The Bachelor Father (1931)

Writers:

Edward Childs Carpenter (play)
Laurence E. Johnson (writer)

Release Date:

10 January 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Lonely in his English country estate, Sir Basil decides to gather his grown (albeit illegitimate) children around him in his declining years...

Plot Keywords:

Family Relationships | Male Female Relationship | Airplane Accident | Aviator | Butler

Cast

Marion Davies	...	Antoinette 'Tony' Flagg
Ralph Forbes	...	John Ashley
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Sir Basil Algernon 'Chief' Winterton
Ray Milland	...	Geoffrey Trent
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Richard 'Dick' Berney (as Guinn Williams)
David Torrence	...	Doctor Frank 'Mac' MacDonald
Doris Lloyd	...	Mrs. Julia Webb
Edgar Norton	...	Bolton, the Second Butler
Nina Quartero	...	Maria Credaro (as Nena Quartero)
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Larkin, the Butler
Elizabeth Murray	...	Mrs. 'Aunt Molly' Berney
James Gordon	...	Mr. Carson Creswell, a Lawyer

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved

Company:

Cosmopolitan Productions

Trivia:

The original play opened in New York on 13 February 1928, with C. Aubrey Smith originating the role of Sir Basil.

Goofs:

A man steps out of a room, does some gyrations, and quickly jumps back in.

Quotes:

Sir Basil Algernon 'Chief' Winterton: I am the first man ever to become a father by majority vote.

Movie Connections:

Alternate language version of Père célibataire, Le (1931)

Great Performance by Sir C. Aubrey Smith

A grumpy old baronet, happily unmarried, decides to send for his three grown-up illegitimate children and provide them a home at his manor. To his surprise, he finds himself bonding with his uninhibited American daughter. Can he find satisfaction in his new role as THE BACHELOR FATHER?

This 1931 film, in which he gives a robust performance, marked the arrival at MGM of elderly Sir C. Aubrey Smith, very soon to be one of Hollywood's most valuable character actors. With his great hooked nose & beetling brows, Sir Aubrey looked every inch the part of the duke or general or statesman he would play so often. The acknowledged leader of the British community in Hollywood, Sir Aubrey would also champion the game of criquet in Southern California. He would remain very much in demand in studios all over town, right up to his death in 1948.

The film's top-billed star is Marion Davies. Best remembered today as the mistress of media mogul William Randolph Hearst & the chatelaine of Hearst Castle, the most fabulous residence on the West Coast, she was actually a very talented & pretty comedienne. For a few years, Hearst attempted to make her the queen of MGM (with her own production company & a huge bungalow-dressing room) but the studio already had several other queens - Dressler, Garbo, Shearer, Crawford - and he eventually moved her to Warner Bros. Here Miss Davies gets a chance to joke & clown and her scenes with Sir Aubrey are entertaining.

Her love interest is played by Ralph Forbes, a handsome young British actor who was just starting to find good films (THE TRAIL OF ‘98) as the silent days ended. He had all the qualities for major stardom, but sadly it was not to be. Celebrity would come to Ray Milland, here making one of his first screen appearances. Halliwell Hobbes & Doris Lloyd also appear to advantage.