Cheaper by the Dozen (1950 film)
Encyclopedia
Cheaper by the Dozen is a 1950 film based upon the 1948 book Cheaper by the Dozen
by Frank Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
. The film and book describe growing up in a family with twelve children in Montclair, New Jersey. It was made in Technicolor
with Leon Shamroy
as cinematographer
. It was edited by James Watson Webb, Jr.
and efficiency experts Frank Bunker Gilbreth
and psychologist
Lillian Moller Gilbreth
. The title comes from one of Gilbreth's favorite jokes which played out in the movie that when he and his family were out driving and stopped at a red light, a pedestrian would ask "Hey, Mister! How come you got so many kids?" Gilbreth would pretend to ponder the question carefully, and then, just as the light turned green, would say "Well, they come cheaper by the dozen, you know," and drive off. In the book Frank Gilbreth died of a heart attack while talking to his wife on the telephone; in the movie when his wife answers the telephone, there is no reply on the other end of the line, although she is told by the operator she is still connected. In the end, the family agrees that Lillian will continue with her husband's work; this enables the family to remain in their house (the alternative is to move to their grandmother's in California) although, with a single working mother and one income, the children will have to assume much greater responsibilities. The voice-over at the end informs the audience that Lillian Moller Gilbreth would go on to become the world's leading efficiency expert and Time Magazine Woman of the Year in 1948 (in fact, Harry S Truman was Man of the Year in 1948; however, in 1984 Dr. Gilbreth's image was put on a US postal stamp).
, which was also made into a movie
by 20th Century Fox
in 1952.
made in 2003 is not a straight remake of this motion picture. The similarity between the 2003 movie and the 1950 book and film is that both stories feature a family of twelve children and the family moves. However, the family in the 2003 release is fictional and bears no resemblance to the Gilbreth family; the parents in the 2003 release are a football coach and a housewife
Cheaper by the Dozen
Cheaper by the Dozen is a biographical book written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey that tells the story of time and motion study and efficiency experts Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth, and their twelve children. The book focuses on the many years the...
by Frank Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Ernestine Moller Gilbreth Carey was an American author.-Biography:Born in New York City, she was the daughter of Lillian Moller Gilbreth and Frank Bunker Gilbreth, early 20th-century pioneers of time and motion study and what would now be called organizational behavior...
. The film and book describe growing up in a family with twelve children in Montclair, New Jersey. It was made in Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
with Leon Shamroy
Leon Shamroy
Leon Shamroy, A.S.C. was an American film cinematographer. Together with Charles Lang, he holds the record for most number of Academy Award nominations for Cinematography...
as cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
. It was edited by James Watson Webb, Jr.
Storyline
The parents were time and motion studyTime and motion study
A time and motion study is a business efficiency technique combining the Time Study work of Frederick Winslow Taylor with the Motion Study work of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth . It is a major part of scientific management...
and efficiency experts Frank Bunker Gilbreth
Frank Bunker Gilbreth
Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Sr. was an early advocate of scientific management and a pioneer of motion study, but is perhaps best known as the father and central figure of Cheaper by the Dozen.- Biography :...
and psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
Lillian Moller Gilbreth
Lillian Moller Gilbreth
Lillian Moller Gilbreth was an American psychologist and industrial engineer. One of the first working female engineers holding a Ph.D., she is arguably the first true industrial/organizational psychologist. She and her husband Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Sr...
. The title comes from one of Gilbreth's favorite jokes which played out in the movie that when he and his family were out driving and stopped at a red light, a pedestrian would ask "Hey, Mister! How come you got so many kids?" Gilbreth would pretend to ponder the question carefully, and then, just as the light turned green, would say "Well, they come cheaper by the dozen, you know," and drive off. In the book Frank Gilbreth died of a heart attack while talking to his wife on the telephone; in the movie when his wife answers the telephone, there is no reply on the other end of the line, although she is told by the operator she is still connected. In the end, the family agrees that Lillian will continue with her husband's work; this enables the family to remain in their house (the alternative is to move to their grandmother's in California) although, with a single working mother and one income, the children will have to assume much greater responsibilities. The voice-over at the end informs the audience that Lillian Moller Gilbreth would go on to become the world's leading efficiency expert and Time Magazine Woman of the Year in 1948 (in fact, Harry S Truman was Man of the Year in 1948; however, in 1984 Dr. Gilbreth's image was put on a US postal stamp).
Cast
- Clifton WebbClifton WebbClifton Webb was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor's Edge, and Sitting Pretty...
- Jeanne CrainJeanne CrainJeanne Elizabeth Crain was an American actress.-Early life:Crain was born in Barstow, California, to George A. Crain, a school teacher, and Loretta Carr; she was of Irish heritage on her mother's side, and of English and distant French descent on her father's...
- Myrna LoyMyrna LoyMyrna Loy was an American actress. Trained as a dancer, she devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. Originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp or a woman of Asian descent, her career prospects improved following her portrayal of Nora Charles...
- Betty LynnBetty LynnBetty Lynn is an American actress. She is best known for playing Thelma Lou in The Andy Griffith Show.-Career:...
- Edgar BuchananEdgar BuchananEdgar Buchanan was an American actor with a long career in both film and television, most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies television sitcoms of the 1960s...
- Barbara BatesBarbara BatesBarbara Bates was an American actress best known for her role as Phoebe in the 1950 drama All About Eve.-Early life:...
- Mildred NatwickMildred NatwickMildred Natwick was an American stage and film actress.- Early life :A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born to Joseph and Mildred Marion Dawes Natwick. She graduated from the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore...
- Sara AllgoodSara Allgood-Biography:Allgood was born in Dublin, Ireland. Her sister was actress Maire O'Neill.Allgood began her acting career at the Abbey Theatre and was in the opening of the Irish National Theatre Society, appearing in many of their plays all over Britain...
- Jimmy HuntJimmy HuntJimmy Hunt is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as David in Invaders from Mars . In the 1986 remake of the same film he plays the police chief.-Filmography:*The Mating of Millie...
Sequel
Because of the success of Cheaper by the Dozen, Gilbreth and Carey wrote a follow-up to their book, entitled Belles on Their ToesBelles on Their Toes
Belles on Their Toes is a 1950 book written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. This book was the follow-up to the 1948 book Cheaper by the Dozen which covered the period before Frank Gilbreth Sr died. Belles on Their Toes was written about the family after the death of...
, which was also made into a movie
Belles on their Toes (film)
Belles on Their Toes is a film based on the eponymous novel, Belles on Their Toes by Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. The film had its debut in New York City on May 2, 1952. It was directed by Henry Levin. Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron wrote the screenplay...
by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
in 1952.
Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
The version of Cheaper by the DozenCheaper by the Dozen (2003 film)
Cheaper by the Dozen is a 2003 American comedy film about a family with 12 children . The film takes its title from the 1948 biography of the same name of Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth and their 12 children, but other than the title and the concept of a family with 12 children,...
made in 2003 is not a straight remake of this motion picture. The similarity between the 2003 movie and the 1950 book and film is that both stories feature a family of twelve children and the family moves. However, the family in the 2003 release is fictional and bears no resemblance to the Gilbreth family; the parents in the 2003 release are a football coach and a housewife
- The 2003 version does not have the bittersweet ending of the 1950 release
- The 2003 version does not include the discussion of family planning and birth control included in the 1950 release
- The 2003 version is characterized more by slapstick than the realism of the 1950 release