I think this highly entertaining film is a bit better than Maltin gives it credit for being. More than just a light comedy about the travails of a summer vacation gone wrong, the movie has some hard edges that give it some bite. Among these are the frayed relationships between Hobbs and his elder daughters, the marital difficulties of one of them (bordering almost on being painful to watch), and the mutually hostile relationship of Hobbs with his grandson. Hobbs is no kindly buffoon; a well-meaning but irascible fellow, he has plenty of cutting and sarcastic comments for the family members that cause him so much grief, yet who he obviously cares for. There are some genuinely touching moments throughout the film, especially as Hobbs reconnects with his teen son. The script is excellent, with many sharp edges and plenty of crackling repartee. Stewart, in a fine performance, makes the movie; his expressive face completely reflects the frustrations, disasters, and surprises he encounters, as well as the warmth and pride he feels for his family. The brief narrative voiceovers he supplies (continuations of the letter he dictates at the beginning of the whole flashback movie) are well-placed and witty. Maureen O'Hara is perfect as the well-meaning Mrs. Hobbs. This is a thoroughly enjoyable 60's movie that stands up well to the passing years.
Add a Review
-
rupie15 August 2000
-
ADAM-534 June 1999This is an old-fashioned movie about a married couple's attempt to bring their distant family back together. It's not raunchy, violent or nasty, and its depiction of a mum, dad and children living in a "nuclear" family may seem quaintly out-dated, but Stewart and O'Hara provide warmth and depth. Based on a book by Edward ('Father of the Bride') Streeter, Mr Hobbs is one of this American author's typical small-town, upper-middle class heroes who the whole world and his wife (and Mr Hobbs's own wife)are out to get. Simple mechanical devices, plumbers and visiting luminaries' wives all spell trouble, but somehow Mr Hobbs comes through to win the day. Not the greatest film ever, but for anyone who grew up in the early 60s and wants a reminder of how simple life seemed back then, this is a good film to watch.
-
AaronCapenBanner15 September 2013Jimmy Stewart plays a St. Louis bank executive who goes on vacation with his wife(Maureen O'Hara) and children on a beach front house in California, where his planned romantic getaway with his wife does not go as planned, since the children get involved with their own problems(his lovelorn teenage daughter and young son who only wants to watch television, especially westerns!) On top of that, the plumbing does not work properly at times, especially a water pump with a mind of its own.
Amusing comedy is quite warm and funny, with a charming performance by Jimmy Stewart as the harried father, whose attempts at sailing and bird-watching also meet with mixed results, but film remains a nostalgic comedy of a (sadly) bygone era, but one that can still be enjoyed on DVD whenever the viewer likes. -
pisellimatt28 June 2013I am reading reviews of Mr Hobbs takes a vacation and can't believe some of the stuff I'm reading .. "boring script?" ... "miscasted" .. I firmly believe anyone who doesn't like this movie was not born in the 60's or never took a vacation with his family .. This is a simple story of a simple time .. sorry no sex violence .. Jimmy Stewart doesn't turn into a Zombie ... it's just a pure and simple movie filmed during a pure and simple time .. and yet some of the issues are still here today: family troubles, growing up with braces, identifying and communicating with a Grandfather ..
I smile ear to ear when I see this BECAUSE it doesn't have sex or violence .. it merely transports me to a simpler time when my Mom and Dad poured us all into the back of the station wagon .. me complaining the whole time .. and yet when it was over I was so sad to leave and have memories I still cherish ..
So sad they don't make these type of movies anymore... it simply wouldn't sell ... -
JoeytheBrit20 September 2005Jimmy Stewart was fifty-four when he made this film, and was just beginning to turn into everyone's idea of the perfect Grandpa, while Maureen O'Hara was forty-two and had undergone the transition from fiery young redhead every hot-blooded male would love to tame to mature woman with a touch of sophistication a little like the childhood friend's mother you secretly thought was hot. Together they should make a temperamentally incompatible screen couple but it is probably the scenes they share together that work best in this almost unbearably wholesome comedy.
