Mama Loves Papa (1933 film)
Encyclopedia
Mama Loves Papa is a 1933
American
black-and-white
comedy film
directed by Norman Z. McLeod
, with a story by Nunnally Johnson
and Douglas MacLean
, and a screenplay by MacLean, Keene Thompson
and Arthur Kober. The film was produced by Paramount Pictures
and stars Charles Ruggles
and Mary Boland
.
) is content with his middle class
life, his wife Jessie (Mary Boland
) aspires to a higher social stannding. She insists he wear fine clothes because she believes that clothes make the man. When his strange new clothes bring derision rather than admiration, and tired of his wife's constant nagging, Wilbur goes off on a drunken spree and innocently becomes involved with the village vamp, Mrs. McIntosh (Lilyan Tashman
).
wrote that Charles Ruggles "routine comedy method is so uproarious that it is in danger of obscuring his other talents" and that as Wilbur Todd he "produces an authentic and believable character in the principal role, playing down his scenes with admirable restraint." They also wrote that as Wilbur's well-maning wife Jessie, Mary Boland "is a comedienne who successfully resists the temptation to manufacture broad farce and easy laughs."
In the Toledo News-Bee
journalist Allen Saunders
made note that actor Charles Ruggles had been so long identified with sight and sound humor, that audiences had nearly forgotten that he could speak, and that in Mama Loves Papa he "has a chance to do a good job and he does it." In describing the supporting cast and action, he wrote that with the team of Charles Ruggles and Mary Boland, the film was in "capable hands". He concluded by writing that "Mama Loves Papa is one of the best litle comedies of the season". San Jose News wrote that the film was "an effervescent farce", that is "a perfect satire on the family next door."
Hal Erickson
of Rovi wrote that the team of Mary Boland and Charles Ruggles collaborating with Norman Z. McLeod made for a delightful film. Noting that the film was "very basic material", he wrote that because of its stars, director, and screenwriter Nunnally Johnson, the film "emerges as something truly special." He also made note that the National Board of Review selected the film as one of the best of its year.
1933 in film
-Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Norman Z. McLeod
Norman Z. McLeod
Norman Zenos McLeod was an American film director, cartoonist and writer...
, with a story by Nunnally Johnson
Nunnally Johnson
Nunnally Hunter Johnson was an American filmmaker who wrote, produced, and directed motion pictures.Johnson was born in Columbus, Georgia. He began his career as a journalist, writing for the Columbus Enquirer Sun, the Savannah Press, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and the New York Herald Tribune...
and Douglas MacLean
Douglas MacLean
Douglas MacLean was a silent motion picture actor, producer, and writer.-Life and career:...
, and a screenplay by MacLean, Keene Thompson
Keene Thompson
Keene Thompson was a story, scenario and screenwriter who worked in the film industry from 1920 to 1937.-Career:...
and Arthur Kober. The film was produced by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and stars Charles Ruggles
Charles Ruggles
Charles Sherman “Charlie” Ruggles was a comic American actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films. He was also the brother of director, producer, and silent actor Wesley Ruggles .-Background:Charlie Ruggles was born in Los Angeles, California in 1886...
and Mary Boland
Mary Boland
-Career:Born Marie Anne Boland in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of William Boland, an actor, and his wife Mary Cecilia Hatton. She had an older sister named Sara....
.
Plot
While Wilbur Todd (Charles RugglesCharles Ruggles
Charles Sherman “Charlie” Ruggles was a comic American actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films. He was also the brother of director, producer, and silent actor Wesley Ruggles .-Background:Charlie Ruggles was born in Los Angeles, California in 1886...
) is content with his middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
life, his wife Jessie (Mary Boland
Mary Boland
-Career:Born Marie Anne Boland in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of William Boland, an actor, and his wife Mary Cecilia Hatton. She had an older sister named Sara....
) aspires to a higher social stannding. She insists he wear fine clothes because she believes that clothes make the man. When his strange new clothes bring derision rather than admiration, and tired of his wife's constant nagging, Wilbur goes off on a drunken spree and innocently becomes involved with the village vamp, Mrs. McIntosh (Lilyan Tashman
Lilyan Tashman
Lilyan Tashman was a Brooklyn-born Jewish American vaudeville, Broadway, and film actress. Tashman was best known for her supporting roles as tongue-in-cheek villainesses and the bitchy 'other woman'...
).
