Cheaper by the Dozen (1950 film)
| Cheaper by the Dozen | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Walter Lang |
| Produced by | Lamar Trotti |
| Screenplay by | Lamar Trotti |
| Based on |
Cheaper by the Dozen 1948 novel by Ernestine Gilbreth Carey Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. |
| Starring |
Clifton Webb Myrna Loy Jeanne Crain Betty Lynn |
| Narrated by | Jeanne Crain |
| Music by | Cyril J. Mockridge |
| Cinematography | Leon Shamroy |
| Edited by | James Watson Webb, Jr. |
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Production
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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85 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4,425,000 (US) |
Cheaper by the Dozen is a 1950 Technicolor film based upon the autobiographical book Cheaper by the Dozen (1948) by Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. The film and book describe growing up in a family with twelve children, in Montclair, New Jersey.
The parents are the time and motion study and efficiency experts Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Sr. (Clifton Webb) and psychologist Lillian Moller Gilbreth (Myrna Loy). The title comes from one of Gilbreth's favorite jokes, which played out in the movie, that when he and his family were out driving and stopped at a red light, a pedestrian would ask: "Hey, Mister! How come you got so many kids?" Gilbreth would pretend to ponder the question carefully, and then, just as the light turned green, would say: "Well, they come cheaper by the dozen, you know", and drive off.
The story opens with typical days in the lives of a family in the 1920s, with 12 children and an efficiency engineer as the parent. This includes scenes where Frank employs his unorthodox teaching methods on his children, and classic clashes between conservative parents and their children's desire for more freedom (flashier clothing, make up, etc.). Frank takes every opportunity to study motion and increase efficiency, and even films his children's tonsillectomies to see if there are ways to streamline the operation.
After Frank's death, the family agrees that Lillian will continue with her husband's work; this enables the family to remain in their house (rather than move to their grandmother's in California), although, with a widowed working mother and one income, the children will have to assume much greater responsibilities.
Because of the success of Cheaper by the Dozen, Gilbreth and Carey wrote a follow-up to their book, entitled Belles on Their Toes (1950), which was made into a 1952 movie by 20th Century Fox. Also, the film was remade 53 years later starring Comedians Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt.
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