''Three Daring Daughters'' (UK title: ''The Birds and the Bees'') is a 1948 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

directed by

Fred M. Wilcox Fred Wilcox may refer to: * Fred M. Wilcox (director) (1907–1964), American film director * Fred M. Wilcox (South Dakota politician) (1858–?), South Dakota state senator * Fred M. Wilcox (Wisconsin politician) (1870–1944), Wisconsin state ...

and starring

Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American soprano and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', ''Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow (1934 film) ...

Jane Powell Jane Powell (born Suzanne Lorraine Burce; April 1, 1929 – September 16, 2021) was an American actress, singer, and dancer who appeared in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals in the 1940s and 50s. With her soprano voice and girl-next-door image, Powel ...

and Edward Arnold. It was produced and released by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. The screenplay was written by

Albert Mannheimer Albert Mannheimer (9 March 1913, in New York City, New York – 19 March 1972, in Los Angeles County, California) was an American writer, principally of screenplays, including the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for ''Born Yesterday'', which ...

, Frederick Kohner, Sonya Levien and John Meehan.

Plot

It's Tess's graduation day from Miss Drake's School for Girls. During the choir's performance at the ceremony, Tess notices that her beautiful divorcée mother, Louise Rayton Morgan, isn't there. Louise, an editor for ''Modern Design'' magazine, is in Dr. Cannon's office after fainting due to being overworked and stressed. At home after the graduation ceremony, Dr. Cannon has a talk with Louise's three daughters, Tess, Ilka and Alix. He tells them that their mother needs a vacation badly, but the only way she can relax is if she goes without the girls. Louise is reluctant, but the girls convince her to go. They see their mother off on a one-month Cuban cruise. The girls then discuss whether they could bring their father back home and make their mom happy and healthy again. In reality, Louise has kept the truth about their father from them. He was actually a very uncaring man, who left Louise to raise the girls on her own. They go to see their father's boss, Robert Nelson, to locate their father. Meanwhile, on Louise's cruise, she meets famed pianist and conductor

José Iturbi José Iturbi Báguena (Valencia, 28 November 1895 Los Angeles, 28 June 1980) was a conductor, pianist, harpsichordist and actor from Valencia, Spain. He also appeared in several Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical films including ''Thousands Cheer'' (1 ...

. José is immediately taken by Louise, but she plays hard to get, while having the time of her life. When Louise finally returns home, she has a secret to tell the girls.

Cast

as Louise Rayton Morgan *

as himself *

as Tess Morgan * Edward Arnold as Robert Nelson * Harry Davenport as Dr. Cannon *

Moyna Macgill Moyna Macgill (born Charlotte Lillian McIldowie; 10 December 1895 – 25 November 1975) was a Scots-Irish actress from Belfast and the mother of actress Angela Lansbury and producers Edgar and Bruce Lansbury. In 2020, she was listed at numbe ...

as Mrs. Smith *

Elinor Donahue Elinor Donahue (born Mary Eleanor Donahue; April 19, 1937) is an American retired actress known for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Jim and Margaret Anderson, on the 1950s American sitcom ''Father Knows Best''. Early li ...

as Alix Morgan * Ann E. Todd as Ilka Morgan *

Tom Helmore Tom Helmore (4 January 1904 – 12 September 1995) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1927 and 1972, including three directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Helmore was born in London, England and died in Longboat ...

as Michael Pemberton *

Kathryn Card Kathryn Card (October 4, 1892 – March 1, 1964) was an American radio, television, and film actress who may be best remembered for her role as Mrs. McGillicuddy, Lucy's mother on ''I Love Lucy''. Radio Born in Butte, Montana as one of the four ...

as Jonesy *

Dick Simmons Richard Simmons (August 19, 1913 – January 11, 2003) was an American actor. Early life Simmons was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and his family later moved across the Mississippi River to Minneapolis. There, he attended West Side High Sch ...

as Mr. Hollow, Nelson's Secretary *

Larry Adler Lawrence Cecil Adler (February 10, 1914 – August 6, 2001) was an American harmonica player and film composer. Known for playing major works, he played compositions by George Gershwin, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, Darius Milhaud ...

as himself (Harmonica Player) *

Amparo Iturbi Amparo Iturbi Báguena (12 March 1898 – 22 April 1969) was a Spanish pianist. Early career Amparo Iturbi Báguena was born in Valencia, Spain, one of four children of Ricardo Iturbi (a piano tuner) and Teresa (Baguena) Iturbi. The younger ...

as herself

Reception

The film earned $4,010,000 at the box office."Top Grossers of 1948", ''Variety'' 5 January 1949 p 46
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Notes

External links

* * *
''Three Daring Daughters''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

1948 films 1940s romantic musical films American musical drama films American romantic drama films American romantic musical films Films directed by Fred M. Wilcox Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films produced by Joe Pasternak Films scored by Herbert Stothart 1940s American films 1940s English-language films English-language romantic musical films {{romantic-musical-film-stub