the other party does, I go on loving them just the same. That's the way I am."
helpful•30
- gbill-74877
- Jun 18, 2019
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Papá solterón
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $502,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
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