Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Henry Koster

Writers:

Edward Streeter (novel)
Nunnally Johnson (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 June 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Tagline:

Jimmy Takes A Vacation... You Have All The Fun!

Plot:

Mr. Hobbs wants to spend a quiet holiday at the beach, but his wife has invited all their family to stay with them.

Plot Keywords:

Vacation | Beach | Husband Wife Relationship | Houseguest | House

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

James Stewart	...	Roger Hobbs
Maureen O'Hara	...	Peggy Hobbs
Fabian	...	Joe
John Saxon	...	Byron
Marie Wilson	...	Mrs. Emily Turner
Reginald Gardiner	...	Reggie McHugh
Lauri Peters	...	Katey Hobbs
Valerie Varda	...	Marika
Lili Gentle	...	Janie
John McGiver	...	Mr. Martin Turner
Natalie Trundy	...	Susan
Josh Peine	...	Stan
Minerva Urecal	...	Brenda, Hobbs' Maid
Michael Burns	...	Danny Hobbs
Richard Collier	...	Mr. Kagle

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #20189) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Dana Point, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The station wagon used in the film is a 1960 Dodge Seneca.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the car approaches Hobbes and Turner during their bird watching expedition, they are walking in the middle of the road, effectively blocking traffic. In the next shot, the car has room to go around them.

Quotes:

Mr. Martin Turner: Who took these?
Roger Hobbs: Peggy. She does all the photography around here.
Mr. Martin Turner: Wha'd she use?
Roger Hobbs: A camera.
Mr. Martin Turner: Asterbex?
Roger Hobbs: Probably.

Movie Connections:

References Dragonwyck (1946)

Soundtrack:

Cream Puff

GREAT FAMILY FILM-sigh--"things were so much simpler then"

Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation is delightful from beginning to end. It's a vacation none of us would mind taking. Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs are somewhat "with it" parents, with a child in each generation, young and old, each with their own problems. They grow up so quickly. Mrs. Hobbs uses the excuse of a summer vacation, in a shack of a shore house, to bring them all closer together before their individual roads (which they are already traveling) lead them further away from "home".

The rental home is a shambles and the "family" doesn't cooperate with "the plan". Leave it to the "deadpan" Stewart, problem solver and loving dad, to close the gap with each child (and their own broods), and re-unite them all back into one big, happy family.

Stewart plays the most unimportant member of the family, DAD, for all it's worth. Nicknamed "Boom-pa" ("Boom-pa, couldn't you do better for your old man?" jokingly(?) insulted) by one of his grandchildren, bird watching with John McGiver ("What kind of bird is that?"..always a "Barn Swallow"), and playing with his temperamental Rube Goldberg water pump, Stewart is the centerpiece to this amusing and warm film. (Maureen plays a really sexy grandma too...)

PS--- FABIAN, as the teenaged love interest of Mr.Hobb's daughter (the one with the "new" braces on her teeth), gets to sing too. The "little summer romance" is a plus for his many female fans.