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Family Honeymoon

1948, Movie, NR, 90 mins

Family Honeymoon: Review

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The only reason this wasn't an ABC Television movie is that ABC wasn't making TV movies back in 1948 when this was shot. It's basically a one-joke premise, and the title tells it all. Colbert and MacMurray were reteamed after their success in THE EGG AND I, but this one is a souffle that falls flat more than it rises. Colbert is the widowed mother of Perreau, Hunt, and Miles, three aggressive and often annoying kids. She agrees to marry MacMurray, a university professor, and they plan a lovely, leisurely honeymoon. When Colbert's sister, Bronson, suffers an accident, there's no one to leave the children with, so the whole family embarks on a Family Honeymoon. They are on their way to the Grand Canyon, and several predictable events occur. The kids are left behind when they get off the train by mistake, and they wind up at the farmhouse of Irving Bacon. Colbert and MacMurray must stay the night at the Bacon place, but she sleeps with the kids and he has to stay with the ranch hand. They take a day coach and finally make it to the Grand Canyon only to find that MacMurray's old flame, Johnson, is a guest at the same inn. Colbert is jealous, and as if that weren't enough, she has to put up with her trio of snide brats, all of whom refer to their new stepfather as "that man." Colbert and MacMurray hardly have a moment to spend with each other. His patience wears out, and he spanks the kids, something the audience has been hoping for from the moment the children marched on screen. An argument ensues, and they go back home separately. Johnson is already back, and she arranges a welcome-home party, mainly to embarrass Colbert. Colbert realizes that her kids will eventually grow up and leave, and she wants to spend the rest of her life with MacMurray, so she uses her wiles to effect a reconciliation. The two march into the party arm in arm, a happy couple. They pretend to be surprised; the picture ends with everyone, except vamp Johnson, happy. A nice enough picture, but it fails on a few levels; some Hawksian lunacy might have helped, and just a touch of the sexual frustration that would have been felt by the couple in real life would have been appreciated. It just didn't go far enough, although second-time director Binyon kept the pace lively. Binyon had an interesting background--he once wrote for the show business trade paper "Variety," where it is said that he penned the famous 1929 Crash headline: "Wall Street Lays an Egg." His screenwriting credits include HOLIDAY INN (1942), INCENDIARY BLONDE (1945), PEPE (1960), NORTH TO ALASKA (1960), and THE SAXON CHARM (1948), a savage look at a predatory Broadway producer said to be based upon Jed Harris. leave a comment
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