Stewart plays the eponymous Mr. Hobbs, an harassed bank executive who's a little dismayed to discover the intimate vacation he had been expecting to spend with his wife has become a family get-together of daughters, son-in-laws and grandchildren. The location is a ramshackle old house on the Californian coast that a modern-day family wouldn't spend five minutes in but, with admirable fortitude they make the most of the place and its not long before it begins to feel like a home from home.
Nunally Johnson's script seems to spend most of its time skirting around its more adult strands the marriage difficulties of one daughter, and the roving eye of the other's husband and remains firmly on safer ground, such as the romance of Stewart's awkward brace-wearing daughter and Stewart's trials with stubborn pumps and tipsy guests. In fact, where John Saxon's part as the wayward husband is concerned, it looks suspiciously as if some major chunks of film were left on the cutting room floor. Perhaps the subject matter was considered too risky for a film that jumps through hoops to remain staunchly inoffensive and middle-of-the-road. Of course, there's nothing wrong with clean family fun, but why introduce these more adult strands into a film if you're not going to do anything with them?
Old Pros Stewart and O'Hara give typically reliable performances, although they both have to rely heavily on audience goodwill at times to see them through the slower stretches. John McGiver and Marie Wilson liven things up for a while as a drab couple with guilty secrets, while Fabian's beard probably provides the film's funniest moments, and the whole film benefits from being filmed on location. All in all, if you like gentle old-fashioned humour that makes no demands on the viewer other than a capacity to be easily pleased, you will enjoy this film.
One other thing: unless you enjoy watching a pair of apparently ownerless noses holding conversations from opposite ends of the screen I suggest you attempt to catch a widescreen print. -
hitchcockthelegend1 October 2010Out of 20th Century Fox, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation is directed by Henry Koster and stars James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara. The film is based on a novel by Edward Streeter and also features a popular singer of the time, Fabian. The adaptation for the screen is by Nunnally Johnson, music is from Henry Mancini & William C. Mellor provides photography (location work mostly in California on Laguna Beach and Dana Point). Plot sees Stewart as Hobbs, a harried city business man who after yearning to take his family to the seaside for a vacation, finally gets his wish. However, once arriving at their destination they find that peace and relaxation is hard to come by.
Middle tier Jimmy Stewart piece that merrily skips along without breaking any comedy boundaries. It's framed around all-American family values and tribulations, and even tho the situational comedy set ups are far from fluent, Johnson's script pings with sharp references and gags. Unsurprisingly it's Stewart who carries the main portion of the comedy throughout, both in his dialogue delivery and his visual ticks and mannerisms. Be it laying down a funny walk or pulling faces at the sight of Valerie Varda's cleavage, Stewart's acting prowess finds amusement where others struggle to do so. Maureen O'Hara is pretty as Mrs Hobbs and is good foil for Stewart, but outside of an amusing turn from John McGiver the rest of the cast don't fare so well. With Fabian providing further proof that he should have stuck to singing.
Enjoyable time filler if some what low on the revisit scale. 6/10 -
classicsoncall7 December 2016Well, what married man can't relate to the travails and perils of a family vacation. This picture brought to mind my own family getaways, making me wonder how I didn't break my arm trying to swat the kids fighting in the back seat of the car with the other hand precariously balanced on the steering wheel. Only the Traveling Wilburys managed to ease the trip, as everyone seemed to get into their song called 'End of the Line' with the repeated refrain, 'Well it's alright'. When that one came on, it was like a half time break from all the arguing and 'he started it' beeswax.
With the opening credits, I was intrigued by the mention of Minerva Urecal in the cast. I picture her as a creepy housekeeper from a wide variety of genre films of the Forties, so what does she show up as here? A creepy housekeeper for the Hobbs family with the unlikely name of Brenda. I wish she had more of a role in the story, she could have been put in charge of that little rugrat in the story that kept calling Roger Hobbs (Stewart) 'boompa'. I was surprised Hobbs didn't give him a boompa right up side the head, the kid deserved it.
And speaking of unruly kids, this might be one of the first movies to begin addressing the issue of 'never say no' to them, the fallout of which we're living with today in the form of 'safe spaces' on college campuses and amnesty from the unimaginable horrors of real life. It makes me wonder how my generation managed to grow up normal. But I guess normal is kind of relative, as long as you have the right kind of relatives.
