Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)

Mr. Hobbs wants to spend a quiet holiday at the beach, but his wife has invited all their family to stay with them.

Director:

Henry Koster

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (screenplay), Edward Streeter (novel)

Stars:

James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, Fabian

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Stewart	...	Roger Hobbs
Maureen O'Hara	...	Peggy Hobbs
Fabian	...	Joe Carmody
Lauri Peters	...	Katey Hobbs
Lili Gentle	...	Janie Grant
John Saxon	...	Byron Grant
John McGiver	...	Martin Turner
Marie Wilson	...	Emily Turner
Reginald Gardiner	...	Reggie McHugh
Valerie Varda	...	Marika Carter
Natalie Trundy	...	Susan Carver
Josh Peine	...	Stan Carver
Michael Burns	...	Danny Hobbs
Minerva Urecal	...	Brenda
Richard Collier	...	Mr. Kagle

Storyline

St. Louis based banker Roger Hobbs is writing a letter to his wife, Peggy Hobbs, about his true feelings concerning their just returned from month long vacation, the letter to be opened only after his death, whenever that may be. Mr. Hobbs wanted the vacation to be a romantic getaway for two, but Peggy insisted that it be a family vacation to a central California beach-side house, given to them for the month by friends. The vacation included all their offspring, and their offspring's respective families where applicable. Hobbs hated the idea as he felt he didn't know his offspring - and their spouses even less - and that they, in turn, no longer needed him. They include: daughter Susan Carver, who, with her husband, Stan Carver, have a permissive parenting style as per the latest child psychology books; daughter Janie Grant, whose husband, college professor, Byron Grant, has an academic view of everything in life; fourteen year old daughter, Katey Hobbs, who is self conscious around ...

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Plot Keywords:

beach | summer vacation | dysfunctional family | house | reference to thomas edison | 

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Taglines:

Jimmy Takes A Vacation... You Have All The Fun!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 June 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mr. Hobbs macht Ferien

Filming Locations:

Laguna Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Maureen O'Hara in her memoirs Tis Herself, Jimmy Stewart was a kind and gentle guy, a remarkable actor, but not a generous one such as John Wayne. Stewart wanted very scene revolving around him and only him.

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Goofs

The Hobbs family hails from St. Louis. The rental house is near San Francisco. That's a distance of over 2000 miles. Figuring driving steady for 10 hours a day at 60 mph, the journey would have taken 3 to 4 days at the least. Yet, at the end of the movie the family is dressed in the same clothing when they arrive home as they were in when they left. Either they washed clothing somewhere along the way or the continuity person missed that one.

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Quotes

Mr. Martin Turner: You haven't done much walking have you Hobbs?
Roger Hobbs: Only since I was about two years old!

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Crazy Credits

At the end credits each major character is shown as they are identified along with the acting credit.

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Connections

Referenced in Family Ties: Mr. Keaton Takes a Vacation (1989)

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Soundtracks

Cream Puff
Written by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini
Performed by Fabian and Lauri Peters

User Reviews

They sure don't make 'em like this anymore.

"Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation" is one of the most enjoyable family films ever made. When it was released back in 1962, it was a big hit. But if you are a sophisticate, don't write it off just yet. The plot is simple: Harried St. Louis banker Roger Hobbs (James Stewart) is looking forward to a quiet, romantic vacation with his wife Peggy (Maureen O'Hara) who, unknown to him, has instead opted for a family reunion in a rented Northern California beach house. Not only has she included her teenage daughter Katie and younger son Danny but her married daughters and their families as well. The beach house turns out to be a monstrosity which Hobbs describes as "Dragonwyck". When their daughter Susan and her husband Stan show up with their bratty kids, things quickly get worse. The family is complete when daughter Jane and her husband Byron arrive with their infant daughter. By now, both Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs are somewhat disenchanted with this "family reunion" as Susan and her husband fight until he walks out on them, while Jane's husband takes up with the local bathing suit-clad vamp Manika. Daughter Katie meanwhile, grows more sullen by the day, sulking because of her new braces and brother Danny simply glues himself to the television set. Add an unhappy Finnish maid and you really have a recipe for disaster. But thanks to the delightful performance by Stewart, the laughs come thick and fast. His dry wit enlivens the film and almost single-handedly keeps it alive. And I mean alive because in spite of a capable cast including Fabian, John McGiver and Marie Wilson, the film belongs to Stewart. He does wonders with his hapless father role and keeps the audience in his corner every second. With the support of the eternally beautiful O'Hara (who's hardly anyones idea of a grandmother) and a memorable Henry Mancini score, "Mr. Hobbs" may depict a harrowing "vacation" but it's one the the viewer will thoroughly enjoy taking. The film has just been released on a beautiful widescreen DVD, with an original trailer and a few other extras. Bon Voyage!