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IMDbPro

Father Was a Fullback

  • 19491949
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 24m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
468
YOUR RATING
Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood, Betty Lynn, and Fred MacMurray in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
ComedySport
Football coach George Cooper has as many problems managing his football team as he has at home dealing with his daughters, Ellen and Connie.Football coach George Cooper has as many problems managing his football team as he has at home dealing with his daughters, Ellen and Connie.Football coach George Cooper has as many problems managing his football team as he has at home dealing with his daughters, Ellen and Connie.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
468
YOUR RATING
    • John M. Stahl
  • Writers
    • Clifford Goldsmith(story)
    • Aleen Leslie(screenplay)
    • Casey Robinson(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Fred MacMurray
    • Maureen O'Hara
    • Betty Lynn
    • John M. Stahl
  • Writers
    • Clifford Goldsmith(story)
    • Aleen Leslie(screenplay)
    • Casey Robinson(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Fred MacMurray
    • Maureen O'Hara
    • Betty Lynn
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 12User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos16

    Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood, and Fred MacMurray in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
    Betty Lynn and Fred MacMurray in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
    Fred MacMurray in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
    Maureen O'Hara and Fred MacMurray in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
    Maureen O'Hara and Betty Lynn in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
    Maureen O'Hara and Betty Lynn in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
    Fred MacMurray in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
    Maureen O'Hara and Fred MacMurray in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
    Maureen O'Hara and Natalie Wood in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
    Fred MacMurray in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
    Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood, Betty Lynn, and Fred MacMurray in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
    Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood, Betty Lynn, and Fred MacMurray in Father Was a Fullback (1949)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Fred MacMurray
    Fred MacMurray
    • George Cooper
    Maureen O'Hara
    Maureen O'Hara
    • Elizabeth Cooper
    Betty Lynn
    Betty Lynn
    • Connie Cooper
    Rudy Vallee
    Rudy Vallee
    • Mr. Jessup
    Thelma Ritter
    Thelma Ritter
    • Geraldine
    Natalie Wood
    Natalie Wood
    • Ellen Cooper
    Jim Backus
    Jim Backus
    • Professor Sullivan
    • (as James G. Backus)
    Richard Tyler
    • Joe Birch
    Buddy Martin
    • Cheerleader
    Frank Mills
    Frank Mills
    • Assistant Football Coach
    Mickey McCardle
    • Jones
    John McKee
    • Cy
    Louise Lorimer
    Louise Lorimer
    • Mrs. Jones
    Ruth Clifford
    Ruth Clifford
    • Neighbor
    Robert Adler
    Robert Adler
    • Grandstand Bit Part
    • (uncredited)
    Billy Armstrong
    • Football Player
    • (uncredited)
    Don Barclay
    Don Barclay
    • Grandstand 'Coach'
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Barnes
    • Football Player
    • (uncredited)
      • John M. Stahl
    • Writers
      • Clifford Goldsmith(story)
      • Aleen Leslie(screenplay)
      • Casey Robinson(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Maureen O' Hara was only 6 years older than Betty Lynn who played her daughter in the film.
    • Quotes

      Elizabeth Cooper: Not going, he's a professor, teaches English literature

      Ellen Cooper: No, I mean going

      George 'Coop' Cooper: Ellen, That's ridiculous, go and get cleaned up

      Ellen Cooper: Daphne heard him gurgling on the phone like a worn out wolf about being a freshman in college

      Elizabeth Cooper: Oh What an Idea

      [looks at George, stunned]

      Elizabeth Cooper: George Cooper!

      Ellen Cooper: And he was pitching woos to a girl, Daphne thinks maybe she ought to tell her mother

      Elizabeth Cooper: George you didn't

      George 'Coop' Cooper: Father's little helper

      Elizabeth Cooper: oh you couldn't

      George 'Coop' Cooper: But Liz, you said yourself that she needed, my intentions were

      Elizabeth Cooper: My poor darling up there with goosebumps about some boy who not even going to happen

    • Connections
      Referenced in Hollywood Hist-o-Rama: Fred MacMurray (1961)

    User reviews12

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Chuckle-a-Minute
    Maltin's movie guide gives this TCF production two-and-half stars which means some staff member didn't wake up in time to turn on the TV. Because this is a sparkling little comedy with inventive lines, lively performances, and first-rate direction. (For example, note director John M. Stahl's clever touch with the love-seat cushion.) Of course, the family-- right out of Wholesome Living, 1940's Style-- is both dated and idealized.

    Nonetheless,, the plot hasn't dated at all. Mac Murray's a harried football coach about to lose his job because of a losing season, at the same time his oldest daughter is trying to survive adolescence. The comedy grows out of his sputtering attempts to cope. Four outstanding screenwriters are credited with the chuckle-a-minute script which surprises me. I would think such a concentration as this would cancel out, but happily, it doesn't

    Of course, Natalie Wood steals the show as the wise-cracking little sister. Was there ever a child actor more gifted and without annoying affect than she. (Her wrenching performance in The Green Promise {1949} remains an unsurpassed classic.) Wide-eyed Betty Lynn too is outstanding as the angst-ridden, dateless teenager. And, of course, there's the incomparable Thelma Ritter perfecting her stock-in-trade as a mordant housekeeper never stuck for a fractured comment. As good as Mac Murray, Sullivan, and the old pro's are, it's really this supporting cast that makes the movie scintillate.

    I expect a programmer like this passed quickly onto the shelves, without appreciation of the minor gem that it is. I'm glad there's an internet opportunity for circulating the recognition these entertainment efforts deserve-- even though the Coopers' are now a long way from the typical American family. And shame on you, Leonard Maltin. Next time, set your alarm.
    helpful•10
    1
    • dougdoepke
    • Jul 5, 2007

    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 1949 (United Kingdom)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - 3911 S. Figueroa Street, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 24 minutes
      • Black and White

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    Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood, Betty Lynn, and Fred MacMurray in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
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