Which apparently, the Hobbses did not. For a family picture, son-in-law Stan (Josh Peine) took it on the lam pretty quickly after arriving at the beach house. I didn't register much of a connection between married daughter Janie (Lili Gentle) and her husband Byron (John Saxon) either, so the family bonding duties fell to Roger and son Danny (Michael Burns), which was actually kind of touching following the frightening lost at sea sequence.
And who should show up for the teenage gals in the audience but era heart throb Fabian as the hip teen Joe Carmody. You know it's funny, I was a teenager in the mid-Sixties myself, and never ran across Fabian in any venue until well past his prime. I have no idea how that could be but that's the story. I had to laugh when he gave the Bobby Darin album to Katey (Lauri Peters) as a going away present; couldn't the film makers have thrown him a bone and come up with a Fabian record?
With the benefit of age and hindsight, this picture has a lot to offer for us older movie viewers, but the best was near the end of the story when Stan, who got a job and reconciled with his wife, used the word 'stoned' to describe the episode with Mr. Turner (John McGiver) over the bathroom fiasco. As best as my memory can serve, 1962 might have been right at the cusp of that word transitioning to refer to pot smokers. Who knows what it might mean in another decade or so? -
The pitfalls of taking a family vacation are depicted in this 1962 comedy with James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara.
The couple trade plans for a vacation in France to a beach house in the west. Everything seems to go wrong from the start. The plumbing stinks and the house is described as being one worse than Dragonwyck.
Both grown daughters show up only to bicker with their husbands.
John McGiver is perfectly cast as an eccentric guest who rather leads a dull life watching birds. Marie Wilson again shows her comedic gift as a dumb blond when she is locked in the bathroom with the Stewart character.
Then there is the teenage daughter who is ashamed of her braces until she finds and falls for Fabian at a dance.
The best part of the movie is that Stewart keeps emphasizing the importance of the family structure. The film goes down as it becomes an inane task of predictable situations and outcomes. -
audiemurph20 December 2011There is nothing wrong or bad about this film; the cast is strong, and the writing acceptable. The problem, frankly, is that it is just not that interesting. However, if we approach this film without high expectations, then we can accept it for what it is: a mildly amusing movie that allows us to sit comfortably with two of our all-time favorite actors, Jimmy Stewart and Maureen O'Hara (although, to be honest, Maureen is not that interesting here either). So, if you love Jimmy Stewart, and want to make a point of seeing every movie he is in, then definitely watch this movie. But be prepared to have to put up with unappealing child actors, badly dated 1960's "teen scenes", and a number of other actors and actresses who we never particularly care about. Luckily, very few scenes indeed do not feature Jimmy Stewart.
Well, I take some of that back; "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" is saved towards the end by the appearance of John McGiver and Marie Wilson as Mr. and Mrs. Turner, a business couple who make a point of being very dull. They are actually pretty funny, especially McGiver, and the scenes featuring these actors save the whole movie from being a completely dreary waste of time. To be fair, Fabian is not bad either, playing his role rather sympathetically; and the family's 1960 Dodge wagon, with its fantastically distinctive grill, is also cool to see.
Particularly annoying is a lengthy sequence in which Jimmy Stewart and his son are piloting a sailboat out of a harbor; this they do with great difficulty, barely missing hitting other boats, and upsetting a water-skier. The problem is, Stewart and his boat are clearly sitting in front of a projection screen. Now I understand that it is much easier and cheaper to film scenes sometimes in front of a projection screen; scenes with people "walking down the street", when they are actually in front of a movie screen showing the sidewalk, are common and harmless enough. But here, the humor of the situation completely depends on us believing that Stewart is hardly able to control his boat, causing several near misses with other boats. The fakeness of the projection is so obvious that the whole scene is just a painfully long (over 2 minutes of this) debacle.
The beach scenes are odd too. Valerie Varda, a Hungarian-born actress, has an accent that is definitely not Hungarian (I grew up surrounded by Hungarians, and can pick up the accent across a room). I don't know what the accent is, but it is very hard to follow; she had a blessedly short acting career after this film. John Saxon appears in a bathing suit, with a shockingly well-built body (if I may say so), and it appears that, though he is married to Jimmy Stewart's daughter, he is on the verge of having an affair with Varda; in the end, though, this idea is not pursued.
