My 10 Favourite Classic Film Dads
Last month I prepared a post for the Dutch Father's Day (it's celebrated on the 3rd Sunday in June in The Netherlands, my native country, this year on the 21st — I live in Spain and here we celebrate El Día del Padre on the feast day of San José, which is the 19th of March). In the end I didn't have time to finish it so I never posted it. Today I was looking at my drafted posts and decided to finish it now and post it in honour of all dads in the world, living or not. (My dad lives in a nursing home in The Netherlands and is doing well, under the circumstances.)
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While putting this list together, I may have overlooked some great film dads. There were a lot of fathers who crossed my mind (like Claude Rains in Four Daughters, Clifton Webb in Cheaper by the Dozen, Charles Laughton in Hobson's Choice, Charles Winninger in Three Smart Girls and Three Smart Girls Grow Up) but in the end didn't make the list. Also, I'm only listing dads from films I have seen.
So here is the list of 10 great film dads. Titles are in random order, only Number One is really my Number One, my undisputed film dad.
1. Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
“If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view ... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
Classic Movie Dad with a capital D! Created by novelist Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is a character who is held in high esteem and loved by a world wide audience. A small-town lawyer (defending an African-American wrongly accused of rape), Finch is a morally good character, a great role model, and a loving father who tries to raise his two children with the same moral values. Gregory Peck is perfectly suited to play Atticus, and the actor and the iconic character became synonymous in a way, even though the actor already had a long and successful career under his belt. Peck was five times nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor but only won once, for this outstanding performance as Atticus Finch. I absolutely love the relationship between Atticus and his daughter Scout, played by Mary Badham, and — apart from the courtroom scenes — their moments together are the highlights of this film for me.
2. Spencer Tracy as Stanley Banks in FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1950)
“You fathers will understand. You have a little girl. She looks up to you. You're her oracle. You're her hero. And then the day comes when she gets her first permanent wave and goes to her first real party, and from that day on, you're in a constant state of panic.”
Only seen this film last month with this blog post in mind. Spencer Tracy is great as the father who suddenly becomes father of the bride when daughter Elizabeth Taylor decides to get married. His wife Joan Bennett wants their daughter to have the best wedding money can buy and Tracy finds himself in a constant state of panic and anxiety, seeing the costs rise with every added guest and item. My favourite father-daughter moment is the one where Tracy and Taylor are having a late night meeting in the kitchen for sandwiches and milk, because they can't sleep. Taylor expresses her fear of the wedding day, especially the bit where she has to walk down the aisle. Tracy reassures her that she doesn't need to worry about a thing and says, "All you have to do is take my arm, and lean against me and relax. I'll do the rest." This is why Tracy's father is such a great character: despite being not relaxed himself at all, he ís the father of the bride and will take care of everything. His love for Taylor is very evident and this makes his struggle with the wedding preparations all the more endearing. The Academy must have found Tracy's performance distinctive too because they awarded him with a nomination for Best Actor.
3. Charlie Chaplin as the Tramp in THE KID (1921)
“A picture with a smile — and perhaps, a tear.”
The only silent film on this list and one that's pretty well known. Charlie Chaplin is not the kid's biological father, but Jackie Coogan is Chaplin's son in every way. Chaplin's Tramp starts out as a rather irresponsible character, as he desperately tries to get rid of the baby he finds (in some very funny scenes). He is unsuccessful and brings the baby home. Fastforward to where Coogan plays the five-year-old child, brought up by Chaplin in his shabby home but clearly raised with love and affection. Despite their life of petty crimes, we don't consider Chaplin a bad father (though social services think differently). The scenes with Chaplin and Coogan are funny and endearing (my favourite scene is the pancake scene) and even heartbreaking when they are parted. You root for their happy ending all the way. A silent classic to cherish.
4. Edward G. Robinson as Martinius Jacobson in OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (1945)
Selma Jacobson: “Can you be lonesome with people?”
Martinius Jacobson: “Sometimes.”
Selma Jacobson: “Are you lonesome now?”
Martinius Jacobson: “No.”
Selma Jacobson: “But I'm people.”
