AllMovie

Accustomed to being directed by William A. Seiter, Universal comedy star Reginald Denny was thrown off his usual pace when That's My Daddy was assigned to Fred C. Newmeyer. As a result, Denny ended up directing most of the picture himself -- and also rewrote the screenplay. The story concerns a wealthy young groom-to-be (Denny) who, dressed in formal attire and top hat, is speeding to the chapel, where his bride awaits. Meanwhile, cute little orphan Jane la Verne dreams of being reunited with her real daddy, imagining him to be wearing top hat and tails. Running away from the orphanage, the kid is struck down by a car (not Denny's!) and rushed off to the hospital, where in her delirium she describes her "dream daddy". As this is transpiring, a traffic cop pulls Denny over and asks "Where's the fire?" Hoping to talk his way out of a traffic ticket, Denny claims that he is rushing to visit his hospitalized child -- little realizing that the cop has just come from little La Verne's bedside. With a smile on his Irish mug, the cop escorts Denny to the hospital, greeting the child with "Your daddy's here." Thus it is that our prevaricating hero is saddled with a "daughter" -- on his wedding day! That's My Daddy didn't do as well at the box-office as previous Reginald Denny vehicles, a fact that the star later attributed to the studio's decision to recut and retitle the film, transforming the sweet little juvenile lead into a bratty wisecracker.