One final note: when Stewart's family enters the massive yet run-down vacation house, Stewart goes to climb the stairs; as he takes the first step, he grabs the large knob on top of the railing, and it lifts right up. He stares at it a moment before replacing it; I have to believe that this moment was intended to pay some minor homage to "It's a Wonderful Life", where a similar stair-railing knob comes to symbolizes the crumminess of Stewart's home in that film. -
phillindholm13 September 2005"Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation" is one of the most enjoyable family films ever made. When it was released back in 1962, it was a big hit. But if you are a sophisticate, don't write it off just yet. The plot is simple: Harried St. Louis banker Roger Hobbs (James Stewart) is looking forward to a quiet, romantic vacation with his wife Peggy (Maureen O'Hara) who, unknown to him, has instead opted for a family reunion in a rented Northern California beach house. Not only has she included her teenage daughter Katie and younger son Danny but her married daughters and their families as well. The beach house turns out to be a monstrosity which Hobbs describes as "Dragonwyck". When their daughter Susan and her husband Stan show up with their bratty kids, things quickly get worse. The family is complete when daughter Jane and her husband Byron arrive with their infant daughter. By now, both Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs are somewhat disenchanted with this "family reunion" as Susan and her husband fight until he walks out on them, while Jane's husband takes up with the local bathing suit-clad vamp Manika. Daughter Katie meanwhile, grows more sullen by the day, sulking because of her new braces and brother Danny simply glues himself to the television set. Add an unhappy Finnish maid and you really have a recipe for disaster. But thanks to the delightful performance by Stewart, the laughs come thick and fast. His dry wit enlivens the film and almost single-handedly keeps it alive. And I mean alive because in spite of a capable cast including Fabian, John McGiver and Marie Wilson, the film belongs to Stewart. He does wonders with his hapless father role and keeps the audience in his corner every second. With the support of the eternally beautiful O'Hara (who's hardly anyones idea of a grandmother) and a memorable Henry Mancini score, "Mr. Hobbs" may depict a harrowing "vacation" but it's one the the viewer will thoroughly enjoy taking. The film has just been released on a beautiful widescreen DVD, with an original trailer and a few other extras. Bon Voyage!
-
kenjha20 October 2008Stewart takes his family to the beach house; complications and hilarity ensue. This is a mildly amusing family comedy that plays like a sitcom. Stewart makes the most of his role while O'Hara is lovely as his understanding wife. Pop singer and teen heartthrob Fabian, inexplicably sporting facial whiskers, woos one of Stewart's daughters. In 1962, the year this film was released, Stewart starred in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and McGiver, who plays an unwelcome guest at the beach house here, appeared in "The Manchurian Candidate," arguably the two best films of the year. Unfortunately, none of the magic from those two films rubs off on this lame comedy.
-
lora6416 January 2002All-round pleasant family fare for those who enjoy the ups and downs of family happenings. This easygoing story appeals to both young and old. Roger Hobbs (Jimmy Stewart) is the harried father who longs for a quiet holiday with his wife (Maureen O'Hara) but in the end goes along with her wish to have a family reunion, which turns out to be far from ideal. Quite the contrary, there's plenty of room for a good dose of realism -- personal clashes between his married daughter Susan and husband Stan, while the youngsters get out of control. Scarcely a dull moment throughout. Fabian, as Joe, is a nice addition to the scene and he's more mature here than in his earlier movie, which I happen to like best, "North to Alaska." An old familiar face is Reginald Gardiner, as Reggie, who has been a part of countless film comedies dating back to the 1930s. Settle down with some popcorn and have a good time!
-
planktonrules29 December 2005In the 1960s, Jimmy Stewart did several family films that were just rather bland and, in my opinion, wasted his amazing talents. I am not saying they are BAD films, just imminently forgettable and are best described as "fluff". In other words, while time-passers, they have very little lasting value. The movie does have a few mildly funny moments but that's really about all. In fact, the only reason the film even gets a score of 6 is because Stewart is in the film and he tries his best with the mediocre material. My recommendation is do NOT run out and rent it or buy it but wait until it comes out on cable. This is a far cry from THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE or MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON. It's more like an episode of GIDGET combined with PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES.
