One wishes that Gloria Swanson had chosen a better film than Father Takes a Wife for what was to be her big "comeback" film -- although had that been the case, perhaps she would not have been persuaded nine years later to take the role in Sunset Boulevard that served to immortalize her. That said, Father is not a horrible movie by any means -- it's simply an average, ordinary little film, a respectable but lackluster setting for a great talent. It's also definitely a setting rather than a showcase; Swanson is quite good in Father, but she's far from her best. She needed not only a more original and interesting screenplay but a director with more flair and imagination than Jack Hively, who doesn't know what to do with his star other than point the camera and shoot. Swanson is such a fetching personality that, even if she doesn't shine, she still survives this method quite nicely. Not so with her male lead, Adolphe Menjou, who is quite at sea throughout and turns in a terribly dull performance. Much better is a delightful Desi Arnaz (even if his big Italian aria is dubbed) and the always acerbically entertaining Helen Broderick. If Father doesn't have enough cinematic magic, it's still a perfectly respectable flick.
by Craig Butler
review
