Publisher: CinemaSerf May 29, 2023
Engineering Officer "Frank" (Henry Fonda) loses his wife and after his tour of duty aboard the USS Enterprise is left with the ominous task of returning to San Francisco to look after his ten - yes, that's ten - children! Meantime, "Helen" (Lucille Ball) is in a similar predicament following the death of her husband - but she only has the eight offspring to raise. After a trolley clash in a supermarket, the two adults meet, court and after romance blossoms they decide to marry and raise all of their respective broods under one roof with four bathrooms! Initially, the concept of a film with eighteen kids offering everything from tantrums to hormones did not appeal to me at all. Fonda and Ball, however, really do make this work. It's a bit wordy at times and the humour has dated, but for the most part there is a genuine chemistry on display and many of their parenting problems - especially when they discover a new bundle of joy is en route - ring quite true. Director Melville Shavelson manages the more cacophonous elements of the story quite well - the pandemonium is there, but it is sparingly used allowing the sensations of exhaustion and exasperation to emerge, but not sufficiently to drown out what is actually quite an affectionate story. I'm not sure his aircraft carrier could ever have taken me far enough from this actual scenario, but watching on a big screen from a distance offers us an enjoyable romp through family life peppered with patience, patience and love. Give it a go and you might appreciate the versatility of Fonda as a half-decent comedy actor and Ball as, well, a star.