-
bgh4816 September 2006"Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" is the best of the 60's Jimmy Stewarwt family father doesn't know best films, much more palatable than the creepy and antiquated "Take Her, She's Mine", where Jimmy worries more than is healthy about Sandra Dee's virginity and where insipid folk songs are considered raunchy and subversive. "Hobbs" will appeal to everyone, from Baby Boomers nostalgic about their childhood, to the greatest generation, who will enjoy Stewart and O'Hara as famous actors, and Gen X's and Y's, if they're hip enough, will appreciate how "cool" Jimmy is. For some inexplicable and annoying reason O'Hara calls her husband "Rog" in that Madison Avenue shorthand way, as though she were a W.A.S.P. executive telling him he's just been fired. Marie Wilson and John McGiver as the eccentric couple are priceless; their scenes with Stewart are hilarious. And for an unexpected poignant moment, the scene in the boat with Stewart and his son is lovely. After watching an eclipse, the son says they should watch the next one together in about 30 years. The expression on Stewart's face, with it's intimations of mortality, is just beautiful. Fabian of course is thrown in for the demographic, but can be tolerated, though I couldn't stand the actress who played the daughter Katey. I recommend "Hobbs" for inclusion in a Jimmy Stewart collection, if only for that boat scene.
-
This has been one of my favorite movies, ever since seeing it at the drive-in when I was eleven. I started holding my mouth just like Katey (pretending I had braces), and dreaming that I, too, would meet Fabian on our family vacation. I still find myself humming "Cream puff, shortcake, sweet stuff, jelly rolls....". And Henry Mancini's soundtrack still is great beach music.
All grown up now, my business is renting beach houses, a vocation partially stimulated by my favorite summer movie. I can't help but compare the old beach shack full of cobwebs and broken plumbing to today's sand castles. This video belongs in every modern beach house, to bring back memories of vacations long ago, or to show the kids how we roughed it in the olden days. -
ma-cortes15 January 2022James Stewart 's recital in which the beleaguered daddy Mr Hobbs , a St. Louis based banker , and his family enjoying vacation to a central California beach-side house and subsequently find themselves get into problems . After long time without a vacation , Mr. Hobbs wants to spend a quiet holiday at the beach along with his wife Peggy Hobbs, (Maureen O'Hara) . Mr. Hobbs wanted the vacation to be a romantic escape for two , but Peggy insisted that it be a family vacation , as she has invited all their family (Natalie Trundy , Josh Peine , John Saxon , Michael Burns...) to stay with them. Mr. Hobbs/James Stewart ought to keep the family order involving in his own home, at the same time he spends time with his amiable wife who also attempts to resolve the familiar squabbles while the entire brood is on the seaside vacation . Rollicking Fun ! Sand, Sea and Sun! Jimmy Takes A Vacation... You Have All The Fun! .The vacation included all their offspring , and their offspring's respective families where applicable !.
The picture turns out to be an attractive comedy , being pretty entertaining and amusing, as the film contains bemusing scenes, continuous laughters and various chuckles with lots of fun . This is the ordinary film about the subgenre of a numerous family that include notorious titles as ¨Yours , mine and ours¨ with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball and recently remade with Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo , ¨Cheaper by the Dozen¨with Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy and its remake ¨Cheaper by the Dozen ¨I¨ and 2¨ with Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt . Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) is well starred by James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara who are especially funny and fine playing the well-meaning parents. This was the first of James Stewart's three ¨harassed father¨ comedies at 20th Century Fox in the early Sixties . There are some funny anecdotes involving plumbing and the likes , but the enterprise is rather a long way from such former James Stewart comic glories. They're well accompanied by a charming support cast , such as : John Saxon , Fabian, Natalie Trundy , Josh Peine , Michael Burns , Reginald Gardiner , Laurie Peters , and usual John McGiver who delivers the best scenes .
