Bringing Up Father (1928)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Jack Conway

Writers:

Frances Marion (writer)
George McManus (story)

Release Date:

17 March 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The Famous Comic Strip Come to Life.

Plot Keywords:

Domestic

Cast

J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Jiggs
Jules Cowles	...	Dinty Moore
Polly Moran	...	Maggie
Marie Dressler	...	Annie Moore
Gertrude Olmstead	...	Ellen
Grant Withers	...	Dennis
Andrés de Segurola	...	The Count
Rose Dione	...	Mrs. Smith
David Mir	...	Oswald
Tenen Holtz	...	Ginsberg Feitelbaum
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Blanche Payson

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Rolling-pin humor.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

*** SPOILERS ***

The Duke of Mantell, who prefers to be known as Dennis, meets and is smitten with Jiggs' and Maggie's daughter, Ellen, at a society swimming party. This inflames Maggie's social pretensions, so when Dennis sends Ellen flowers with a note saying that he and his society friends will visit the next day for tea, Maggie complains to Jiggs about the shabby apartment they're living in. To impress the visitors, Maggie rents expensive furniture and convinces Dinty and Annie Moore to pose as servants. While out walking Maggie's dog, Fifi, Jiggs gets dirty helping a man who has fallen into an open manhole (only to throw the guy back in upon learning that he is a rolling pin manufacturer).

Jiggs returns to the apartment while the tea party is underway. Maggie and Ellen are embarrassed by his dishevelled appearance, and dismiss him as another servant. As Dennis is leaving, Ellen denies his good-natured guess that Jiggs is really her father, and Jiggs overhears. Dennis sees through Ellen's denial, but Jiggs backs up her story. To save Maggie and Ellen from future embarrassment, Jiggs buys a Long Island mansion.

In their new home, Maggie receives etiquette lessons from her effeminate social secretary, Oswald. While Maggie, Ellen and Oswald entertain Dennis at dinner, Jiggs, Dinty, and Annie enjoy an evening watching showgirls at the Blackbird Cafe. That night, Jiggs dreams of one of the showgirls, but is horrified that he may have committed an indiscretion when he awakens in his room the next morning to find Oswald in the bed next to his.

Later, Jiggs hopes to throw a party for Ellen's birthday, but is disappointed when Ellen, fearing embarrassment, asks him not to attend. At the party, Annie Moore shows up and scandalizes Maggie with her coarse ways, and Oswald convinces her to do something about it. Maggie storms up to Jiggs's room and tells him that she's had enough, they'll have to separate. Jiggs is despondent, and contemplates suicide. Meanwhile, Ellen confesses to Dennis that Jiggs is really her father, and Dennis, pleased that she has overcome her pretensions, places an engagement ring on her finger.

Kicked out of the party by Maggie, Annie comes upon Jiggs preparing to shoot himself. She convinces him to fake his death and teach Maggie a lesson. Notified by the maid that Jiggs is going to kill himself, Maggie rushes to his prostrate body, overcome with despair. When Jiggs reveals that he is still alive, Maggie beans him with a hammer.

Although the film is a pleasant enough adaptation of McManus's comic strip, and has some hilarious comedy set-pieces, it wasn't particularly successful at the box office, and was dismissed by Photoplay magazine's reviewer as "rolling-pin humor."