- Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
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Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation 
Theatrical release posterDirected by Henry Koster Produced by Marvin A. Gluck
Jerry WaldWritten by Nunnally Johnson Starring James Stewart
Maureen O'HaraMusic by Henry Mancini Cinematography William C. Mellor Editing by Marjorie Fowler Distributed by 20th Century Fox Release date(s) June 15, 1962 Running time 116 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $4,105,000[1] Box office $4 million[2] Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation is a 1962 American comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara. The film is based on a novel by Edward Streeter and features a popular singer of the time, Fabian.
Contents
Plot
Mr. Hobbs is an overworked businessman who seeks a quiet seaside vacation with his wife Peggy and family, including his grown daughters, family cook, sons-in-law and grandchildren.
What he finds upon reaching their vacation destination is a very dilapidated beach house with nosy neighbors.
Complications mount up. His teenage son Danny only wants to watch television. His youngest daughter Katey, embarrassed by a new set of dental braces, refuses to leave the beach house. And his grandkids don't want anything to do with him.
Furthermore, one of his sons-in-law, Stan, is unemployed and Mr. Hobbs must entertain Stan's snooty potential employer on a boring bird-watching jaunt. An older daughter is married to the aloof professor Byron, who has unorthodox ideas about disciplining children and the family dynamic.
One by one, Mr. Hobbs tries to solve each problem. After the television breaks, he finds time to take Danny on a boating trip, where they get very lost in the fog but bond as father and son. He also manages to take Katey to a dance, where he bribes a handsome young man named Joe to pay attention to her.
The bird-watcher and his prim wife don't turn out to be what they seem to be and chaos reigns for a while. But in time Mr. Hobbs and his wife sort out everybody's personal crisis, Joe turns out to be a suitable suitor for Katey, and the family is almost sad to leave the beach and return home.
Production
Nunnally Johnson wrote the screenplay to Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation based on Edward Streeter's novel of the same name. Streeter had previously penned the novel Father of the Bride, which was filmed in 1950 and remade in 1991.[3] Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation was filmed in California on Laguna Beach and at Dana Point.[4] The film was shot using both Cinemascope wide screen movie formatting and color by DeLuxe. It marked the first time James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara starred together in a film. They would co-star again in the 1966 western The Rare Breed.[5] During the scene where Mr. Hobbs escorts his daughter Katey to a dance at the yacht club, Herb Alpert is the trumpet player in the band.[6]
Reception
The film was relatively successful in America 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.[7][8] James Stewart won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 12th Berlin International Film Festival for his performance,[9] and director Henry Koster was nominated for Best Director. Stewart was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy. The screenplay by Nunnally Johnson was nominated for Best Written Comedy by the Writers Guild of America. Stewart and Maureen O'Hara were also nominated for their performances by the Laurel Awards.[10] Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation's success inspired a series of light-hearted family comedies starring Stewart including Take Her, She's Mine (1963) and Dear Brigitte (1965), taking him away from the western movies he had become a staple of.[5] The film is still aired on cable channels, and has developed a cult following that helped the film be released on DVD.
Cast
- James Stewart as Roger Hobbs
- Maureen O'Hara as Peggy Hobbs
- Fabian as Joe
- John Saxon as Byron
- Marie Wilson as Mrs. Turner
- Reginald Gardiner as Reggie McHugh
- Lauri Peters as Katey
- Valerie Varda as Marika
- Lili Gentle as Janie
- John McGiver as Mr. Turner
- Natalie Trundy as Susan
- Josh Peine as Stan
- Minerva Urecal as Brenda, Hobbs' Maid
- Michael Burns as Danny Hobbs
- Richard Collier as Mr. Kagle
- Peter Oliphant as Peter Carver (uncredited)
References
- ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p253
- ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p229
- ^ "Internet Movie Database, Edward Streeter". imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0834117/. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
- ^ "Internet Movie Database, Filming locations for Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation". imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056255/locations. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
- ^ a b "Internet Movie Database, James Stewart". imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000071/. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
- ^ "Internet Movie Database, Trivia for Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation". imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056255/trivia. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
- ^ "Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation". imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056255/business. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
- ^ "Internet Movie Database, Release dates for Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation". imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056255/releaseinfo. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
- ^ "Berlinale 1962: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1962/03_preistr_ger_1962/03_Preistraeger_1962.html. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
- ^ "Internet Movie Database, Awards for Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation". imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056255/awards. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
External links
Films directed by Henry Koster 1930s Three Smart Girls (1936) · One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937) · The Rage of Paris (1938) · Three Smart Girls Grow Up (1939) · First Love (1939)1940s Spring Parade (1940) · It Started with Eve (1941) · Between Us Girls (1942) · Music for Millions (1944) · Two Sisters from Boston (1946) · The Unfinished Dance (1947) · The Bishop's Wife (1947) · The Luck of the Irish (1948) · Come to the Stable (1949) · The Inspector General (1949)1950s Wabash Avenue (1950) · My Blue Heaven (1950) · Harvey (1950) · No Highway in the Sky (1951) · Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951) · Elopement (1951) · Stars and Stripes Forever (1952) · My Cousin Rachel (1952) · The Robe (1953) · Désirée (1954) · A Man Called Peter (1955) · The Virgin Queen (1955) · Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955) · D-Day the Sixth of June (1956) · The Power and the Prize (1956) · My Man Godfrey (1957) · Fräulein (1958) · The Naked Maja (1958)1960s The Story of Ruth (1960) · Flower Drum Song (1961) · Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) · Take Her, She's Mine (1963) · Dear Brigitte (1965) · The Singing Nun (1966)Categories:- American films
- English-language films
- Films shot in CinemaScope
- 1962 films
- 1960s comedy films
- Films based on novels
- Films directed by Henry Koster
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