The motion picture was professionally directed by Henry Koster , though nothing especial . He was an expert on super-productions and epic biographies , as he proved in : ¨Desiree¨, ¨The Virgin Queen¨, ¨A man called Peter¨, The story of Ruth¨ , ¨The Naked Maja¨ and , of course , ¨The Robe¨. Koster was a veteran Hollywood filmmaker who also made successfully other genres as Wartime : ¨D-Day the sixth of June¨ and comedy genre , in fact he discovered Bud Abbott and Lou Costello working at a nightclub in New York. He returned to Hollywood and convinced Universal to hire them. Their first picture, which featured the "Who's on First" routine , was ¨One Night on the Tropics¨ (1940) . And following others comedies as ¨Inspector General¨ , ¨Bishop's wife¨, ¨Rage of Paris¨ and ¨Mr. Hobbs takes a vacation¨. Rating . 5.5/10. Acceptable and passable . The picture will appeal to James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara fans. -
cgvsluis9 April 2022This is a film about a beachside family vacation in a large old dilapidated Victorian that starts with the patriarch dictating a letter to be read upon his death. There is so much humor...there is just about something for everyone.
The story is based on a novel by Edward Streeter who also wrote Father of the Bride.
Our patriarch, played by the always lovable Jimmy Stewart, had wanted to take a vacation with his lovely wife, played by Maureen O'Hara, but ends up taking a vacation with his entire family including his two elder married daughters, their spouses and children, his fourteen year old daughter who is in a mood and not speaking to anyone because of her newly acquired braces, his son who only wants to watch TV, and their cook who abandons them when she finds out there is no running water!
"I love them dearly, just from different distances."-Mr. Hobbs
"This country needs an un-Edison...someone to un-invent things and the first thing I would un-invent is Television!"-Mr. Hobbs
There are so many wonderful scenes...but my favorite has Jimmy Stewart doing some non-verbal comedy while out birding on an empty stomach at 4:30 in the morning with a man he is supposed to impress so his unemployed Son-in-law can get a job!!!! Hilarious.
"You haven't done much walking have you?" "Only since I was about two."-Mr. Hobbs
I also loved the book discussions with the busty neighbor...both Tolstoy's War and Peace and Herman Melville's Moby Dick! And the discussion of Sherlock Holmes vs the real favorite Nero Wolfe...lots of commentary to unpack there for any book lover!
If you are looking for a funny and fun-loving summer vacation film, this might be for you. I highly recommend this light comedy. -
tim-764-29185628 May 2012Jimmy Stewart is one of my all-time favourite actors and I could watch and listen to him reciting a recipe, let alone starring alongside the unique Maureen O'Hara.
This gentle family comedy is a little Disney-like but as the mild mannered but very much put upon Mr Hobbs, Stewart is perfect, eschewing a decent American wholesomeness but without the sickliness that sometimes accompany such a character from this era.
Blending in neatly the Cary Grant turn in Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House, the Hobbs' escape the big city and end up staying at a falling- down old house on the beach; cue broken everything, that usually can't be fixed, at least not without a great deal of comically extended hassle.
The family encompasses the two Hobbs' children, who obviously do as all youngsters inevitably do - cause as much trouble for their parents as possible. It's quite a long film and afterward, you might be a little annoyed that you spent so long on watching it; the scenes are often extended almost beyond what is reasonable, but at the time you won't notice, let alone mind.
It's quite often shown on Channel/Film 4, where I have just seen it, again. -
A Jerry Wald Production for Company of Artists/20th Century-Fox. Copyright 25 May 1962 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Paramount: 15 June 1962. U.S. release: July 1962. U.K. release: 22 July 1962. 10,350 feet. 115 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: In "Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation", Stewart was playing his own age as banker Roger Hobbs but looking much more spruce than he had for some time. He was felicitously teamed with the redoubtable Maureen O'Hara, playing his wife Peggy who mounts a family reunion at a holiday cottage instead of the quiet vacation he'd been hoping for... Farcical situations (are) helped by the presence of teenagers' favorite, Fabian. The film had surprisingly wide appeal. — Allen Eyles in his excellent biographic book, "James Stewart".
NOTES: Commenced shooting: 21 November 1961. Locations: Carillo Beach, Zuma Beach. Novelist Edward Streeter's most popular novel was "Father of the Bride" (1949).
