MR. HOBBS TAKES A VACATION

What do you get when you pair IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE dad James Stewart with PARENT TRAP mom Maureen O’Hara? If the movie is MR. HOBBS TAKES A VACATION, you get a double dose of fun and family values. Mr. Hobbs eagerly anticipates his summer vacation as a chance for a second honeymoon with his wife, Peggy, but she has other ideas–a vacation, she says, will be the ideal opportunity for communication with their adolescent son and daughter, as well as for a reunion with their two married daughters. Mrs. Hobbs gets her way, and the vacation turns out to be a time of “family togetherness” with some conflicts being resolved amid considerable humor along the way.

The film is highly entertaining and derives much of its humor from Mr. Hobbs’ voice-overs as we hear his innermost thoughts. Stewart and O’Hara render an endearing portrayal of an American couple–strong and wise, but also strong and vulnerable. We find them easy to identify with as they confront some very realistic family problems, desiring to help their children without playing too strong a hand. The movie does not contain a strong plot, but its humor carries us along briskly. While it is not overtly Christian, the family values portrayed are consistent with Christianity. It was directed by Henry Koster, whose credits also included THE STORY OF RUTH, A MAN CALLED PETER and THE BISHOP’S WIFE.