Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation

Roger Hobbs is an overworked banker who reflects on his recent vacation. Originally, he and his wife, Peggy, were to travel overseas alone together, but Peggy instead arranges a seaside holiday which includes their two grown daughters, teenage daughter and son, family cook, sons-in-law and grandchildren.

When Roger and Peggy reach their vacation destination, they find a dilapidated beach house with rotting steps. The shared telephone line and unreliable plumbing are running gags throughout the film.

Complications mount. Son Danny only wants to watch television. Youngest daughter Katey, embarrassed by a new set of dental braces, refuses to engage in any activities inside or outside the beach house, and the grandchildren do not want to have anything to do with Roger - their grandson is especially vocal about not liking his grandfather at all.

Furthermore, one of his sons-in-law, Stan, is unemployed and this is causing tension in that daughter's marriage. An older daughter is married to Byron, a professor who has unorthodox ideas about both disciplining children and the family dynamic.

Peggy is quite worried about these issues but Roger points out that the children must all learn to deal with problems themselves, that he and Peggy need to stay at arm's length.

One by one; however, Roger quietly goes about trying to solve each problem. After the television breaks, he takes Danny on a boating trip, where they get lost in fog but bond as father and son. He also manages to convince Katey to go to a local teen dance, where she insists on sitting on the sidelines with her mouth clenched shut. Roger bribes a handsome young man named Joe to pay attention to her; Joe genuinely falls for Katey and returns the money.

Son-in-law Stan has a shot at a good job and their daughter asks Roger and Peggy to entertain the potential employer and his wife for a few days. The couple present as prim, proper and sober - the only interest the man has is bird-watching and Roger endures a jaunt with him - but they are not what they seem to be. Chaos ensues in a madcap scene involving a shower and a broken door lock.

In the end, everybody's personal crises are resolved and the family are actually sad to leave - the grandson is upset that he is leaving his grandfather.

They book the beach house for the next summer.

• James Stewart as Roger Hobbs
• Maureen O'Hara as Peggy Hobbs
• Fabian as Joe
• Lauri Peters as Katey
• Lili Gentle as Janie
• John Saxon as Byron
• John McGiver as Mr. Turner
• Marie Wilson as Mrs. Turner
• Reginald Gardiner as Reggie McHugh
• Valerie Varda as Marika
• Natalie Trundy as Susan
• Josh Peine as Stan
• Michael Burns as Danny Hobbs
• Minerva Urecal as Brenda, Hobbs' maid
• Richard Collier as Mr. Kagle
• Peter Oliphant as Peter Carver (uncredited)

Nunnally Johnson wrote the screenplay for Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation based on Edward Streeter's novel, Mr. Hobbs' Vacation. Streeter had previously written the novel Father of the Bride, which was filmed in 1950 and remade in 1991.[4]

Johnson had just finished directing a series of films and wanted to focus on writing. He agreed to do Hobbs because he liked the story "and I knew something about it."[5]

Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation was filmed in California at Laguna Beach and Dana Point.[6] The film was shot using CinemaScope wide screen formatting, with color by DeLuxe. It marked the first time James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara starred together in a film. They would co-star again in the 1966 western The Rare Breed.[7] During the scene where Mr. Hobbs escorts his daughter Katey to a dance at the yacht club, Herb Alpert is the trumpet player in the band.[8]

The movie was the first of two James Stewart made with Fabian.[9] "If anybody’s ever blessed, you have to be blessed to work with Jimmy Stewart," recalled Fabian. "He was the most congenial, helpful person I ever worked with."[10]

It was a rare comedy role for John Saxon.[11]

The film was relatively successful in the United States and Canada upon its release on June 15, 1962, earning $4 million with an estimated budget of $2 million, but found even greater success when released overseas.[12][13]

James Stewart won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 12th Berlin International Film Festival for his performance,[14] and director Henry Koster was nominated for Best Director. Stewart was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy. The screenplay by Nunnally Johnson was nominated for Best Written Comedy by the Writers Guild of America. Stewart and Maureen O'Hara were also nominated for their performances by the Laurel Awards.[15]

Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation's success inspired a series of light-hearted family comedies written by Johnson. Two of these also starred Stewart and were directed by Koster: Take Her, She's Mine (1963) and Dear Brigitte (1965).[7][16]

This was the final feature film for actress Marie Wilson.

• Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation at IMDb
• Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation at the TCM Movie Database
• Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation at AllMovie
• Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation at the American Film Institute Catalog