COMMENT: The idea packs plenty of promise, but only a third of that potential is actually realized on the screen, partly because some of the jests are stretched out way beyond their chuckle-some capacity, but mostly because Henry Koster's direction is so heavy-handed. Ask this guy to boil a two-minute egg and he'll bake it in an oven for a couple of hours.
Nonetheless, the players try hard (perhaps too hard). Some of our favorites can be spotted in support slots. But one of the "stars" of the film is undoubtedly the wonderfully ruinous beach-house itself, "like something out of Edgar Allan Poe," as James Stewart's character tartly comments.
In all, reasonably entertaining, but it could have been better! -
masonfisk6 December 2021A 1962 James Stewart vehicle which takes the same route as the Cary Grant/Myrna Loy film Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House where here a vacationing family settles into a beachfront manse only to suffer the plagues of the damned (a feisty water boiler which doesn't work, a maid who wants no part of this vacay, 2 non-attentive kids, a comely Swedish neighbor almost always bikini clad eying poor Stewart, etc.). When the married kids show up w/their own brood & also another couple who're considering one of the jobless son-in-law's for a position, things get more complicated but by film's end, the family's harmony is assured w/another vacation to be had. Nothing especially remarkable here, other than a duet sung by Fabian & Stewart's lovelorn daughter at a diner, the film is on an even coast to its predictable finale. Also starring Maureen O'Hara as Stewart's wife, Natalie Trundy (she was in a few of the original Planet of the Apes films) as one of his daughters, the late, great John Saxon as one of his son-in-law's & John McGiver as a potential employer.
-
tarnower9 February 2018I always watch this movie when I can. There's so many perfect situations in it.
Most of the reviews have gone over the family dynamic involved. People nowadays don't know the significance of ground breaking movies in those days. This movie may have been the first glimpse of a reunited family that didn't step out of a Norman Rockwell painting. They have real life problems with finances, fidelity and maintaining a cohesive family unit.
There are some perfectly defined moments in the film. Hobbs marveling at a 50 year old light bulb, or the maid quitting because she misunderstood him when he said he was going to get "some sun on the beach".
The one scene that chokes me up every time is when Stewart shows O'Hara the $5 bill that Fabian returned to him after the dance. -
paulccarroll320 December 2020This film probably won't be enjoyed much unless you're a baby boomer. It's not hilarious, but is gently humorous, and brings back memories of what it was like in the 50s, and early 60s, before so many of the great cultural changes of the late 60s. A lot like "Father of the bride", but not as much. For one thing it reminds me of family vacations that we went on every summer, that I wasn't able to take my own family on in the 80s and 90s. Whoever had time off from work at the same time that you had enough money to actually go and do anything? A big regret, those family vacations are some of the most treasured memories of my childhood. Also, I first saw this film in a local theater. My family usually only went to 1 movie a year, to celebrate my mothers' birthday. Usually it was a Disney film. I'm sure my parents thought this was a family friendly film. I'm sure they were a little surprised when this movie had 1 "Damn, 1 Hell, 1 Oh God!, and 1 "Sun on the beach". My mother had been scandalized by Rhett Butlers' "I don't give a damn". But those words didn't register with me back then, and I was a little too young to get the adult humor of the story. But now I enjoy seeing this film every once in a while, just to be reminded of the way things used to be.
-
earlytalkie23 December 2011As of this writing, "Hobbs" is approaching it's fiftieth anniversary. I saw this for the first time in the summer of 1962 as a nine-year old and loved it then. I love it to this day. The film plays somewhat like a widescreen color sitcom made for the theater. It is episodic in nature, but hen so is "Auntie Mame", another favorite of mine. There are laugh-out-loud moments and quiet, heartwarming moments mixed in equal measure to produce a family film that is very satisfying to watch. The cast is uniformly good with special mention to John Macgiver and Marie Wilson as the hilarious Turners, and Minerva Urecal as the Hobbs' dragon-like housekeeper. James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara spark some real chemistry here, and the production is easy on the eyes with some lovely location shooting, and wrapped up in a classic Henry Mancini score that will leave you humming the title song.
