Belles on Their Toes (1952)

The "Cheaper by the Dozen" crew is back, sans Clifton Webb. Lillian is struggling to make ends meet without her husband's income, while Anne, Martha, and even Ernestine find romance.

Director:

Henry Levin

Writers:

Phoebe Ephron (screenplay), Henry Ephron (screenplay),

Stars:

Jeanne Crain, Myrna Loy, Debra Paget

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeanne Crain	...	Ann Gilbreth
Myrna Loy	...	Dr. Lillian M. Gilbreth
Debra Paget	...	Martha Gilbreth
Jeffrey Hunter	...	Dr. Bob Grayson
Edward Arnold	...	Sam Harper
Hoagy Carmichael	...	Thomas George Bracken
Barbara Bates	...	Ernestine Gilbreth
Robert Arthur	...	Frank Gilbreth
Verna Felton	...	Cousin Leora
Carol Nugent	...	Lily Gilbreth
Tina Thompson	...	Jane Gilbreth - as a Child
Teddy Driver	...	Jack Gilbreth
Tommy Ivo	...	William Gilbreth
Jimmy Hunt	...	Fred Gilbreth
Anthony Sydes	...	Dan Gilbreth

Storyline

The "Cheaper by the Dozen" crew is back, sans Clifton Webb. Lillian is struggling to make ends meet without her husband's income, while Anne, Martha, and even Ernestine find romance.

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Plot Keywords:

female engineer | graduation | montclair new jersey | 1920s | single mother | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Im Dutzend heiratsfähig

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Sam Harper: [hearing muffled explosion] What on earth was that?
Dr. Lillian M. Gilbreth: The childern have a chemistry set in the cellar.
Sam Harper: Smells like alcohol.
Dr. Lillian M. Gilbreth: Mr. Harper, alcohol is a chemical.

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Connections

References 7th Heaven (1927)

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Soundtracks

"Sweet Georgia Brown"
Music by Maceo Pinkard
Played at the dance

User Reviews

Very nice even without Webb.

This film is a sequel to "Cheaper By the Dozen" (the Clifton Webb version, not the crappy Steve Martin version). As you may remember, the first movie ended with the death of the father (Webb)...so you wouldn't think there'd be a sequel. However, this one picks up soon after. The family is quite poor without Dad's income--and so the family needs to make some adjustments. But, since they are all so gosh-darned nice, they take it all in stride.

While the film lacks the charm of Webb, and he was missed, the movie works amazingly well. The slack is taken up by Myrna Loy in the lead and a very strong supporting performance by Jeanne Crain. In fact, there are lots of very good supporting performances by Edward Arnold, Hoagy Carmichael, Martin Milner and Jeffery Hunter. Overall, it's a nice family comedy-drama--in much the same mold as "Life With Father" or "By the Light of the Silvery Moon". I love these family films and they represent a highly idealized but fun piece of Americana you can't help but enjoy.

cute how they got rid of the boyfriend (Martin Milner)