Life With Father -- Digitally Remastered (DVD)

Life With Father -- Digitally Remastered. All the Happiness and Laughter You Can Handle! Life With Father is a 1947 comedy film adapted from the longest-running non-musical play in Broadway's history. The story concerns a financier from New York who watches over his wife and four sons with the meticulousness of a bookkeeper. William Powell is a tower of comic strength as Clarence Day, the benevolent despot of his 1880s New York City household. Irene Dunne co-stars as Day's wife Vinnie, who outwardly has no more common sense than a butterfly but who is the real head of the household. The anecdotal story, encompassing such details as the eldest Day son's (James Lydon) romance with pretty out-of-towner Mary (Elizabeth Taylor), is tied together by Vinnie's tireless efforts to get her headstrong husband baptized, fearful that he'll never be able to enter the Kingdom of God. Each scene is a little gem of comedy and pathos, as the formidable Mr. Day tries to bring a stern businesslike attitude to everyday household activities, including explaining the facts of life to his impressionable son. Donald Ogden Stewart based his screenplay upon the play by Howard Lindsey (who played Mr. Day in the original production) and Russell Crouse.

• comedy