-
SimonJack22 November 2016This is the first of two films that James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara made together. The other was "The Rare Breed," a 1966 Western. Stewart was 54 when this film was made, and he plays Roger Hobbs, a man about that age. O'Hara was just 42 at the time, a few years below the likely age of Peggy Hobbs. But, she looks the middle-aged mother and young grandmother part quite well. The Hobbs's have four children, including two adult girls who are marred with families. The young teen girl at home, Katey (played by Lauri Peters), is of the generation that thought their parents were so immature. And a younger son, Danny (played by Michael Burns), who is glued to the TV and the daytime black and white Westerns of the day.
"Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" is based on a 1954 novel of the same name by Edward Streeter. His 1949 novel, "Father of the Bride," was one of the best of the best sellers of 1949. The next year, it was made into the smash comedy film that starred Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor.
"Mr. Hobbs" is a decent comedy about one aspect of family life in the mid-20th century – the family summer vacation. But, anyone who has seen "National Lampoon's Vacation" of 1983, shouldn't expect the same hilarious fare in "Mr. Hobbs." This is much more sedate, and centers around a father and husband who feels put upon by his family members. But, after the grumbling and his fatherly support for different characters, he comes away satisfied. There aren't a lot of laughs here, but it has some funny scenarios and warm humor.
The rest of the cast are fine in their roles. Fabian was just 19 when this movie was made, but already he was a singing hit and teen idol. The Hobbs drove from St. Louis to a friend's beach house at Emerald Bay just south of San Francisco. There is a real Emerald Bay but it's south of Los Angeles. The filming was done along the southern California coast. I can't imagine where they found the ancient beach house. I've never seen anything like it anywhere along the California Coast, but it does resemble older beach homes one might see on the Outer Banks or elsewhere along the North Carolina coast.
Stewart's Hobbs had planned on a month vacation alone with his wife in Europe or on the Mediterranean. But she had her heart set on a family reunion vacation. So, off they went to meet up with the two daughters out of the nest, and their families. Oh, yes, they also took their maid and cook, Brenda (played by Minerva Urecal), with them. Part of the humor of the film comes from Brenda's leaving the beach house because of the poor plumbing and water problems, and because Roger swore at her (she thought). That led to the funniest lines (repeated) in the film.
Peggy, "Did you really swear at hear?" Roger, "I've never sworn at a cook in my life." Peggy, "Well, she said that you did when you came downstairs this morning." Roger, "This morning, when I came I never even spoke to her. I asked the kids how they'd like a little sun on the beach, and then ."
Peggy wanted Roger to get better acquainted with one of their sons-in- law. "I know you haven't got very much in common with him, but couldn't you at least ask him about his work?" she asked. Roger replied, "Well, honey, what can you possibly ask a biophysicist?"
The movie opens with Roger dictating a letter to be given to his wife after his death. He recounts the vacation just completed. "There is no man alive who believes more devoutly than I do that the family is the rock upon which civilization is built." At the end of the film, his secretary asks him if she could tear up her dictation now that he has gotten it off his chest. He tells her she might as well because they have already committed to the beach house for a month the next year.
Modern audiences may not enjoy this film as much. It may be too slow for some. But, for those who grew up, or were reaching their adult years around then, the film will satisfy any lingering nostalgia about the "good old days." -
moonspinner5510 March 2013Clean-cut suburban clan, steadily splintering due to outside interests, grows closer during a summer at the beach after Pop rents a ramshackle manor on the shoreline. James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara are a nice (if curiously low-keyed) marital match in this featherweight diversion for families, adapted from Edward Streeter's book by the esteemed Nunnally Johnson. There aren't many big laughs, but a teenage dance sequence (with Stewart paying boys five dollars each to dance with his daughter) is played very well, and a bit of slapstick near the end (involving Stewart locked in a bathroom with a tippling nude woman) is silly but lively. O'Hara was getting to be rather ubiquitous during this era, always playing hot-tempered wifeys; here she's softer and more subdued, and this appears to have an affect on Stewart, reigning-in his tics and mannerisms. The kids are tolerable, but the grown-ups are the reason to watch. ** from ****