Martinius Jacobson: “No, jenta mi. You're my daughter.”
This film is less well known as the first three listed titles but it's perfect for this list. It follows the day-to-day life of a Norwegian-American family, with Margaret O'Brien playing the daughter and Edward G. Robinson and Agnes Moorehead (both playing against type) as the parents. It's really a lovely film, heartwarming, with multiple great scenes between O'Brien and Robinson. For example, when Robinson wakes up his little girl in the middle of the night and drives her to a circus that is passing through town so she can see an elephant. How cool and sweet is that! Robinson is such a versatile actor and is fantastic in his role as the loving father. You wouldn't think, seeing him here sharing tender moments with O'Brien, that he can also play a ruthless gangster quite wonderfully. A great family film, perfect for watching during the holiday season, as it also contains a Christmas scene.
5. Leon Ames as Alonzo Smith in MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944)
“Anna, I'm curious, just when was I voted out of this family?”
6. James Stewart as George Bailey in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
Janie Bailey: “Please, God, something's the matter with Daddy.”
Zuzu Bailey: “Please bring Daddy back.”
This film doesn't need any introduction. Even though the importance of family and friends is its main theme, this might not be the first title that comes to mind when thinking of father roles in films. The story of George Bailey who is about to jump off a bridge and gets a glimpse of what life would have been without him is inspirational and timeless. When I was thinking about the dad role in this film, I realised that George Bailey also had a father. Samuel S. Hinds gives a great performance as Pa Bailey, and the dinner scene where he and James Stewart discuss the future feels very natural and is a moment that I love a lot. The most memorable thing about George Bailey being a father himself is how badly he behaves towards his children in his hour of despair and how he lovingly reunites with them after he gets his life back (Zuzu's petals in his pocket playing a significant part).
7. Christopher Plummer as Captain Von Trapp in THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
“You are the twelfth in a long line of governesses who have come here to look after my children since their mother died. I trust you will be an improvement on the last one. She stayed only two hours.”
One of my fave musicals of all time and yet another film that needs no introduction. Captain of 7 children, what's so fearsome about that? Widowed and ruling his family with discipline and order, Captain Von Trapp is a force to be reckoned with. Enter Maria (played by Julie Andrews), aspiring nun turning governess, stripping down his armour. What you get is a Captain who lovingly sings Edelweiss to his children while playing the guitar. With handsome Christopher Plummer in the role of the Captain (who becomes even more handsome when he tears apart a Nazi flag), you'd be hard-pressed to find a film dad with more children than Captain Von Trapp.
8. James Dunn as Johnny Nolan in A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (1945)
“Come on ... ain't you got one nice little wish just for yourself?”
“No, papa. I ... I just ...”
“Just what?”
“I just love you so much, papa.”
Based on the novel of the same title by Betty Smith, this film follows the life of the Nolan family living in financially challenging circumstances in their Brooklyn tenement. I've first seen this film as a child and have loved it ever since. All performances are great, but since we are focusing on the dad roles in this post, I will write a little bit about Johnny Nolan. Whereas Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird seems the perfect father, James Dunn's Johnny Nolan is seriously flawed. He is an alcoholic who has employment problems and is mostly unable to support his family. His character is likeable, for he is charming and cheerful and you feel that he cares deeply for his family. Dunn portrays Johnny as a gay and carefree father and then effortly switches to the despairing Johnny who realises that he's nothing but a dreamer and a failure. I have seen James Dunn in a couple of other films, but he never impressed me much (though I really like him). But here he really surpasses himself and he gives a very moving performance (which deservedly won him an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role). Dunn was an alcolic in real life, so he probably related to the character. I love the relationship between Johnny and his daughter Francie, wonderfully played by child actress Peggy Ann Garner (her performance won her a special Academy Award). The scene between father and daughter taking place in her bedroom, right before his disappearance and subsequent death, is heartbreaking. Johnny wants so desperately to do the right thing but he knows he can't do it. One of my fave dad roles ever.
