''Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation'' is a 1962 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Henry Koster Henry Koster (born Hermann Kosterlitz, May 1, 1905 – September 21, 1988) was a German-born film director. He was the husband of actress Peggy Moran. Early life Koster was born to Jewish parents in Berlin, Germany. He was introduced to ci ...

and starring

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...

and

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for pl ...

. The film is based on the novel ''Mr. Hobbs' Vacation'', by

Edward Streeter Edward Streeter (August 1, 1891 – March 31, 1976), sometimes credited as E. Streeter, was an American novelist and journalist, best known for the 1949 novel '' Father of the Bride'' and his ''Dere Mable'' series. Biography Streeter was ...

and features a popular singer of the time, Fabian.

Plot

Roger Hobbs is an overworked banker who reflects on his recent vacation. Originally, he and his wife Peggy were to travel overseas alone together, but Peggy instead arranges a seaside holiday, which includes their two grown daughters Susan and Janie, teenage daughter Katey, teenage son Danny, family cook, sons-in-law, and young grandchildren. When Roger and Peggy reach their vacation destination, they find a dilapidated beach house with rotting steps. The shared telephone line and unreliable plumbing are running gags throughout the film. Complications mount. Their youngest child and only son Danny only wants to watch television. Katey, embarrassed by a new set of

dental braces Dental braces (also known as braces, orthodontic cases, or cases) are devices used in orthodontics that align and straighten teeth and help position them with regard to a person's bite, while also aiming to improve dental health. They are often ...

, refuses to engage in any activities inside or outside the beach house. Meanwhile, their grandson wants nothing to do with Roger. Furthermore, one of his sons-in-law, Stan, is unemployed, which is causing tension in his marriage to Susan. Their children are undisciplined, as Susan does not believe in saying no to them. Janie is married to Byron, a windbag college professor who has a lot of ideas on psychology. Peggy is quite worried about these issues, but Roger argues that the children must all learn to deal with problems themselves, and that he and Peggy need to stay at arm's length. However, Roger quietly goes about trying to solve each problem, one by one. After the television breaks, he takes Danny on a boating trip, where they get lost in fog but bond as father and son. He also manages to convince Katey to go to a local teen dance, where she insists on sitting on the sidelines with her mouth clenched shut. Roger bribes a handsome young man named Joe to pay attention to her; Joe genuinely falls for Katey and returns the money. Byron shows interest in an attractive neighbor, but Roger tells him that she is a paranoid schizophrenic, effectively keeping him from a full-fledged affair with her. Son-in-law Stan has a shot at a good job, and Susan asks Roger and Peggy to entertain the potential employer and his wife for a few days. The couple present as prim, proper, and sober; the only interest the man has is bird-watching, and Roger endures a boring jaunt with him, but they are not what they seem to be. Chaos ensues in a madcap scene involving a hot shower and a broken door lock. In the end, everybody's personal crises are resolved and the family is actually sad to leave; the grandson is upset that he is leaving his grandfather. They book the beach house for the next summer.

Cast

as Roger Hobbs *

as Peggy Hobbs * Fabian as Joe Carmody * Lauri Peters as Katey Hobbs *

Lili Gentle Lili Gentle (born Lillie Charlene Gentle; March 4, 1940) is a former American film and television actress. Biography Born Lillie Charlene Gentle in Montgomery, Alabama, she later changed the spelling of her first name to "Lili". As a child, both ...

as Janie Hobbs-Grant *

John Saxon John Saxon (born Carmine Orrico; August 5, 1936 – July 25, 2020) was an American actor who worked on more than 200 film and television projects during a span of 60 years. He was known for his work in Westerns and horror films, often playing ...

as Byron Grant *

John McGiver John Irwin McGiver (November 5, 1913 – September 9, 1975) was an American character actor who made more than a hundred appearances in television and motion pictures over a two-decade span from 1955 to 1975. The owl-faced, portly character ac ...

as Martin Turner * Marie Wilson as Emily Turner *

Reginald Gardiner William Reginald Gardiner (27 February 1903 – 7 July 1980) was an English actor on the stage, in films and on television. Early years Gardiner was born in Wimbledon, England, and he was a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Katz, ...

