Review of Life with Father (1947) by Mike L — 01 Sep 2012

A period film set in the late 19th century, NYC, which has Irene Dunne as the wife and William Powell as Father. The family has four sons, a dog, and at least two maids. With four sons the topic at the morning table is about baseball and religion with Father oblivious to everything that goes on around him. Powell plays Father as the business minded husband who thinks he knows what is right and how to run a house but in reality it is his Wife who runs the house. Things get turned around when relatives show up, including a winsome Elizabeth Taylor who as a friend of the Day's cousin gets the eye of the oldest Day son. It is funny and it is not that a play written in the 30's about the time in the 1880's should revolve around politics and religion, the old saying of the more things change the more they stay the same. With the play based on the premise of Father knows best much of the comedy is that tried formula of battle of the sexes.

At this point it has to be pointed out that when Elizabeth Taylor walks down the stairs in her pink sweater all male hearts skip a beat. As we find out about all married couples it is about an equal give and take and this movie shows us that part of the love is that each knows what makes the other tick and how to push their buttons without going over the limit. Both knows what the other are doing, they let them do it, and react as if it it's the opposite of what they want. It's a game but they both are playing it and both like it. Good to hear Henry Travers from It's a Wonderful Life. It is great to see both Dunne and Powell in color, especially Dunne who is one of the rare beauties who became better looking with age.