Cast
- Charles RugglesCharles RugglesCharles Sherman “Charlie” Ruggles was a comic American actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films. He was also the brother of director, producer, and silent actor Wesley Ruggles .-Background:Charlie Ruggles was born in Los Angeles, California in 1886...
as Wilbur Todd - Mary BolandMary Boland-Career:Born Marie Anne Boland in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of William Boland, an actor, and his wife Mary Cecilia Hatton. She had an older sister named Sara....
as Jessie Todd - Lilyan TashmanLilyan TashmanLilyan Tashman was a Brooklyn-born Jewish American vaudeville, Broadway, and film actress. Tashman was best known for her supporting roles as tongue-in-cheek villainesses and the bitchy 'other woman'...
as Mrs. McIntosh - George BarbierGeorge BarbierGeorge Barbier was one of the great French illustrators of the early 20th century. Born in Nantes, France on October 10, 1882, Barbier was 29 years old when he mounted his first exhibition in 1911 and was subsequently swept to the forefront of his profession with commissions to design theatre and...
as Mr. Kirkwood - Walter CatlettWalter CatlettWalter Catlett was an American actor. As a San Francisco citizen, he started out in vaudeville with a detour for a while in opera before breaking into films.-Early career:...
as Tom Walker - Morgan WallaceMorgan WallaceMorgan Wallace , was an American actor. He appeared in 28 films between 1914 and 1946, including It's a Gift and My Little Chickadee starring W.C. Fields and Mae West....
as Mr. McIntosh - Ruth Warren as Sara Walker
- George BerangerGeorge BerangerGeorges Augustus Alexandre Roger de L'ile de Beranger , born George Augustus Beringer, was the seventh child of Adam Beringer and Caroline Mondientz. He was an Australian actor and film director. He played Shakespearean roles at the age of sixteen and left Australia in 1912 and began film work in...
as Basil Pew - Tom RickettsTom RickettsThomas "Tom" Ricketts was an English American silent film actor, director and screenwriter who was involved in almost 350 motion pictures....
as Mr. Pierrepont - Warner RichmondWarner RichmondWarner Richmond was an American actor. He appeared in 141 films between 1912 and 1946.He was born in Racine, Wisconsin and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* Brown of Harvard...
as The Radical - Frank Sheridan as The Mayor
- Tom McGuireTom McGuire (actor)Tom McGuire was an English film actor. He appeared in 160 films between 1919 and 1949.He was born in England and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:* Single Handed...
as O'Leary - and Gail PatrickGail PatrickGail Patrick was an American film actress.Born Margaret LaVelle Fitzpatrick, she appeared in 62 movies between 1932 and 1948, usually as the leading lady's extremely formidable rival; some of these roles include the second wife in My Favorite Wife with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, Anna May Wong's...
in a minor role
Reception
The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote that Charles Ruggles "routine comedy method is so uproarious that it is in danger of obscuring his other talents" and that as Wilbur Todd he "produces an authentic and believable character in the principal role, playing down his scenes with admirable restraint." They also wrote that as Wilbur's well-maning wife Jessie, Mary Boland "is a comedienne who successfully resists the temptation to manufacture broad farce and easy laughs."
In the Toledo News-Bee
Toledo News-Bee
The Toledo News Bee is a defunct newspaper that served Toledo, Ohio and much of northwestern Ohio in the early part of the 20th century. It was formed from the 1903 merger of The Toledo News andThe Toledo Bee, and was published until August 2, 1938, when it was purchased by The Toledo Blade for...
journalist Allen Saunders
Allen Saunders
Allen Saunders was an American writer, journalist and cartoonist who wrote the comic strips Steve Roper and Mike Nomad, Mary Worth and Kerry Drake...
made note that actor Charles Ruggles had been so long identified with sight and sound humor, that audiences had nearly forgotten that he could speak, and that in Mama Loves Papa he "has a chance to do a good job and he does it." In describing the supporting cast and action, he wrote that with the team of Charles Ruggles and Mary Boland, the film was in "capable hands". He concluded by writing that "Mama Loves Papa is one of the best litle comedies of the season". San Jose News wrote that the film was "an effervescent farce", that is "a perfect satire on the family next door."
Hal Erickson
Hal Erickson
Harold James Erickson was a relief pitcher who played briefly for the Detroit Tigers during the season. Listed at 6' 5", 230 lb., he batted and threw right-handed....
of Rovi wrote that the team of Mary Boland and Charles Ruggles collaborating with Norman Z. McLeod made for a delightful film. Noting that the film was "very basic material", he wrote that because of its stars, director, and screenwriter Nunnally Johnson, the film "emerges as something truly special." He also made note that the National Board of Review selected the film as one of the best of its year.
External links
- Mama Loves Papa (1933) at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...