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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Title: Belles on Their Toes (1952)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| 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, Jr. | |
| Verna Felton | ... | Cousin Leora | |
Edit
Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
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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. Written by Dan Weckerly
Plot Keywords:
female engineer | working single mother | widow | told in flashback | social dance |Genres:
ComedyParents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
16 May 1952 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Belles on Their Toes See more »Filming Locations:
20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
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.
See more »
aka "There's No Place Like Home"
Music by H.R. Bishop
Played after Cousin Leora's visit
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
During one of the high school dance scenes, a Kelly green dress with tulle and white flower accents can be spotted on the dance floor. This dress appears to be the same dress worn in Cheaper by the Dozen (1950)'s Deborah Lancaster (played by Betty Lynn, best known as Barney Fife's girlfriend, Thelma-Lou, on The Andy Griffith Show (1960)). See more »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.
See more »
Crazy Credits
A young man's hand closes the last page of the Cheaper by the Dozen novel and transitions the book to the cover of Belles on Their Toes in which the credits are printed inside the novel. See more »Soundtracks
Home Sweet Homeaka "There's No Place Like Home"
Music by H.R. Bishop
Played after Cousin Leora's visit
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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It is graduation day for the youngest of the Gilbreth children and, sitting in the crowd, Lillian Gilbreth is moved by this to reflect back on times when things were not so rosy for her family and a reduced income. And so this film-long flashback begins although it didn't help my interest in the material to find that these "harder times" were a sort of Norman Rockwell version of poverty rather than what most people would consider "hard times" (they have a butler for goodness sake).
So it was no surprise to me to find that this film had no real interest in producing an actual character drama so much as churning out a cheerful melodrama with basic family morals and the Americana virtues of the 1950's writ large across every scene. I'm not sure if this world ever did exist but regardless I'm sure some viewers will find this nostalgia to be just about enough to justify watching the film for. God knows there is not much else to bother spending the time on. The humour is very basic and involved harmless pratfalls and good ol' wholesome joshing shame there are so few laughs to be had in this.
The cast aren't much cop either. Webb shows up on a picture while Loy buzzes round full of worry, love and strength while the cast of children are more about quantity rather than quality. The odd turn from Hunter, Arnold, Carmichael and others provide some distraction but this is not a film where anyone is given the material to turn in a good performance. Overall then a fairly basic comedy melodrama that has a chocolate box nostalgia about it that some might find appealing but really has little else to recommend it for.