Product Details

• Actors: James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, Fabian, John Saxon, Marie Wilson
• Directors: Henry Koster
• Writers: Edward Streeter, Nunnally Johnson
• Producers: Jerry Wald, Marvin A. Gluck
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 116 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301798740
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,230 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  Video > Comedy > By Year > 1960-1969

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
James Stewart reunites with his Harvey director, Henry Koster, in this 1962 comedy, which is charming enough even though it doesn't seem quite up to the level of talent involved. (The screenwriter is the legendary Nunnally Johnson--writer and director of The Three Faces of Eve, among many other titles--and the music is by Henry Mancini.) But it is pleasant, summery entertainment with Stewart and his screen wife, Maureen O'Hara, taking their urban family to a crumbling, seaside house for a vacation. The film was calculated to pull in older fans with Stewart as well as draw in a younger crowd that would enjoy the fairly extensive beach scenes with pop-star Fabian. Stewart is deft with the easy jokes about bad plumbing and such, and golden in several nice moments where he gets to play an attentive dad to his kids. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Jimmy Stewart at his comedic best!, January 2, 2004

By	Mouseketeer "gidgetmoondoggie" (Midwest) - See all my reviews

I am still amazed at the number of people who haven't seen this movie! Mr. Stewart even narrates, here and there, throughout the story, this wonderful tale of his summer vacation with his family at a rented beach house, along with the family maid. There is a running gag throughout the picture about the plumbing and the maid misunderstands the English language, and Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs try very hard to understand their adorable teen-age daughter (Lauri Peters) who falls in love with an adorable boy (played by none other than Fabian!), who shows up at the local dance and then there's a son who prefers to watch westerns on TV all day and night. There's a sexpot neighbor that lives in a nearby beach house who attempts to read War and Peace, and later the Hobb's daughters show up with the misbehaving grandchildren and want nothing to do with "Boompa", otherwise known as Mr.Hobbs! Don't miss the scene when Jimmy Stewart bird-watches with his son-in-in-law's boss and learns "the proper walk". The chemistry between Maureen O'Hara and James Stewart is so wonderful, it's no wonder they were so successful in several films together! She is so convincing as the jealous wife, especially when Jimmy innocently tries to help his son-in-law's boss's wife (Marie Wilson) while she is in the shower and runs into trouble........don't miss it, you'll laugh all the way through this marvelous movie. Let's hope Twentieth Century Fox soon gives us a widescreen DVD version with extras, like an interview with Maureen O'Hara & Lauri Peters!

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good medicine., August 30, 2002

By	Margaret Bauer "hoodsportjo" (Hoodsport, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

I have seen this movie about ten times. Recently I recommended it to a friend who is going through a depression. It is guaranteed to bring one out of any doldrums. Why? Because it is soooo very
funny!

Scene after scene did in my funny bones. I laughed until my tummy ached. Marvelous are Stewart and O'Hara, but Marie Wilson(Remember "My Friend, Irma") and John McGiver are more than marvelous in their roles. They play a couple of 'supposed to be' tea totlers who are guests in the seaside, summer house rented by Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs played by Stewart and O'Hara. Wilson's steamy shower scene and McGiver's lessons in birdwatching are just about the funniest I have seen on screen in almost sixty years. I place this film with great comedies such as: "The Egg and I." and "As Good As It Gets" "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" IS as good as it ever gets.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a couple of old smoothies on the loose, July 4, 2000

By	hardly_b (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I really like this movie. Stewart is perfectly cast, and his voice-overs masterful in providing the ironic commentary on the events as they unfold. The scenes between O'Hara and Stewart are flawless ("What did you tell him I had? Dementia Praecox?") -- you don't get to see sophisticated, funny, and warmly affectionate parents in movies lately, and watching them together is a pleasure. Not only are they real pros, but they are obviously having fun together. I just wish that we could have seem more of them as couple, and a lot less of the teenagers.

If you liked the movie you might enjoy the book, too. The tone is similar, but lots of details are different, and I found the humor a bit understated and the protagonist less likable than Stewart's character.