as Reggie McHugh * Valerie Varda as Marika Carter *

Natalie Trundy Natalie Trundy (born Natalie Trundy Campagna, August 5, 1940 – December 5, 2019) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Early years Trundy (pronounced "Troon-dee") was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of an Italian fa ...

as Susan Hobbs-Carver * Josh Peine as Stan Carver * Michael Burns as Danny Hobbs *

Minerva Urecal Minerva Urecal (born Florence Minerva Dunnuck; September 22, 1894 – February 26, 1966) was an American stage and radio performer as well as a character actress in Hollywood films and on various television series from the early 1950s to 1 ...

as Brenda, the Hobbs' cook * Richard Collier as the plumber, Mr. Saltonstall *

Peter Oliphant Peter Oliphant is an American actor and video game designer. He is best known for playing Freddie Helper on the American sitcom television series ''The Dick Van Dyke Show''. Oliphant is currently a video game designer, programmer, and producer. ...

as Peter Carver (uncredited)

Production

Nunnally Johnson Nunnally Hunter Johnson (December 5, 1897 – March 25, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and playwright. As a filmmaker, he wrote the screenplays to more than fifty films in a career that spanned from 1927 to 1967. He ...

wrote the screenplay for ''Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation'' based on Edward Streeter's novel, ''Mr. Hobbs' Vacation''. Streeter had previously written the novel ''Father of the Bride'', which was filmed in

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...

and remade in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

. Johnson had just finished directing a series of films, and wanted to focus on writing. He agreed to do ''Hobbs'' because he liked the story "and I knew something about it." ''Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation'' was filmed in California at

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and ...

and

Dana Point Dana Point () is a city located in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 33,107 at the 2020 census. It has one of the few harbors along the Orange County coast, and with ready access via State Route 1, it is a po ...

. The film was shot using

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

wide-screen formatting, with color by DeLuxe. It marked the first time James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara starred together in a film. They co-starred again in the 1966 Western ''

The Rare Breed ''The Rare Breed'' is a 1966 American Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith in Panavision. Loosely based on the life of rancher Col. John William Burgess, the film follows Ma ...

''. During the scene in which Mr. Hobbs escorts his daughter Katey to a dance at the yacht club,

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

is the trumpet player in the band. The movie was the first of two James Stewart made with Fabian. "If anybody’s ever blessed, you have to be blessed to work with Jimmy Stewart," recalled Fabian. "He was the most congenial, helpful person I ever worked with." It was a rare comedy role for John Saxon.

Reception

The film was relatively successful in the United States and Canada upon its release on June 15, 1962, earning $4 million with an estimated budget of $2 million, but found even greater success when released overseas. James Stewart won the

Silver Bear for Best Actor The Silver Bear for Best Actor (german: Silberner Bär/Bester Darsteller) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by ...

at the

12th Berlin International Film Festival The 12th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 22 June – 3 July 1962. The Golden Bear was awarded to the British film '' A Kind of Loving'' directed by John Schlesinger. Jury The following people were announced as being on ...

for his performance, and director

was nominated for Best Director. Stewart was nominated for a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

as Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy. The screenplay by Nunnally Johnson was nominated for Best Written Comedy by the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Gu ...

. Stewart and Maureen O'Hara were also nominated for their performances by the

Laurel Awards The Laurel Awards was an American cinema awards system established to honor films, actors, actresses, producers, directors, and composers. This award was created by the ''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' magazine, and ran from 1948 to 1971 (with the ...

. ''Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation's'' success inspired a series of light-hearted family comedies written by Johnson. Two of these also starred Stewart and were directed by Koster: '' Take Her, She's Mine'' (1963) and '' Dear Brigitte'' (1965). This was the final feature film for actress Marie Wilson.

Critical reaction

Bosley Crowther of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote in his review: "Right off the bat, it is suggested in this wacky domestic report that togetherness is strictly for the birds and that sensible parents, especially elders, should write it out of their books. The Mr. Hobbs of the title, played beguilingly by James Stewart, is very much of this opinion as far as his own brood is concerned."

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation 1962 films 1962 comedy films 20th Century Fox films American comedy films Beach party films 1960s English-language films Films scored by Henry Mancini Films about families Films about vacationing Films based on American novels Films directed by Henry Koster Films produced by Jerry Wald Films set in California Films set on beaches Films with screenplays by Nunnally Johnson CinemaScope films 1960s American films