You Can't Take It with You (1938)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

George S. Kaufman (play) and
Moss Hart (play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 December 1938 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

You'll love them all for giving you the swellest time you've ever had!

Plot:

A good-natured but decidedly eccentric family meets a new friend.

Plot Keywords:

House | Stenographer | Love | Eccentric | Friend

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Jean Arthur	...	Alice Sycamore
Lionel Barrymore	...	Grandpa Martin Vanderhof
James Stewart	...	Tony Kirby
Edward Arnold	...	Anthony P. Kirby
Mischa Auer	...	Boris Kolenkhov
Ann Miller	...	Essie Carmichael
Spring Byington	...	Penny Sycamore
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Paul Sycamore
Donald Meek	...	Poppins
H.B. Warner	...	Ramsey
Halliwell Hobbes	...	DePinna
Dub Taylor	...	Ed Carmichael
Mary Forbes	...	Mrs. Anthony P. Kirby
Lillian Yarbo	...	Rheba
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson	...	Donald (as Eddie Anderson)
Clarence Wilson	...	John Blakely
Josef Swickard	...	Professor
Ann Doran	...	Maggie O'Neill
Christian Rub	...	Schmidt
Bodil Rosing	...	Mrs. Schmidt
Charles Lane	...	Wilbur G. Henderson, IRS Agent
Harry Davenport	...	Judge
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jimmy Anderson	...	Porter in Bank (uncredited)
Eugene Anderson Jr.	...	Bobby (uncredited)
Stanley Andrews	...	Attorney to Kirby at Arraignment (uncredited)
William Arnold	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Frank Austin	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Dorothy Babb	...	Child Dancer (uncredited)
Irving Bacon	...	Henry, the Head Waiter (uncredited)
Harry A. Bailey	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Joseph E. Bernard	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Gladys Blake	...	Mary (uncredited)
Beatrice Blinn	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Ward Bond	...	Mike, the Detective (uncredited)
Joe Bordeaux	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Charles Brinley	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Gloria Browne	...	Child Dancer (uncredited)
James Burke	...	Chief Detective (uncredited)
Eddy Chandler	...	Plainclothes Policeman (uncredited)
Wallis Clark	...	Bill Hughes (uncredited)
Chester Clute	...	Hammond (uncredited)
Nick Copeland	...	Barber (uncredited)
Anne Cornwall	...	Miss Jones, Blakely's Secretary (uncredited)
Nell Craig	...	Blakely's Inquisitive Office Worker (uncredited)
Beatrice Curtis	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Dick Curtis	...	Strongarm Man (uncredited)
Sidney D'Albrook	...	Trustee (uncredited)
Howard Davies	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Lew Davis	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Edgar Dearing	...	Bill, Plainclothes Policeman (uncredited)
Vernon Dent	...	Expressman (uncredited)
Kay Deslys	...	Woman (uncredited)
Homer Dickenson	...	Man (uncredited)
Bill Dill	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Florence Dudley	...	Woman (uncredited)
Roland Dupree	...	Child Dancer (uncredited)
Edward Earle	...	Bank Manager (uncredited)
Oliver Eckhardt	...	Man (uncredited)
Jim Farley	...	Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Betty Farrington	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Eddie Fetherston	...	Worried Neighbor (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty	...	Police Guard at Courtroom Entrance (uncredited)
Kitty Flanagan	...	Woman (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	Jailer (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Martin's Neighbor in Courtroom (uncredited)
Sterrett Ford	...	Man (uncredited)
Byron Foulger	...	Kirby's Assistant (uncredited)
Almeda Fowler	...	Woman (uncredited)
Dick French	...	Bank Clerk (uncredited)
Jack Gardner	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Joe Geil	...	Child Dancer (uncredited)
Jack Grant	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Jesse Graves	...	Man (uncredited)
Robert Greig	...	Lord Melville (uncredited)
Carlton Griffin	...	Bank Clerk (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	Inmate Wearing Black Cap (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Guard (uncredited)
John Hamilton	...	Kirby's Dining Guest (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Diner (uncredited)
Edward Hearn	...	Court Attendant (uncredited)
Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian	...	Ice Man (uncredited)
Russell Hicks	...	Attorney to Kirby (uncredited)
Harry Hollingsworth	...	Doorman (uncredited)
John Ince	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Paul Irving	...	Office Manager (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin	...	Attorney to Kirby at Arraignment (uncredited)
Eddie Kane	...	Attorney to Kirby (uncredited)
Edward Keane	...	Board Member (uncredited)
Alice Keating	...	Woman (uncredited)
Pert Kelton	...	Inmate (uncredited)
Louis King	...	Man (uncredited)
Bob Kortman	...	Man (uncredited)
William Lally	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Stella LeSaint	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Margaret Mann	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Tina Marshall	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Edwin Maxwell	...	Attorney to Kirby (uncredited)
Ralph McCullough	...	Man (uncredited)
Eva McKenzie	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Charles McMurphy	...	Guard (uncredited)
James Millican	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Trustee (uncredited)
Bruce Mitchell	...	Policeman in Park (uncredited)
Clive Morgan	...	Man (uncredited)
Gene Morgan	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Arthur Murray	...	Elevator Boy (uncredited)
Wedgwood Nowell	...	Diner (uncredited)
Dagmar Oakland	...	Woman (uncredited)
Georgia O'Dell	...	Woman (uncredited)
Fred Parker	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Blanche Payson	...	Matron (uncredited)
George C. Pearce	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Neighbor Helping with Move (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Hilda Plowright	...	Lady Melville (uncredited)
Ed Randolph	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Doris Rankin	...	Mrs. Leach (uncredited)
Frances Raymond	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Hilda Rhodes	...	Woman (uncredited)
Gale Ronn	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Marion C. Rotolo	...	Accordion Player (uncredited)
Nell Roy	...	Woman (uncredited)
Dick Rush	...	Bank Guard (uncredited)
Cy Schindell	...	Man (uncredited)
Harry Semels	...	Man (uncredited)
Frank Shannon	...	Mac (uncredited)
C.L. Sherwood	...	Drunk (uncredited)
Ernest Shields	...	Man (uncredited)
Bruce Sidney	...	Bank Clerk (uncredited)
S.S. Simon	...	Man at jail (uncredited)
Harry Stafford	...	Bank Clerk (uncredited)
Edwin Stanley	...	Executive (uncredited)
Bert Starkey	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Belle Stoddard	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Jane Talent	...	Woman (uncredited)
Carlie Taylor	...	Bank Clerk (uncredited)
Rosemary Theby	...	Woman (uncredited)
Patty Thomas	...	Child Dancer (uncredited)
Victor Travers	...	Man (uncredited)
Laura Treadwell	...	Kirby's Dining Guest (uncredited)
John Tyrrell	...	Strongarm Man (uncredited)
Pearl Varvalle	...	Woman (uncredited)
Dorothy Vernon	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Bess Wade	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Walter Walker	...	Gov. Leach (uncredited)
Pierre Watkin	...	Attorney to Kirby (uncredited)
Gertrude Weber	...	Woman (uncredited)
Pat West	...	Expressman (uncredited)
Larry Wheat	...	Kirby's Secretary (uncredited)
Bud Wiser	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Ian Wolfe	...	Kirby's Secretary (uncredited)
Billy Wolfstone	...	Child Dancer (uncredited)
Alex Woloshin	...	Russian General in Jail (uncredited)