9. Glenn Ford as Tom Corbett in THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER (1963)
“Well, the bad ladies, they always got big busts. Now, don't get mad, Dad, but it's true. Very big. Skinny eyes, and big busts is how you tell a bad lady from a good one.”
The Courtship of Eddie's Father is a film I have seen many times and I love it very much. Ronny Howard is very cute as the six-year-old son Eddie who wants a new wife for his widowed father (he has his eyes set on lovely neighbour Shirley Jones) and Howard shows enormous talent in his more challenging scenes. The relationship between the father (played by Glenn Ford) and Eddie is depicted very well. The actors have a natural chemistry and I love their talks, especially since Eddie's deadpan remarks are very funny. Ford gives a touching performance as Eddie's father and is particularly good in the scenes where he can barely keep it together. I always have to cry with the scene where Ford retreats to his bedroom after a fight with Jones and Eddie walks in and says: "I know, dad. I know how much you miss mommy." That moment feels so very real and director Vincente Minnelli really managed to get the best out of his actors. A truly great father-son relationship!
10. Cary Grant as Tom Winters in HOUSEBOAT (1958)
“It's just that everything is constantly changing. So perhaps when our life force, our souls leave our bodies, we go back into God's universe and the security of being part of all life again and of all nature. So for all we know, that sort of life after death may be very beautiful.”
“If you say so. .... Hey pap, don't do anything beautiful for a while, will ya?”
I have seen this film multiple times since childhood and enjoy watching it because it is a fun film. But compared to the other films on this list, this will probably rank at the bottom (which is why I listed it as number 10, even though this list is not in order of preference). I guess I'm just not a big fan of La Loren. Still, she has nice rapport with the little boy and I like her singing "Presto, presto, do your very besto". (I recently learned the song is called BING! BANG! BONG!) Yet I like the dad role here, played by Cary Grant, a father who spent too much time away from his children. When Grant's wife suddenly dies, he realises he doesn't know his three kids at all and has problems connecting with them. One particular scene between Grant and his oldest son I like very much. They are discussing death (his son remarks "When you're dead, you're dead") and Grant tries to explain that nothing really ever dies (see quoted text above). The reason he connects with his son is because they are discussing a subject in which the son is genuinely interested but also because Grant doesn't treat his son as a child. A real man-to-man talk! Of course, as the film progresses Grant makes a connection with all of his kids and they live happily ever after, with La Loren.
So there they are, my 10 fave film dads! I might do a follow-up on this, if I can come up with another list of 10. Or I can do a favourite mother post as well. Stay tuned for that!
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
So there they are, my 10 fave film dads! I might do a follow-up on this, if I can come up with another list of 10. Or I can do a favourite mother post as well. Stay tuned for that!
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*Gregory Peck reading To Kill a Mockingbird;
*To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) with Gregory Peck and Mary Badham;
*To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) with Gregory Peck and Mary Badham;
*Father of the Bride (1950) with Elizabeth Taylor and Spencer Tracy;
*Father of the Bride (1950) with Spencer Tracy;
*The Kid (1921) with Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan;
*The Kid (1921) with Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan; (screenshot by me)
*Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945) with Margaret O'Brien and Edward G. Robinson; (screenshot by me)
*Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945) with Margaret O'Brien, Agnes Moorehead and Edward G. Robinson;
*Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) with Leon Ames and Margaret O'Brien; (screenshot by me)
*Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) with Leon Ames and Mary Astor;
*It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with James Stewart and Samuel S. Hinds;
*It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with James Stewart and Donna Reed;
*The Sound of Music (1965) with Christopher Plummer and children;
*The Sound of Music (1965) with Christopher Plummer and the rest of the Von Trapp family;
*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) with James Dunn, Peggy Ann Garner, Ted Donaldson and Dorothy McGuire;
*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) with James Dunn and Peggy Ann Garner;
*The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) with Glenn Ford and Ronny Howard;
*The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) with Glenn Ford and Ronny Howard;
*Houseboat (1958) with Cary Grant, Sophia Loren and children;
*Houseboat (1958) with Cary Grant and Paul Petersen.
ALL GIFS IN THIS POST MADE BY ME!