Helen's Babies

When Edward Everett Horton sends a letter he's going to visit, Richard Tucker and Claire Adams figure it a good chance for a getaway. After all, Horton has written the child-rearing book they use, so it's a grand idea to leave Baby Peggy Montgomery and Jean Carpenter in the capable hands of their uncle. Next-door neighbor Clara Bow is also interested in a man who's obviously equipped for father material. Unfortunately for everyone concerned -- especially Horton -- he wrote the book on the advice of his publishers and knows absolutely nothing about child rearing, or these two mischievous girls.

It's quite a cast, with Horton, Bow, Baby Peggy, and Tucker. William Seiter was, of course, capable of turning his hand to any project, as a good director could, but he was most frequently found at the top of his game in directing sweet, wholesome comedies like this. Although the basic plot of a so-called child expert actually knowing nothing about children has been used frequently, the source material was among the first, which lends it a freshness that other, derivative works lack, and the players add an interest to the entire film.