Directed by
Frank Capra

Writing credits
George S. Kaufman		(play) and
Moss Hart		(play)
Robert Riskin		(screenplay)

Produced by
Frank Capra	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
Joseph Walker		(photography)

Film Editing by
Gene Havlick

Art Direction by
Stephen Goosson		(as Stephen Goossón)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur S. Black Jr.	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Lionel Banks	....	associate art director

Camera and Electrical Department
Irving Lippman	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene	....	gowns: Miss Arthur
Bernard Newman	....	gowns: Miss Arthur

Music Department
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director
Mischa Bakaleinikoff	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Ben Oakland	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Max Reese	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1938) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Sony Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Cult & Classic (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation  presents
• Sunset Gower Studios  sound stages

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor High Fidelity Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:6 | UK:U | USA:Unrated | Australia:G

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The song "Polly Wolly Doodle" is played on the harmonica by Lionel Barrymore (and Edward Arnold) several times in this film. A variation of the same song is sung by Bette Davis' (Apple Annie) crew towards the end of Pocketful of Miracles (1961) as they are riding in a cab to see Ann-Margret off on her honeymoon.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the jail scene, Mr. Vanderhof changes his position in relation to his crutches abruptly, first holding them, then leaning on them, and then holding them again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Doorman: Good morning, Mr. Kirby.
Anthony P. Kirby: Good morning.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1990) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Polly Wolly Doodle

Welcome To A Home Where You'll Feel Loved & Wanted

Take a large free-spirited family without visible means of support. Add a large mean-spirited tycoon intent on taking over their neighborhood. Mix in a romance between their daughter & his son. Sprinkle with zaniness & bake for two hours. Enjoy while hot.

This is one of those big comedy productions with a huge cast that only someone like Frank Capra could have pulled off. That he did so, winning the 1938 Best Picture Oscar, is immensely to his credit.

Hobbling on the crutches that signaled the crippling arthritis that would soon confine him to a wheelchair, Lionel Barrymore is the focal point of the film as the grandfather of a wacky clan that believes in doing whatever makes them happy. So they dance, make fireworks, bake candy, paint, write novels, and construct toys with equal joy - laughing through the Depression with much love & great contentment. Jean Arthur, James Stewart & Edward Arnold co-star, with a mammoth cast of supporting players.

This is the movie for viewers who want to feel warm & safe & cuddled & protected.