Cheaper by the Dozen/Belles on their Toes (DVD)

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN: Clifton Webb stars in this lighthearted comedy as a patriarch who has more children than he can count on both hands. Along with his loving wife, played with dry humor by Myrna Loy, Frank Gilbreth must contend with the problems of five fathers. This includes a mass tonsillectomy and the eldest daughter's adolescent crises; her lack of a date to the school dance is solved skillfully by Dad, who takes her himself!

Based on the true story of Frank and Lillian Gibreth's child rearing adventures as they were depicted in the book written by two of their children, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN is directed with a refreshing post-war optimism by Walter Lang. Though the huge family must be run with a workmanlike, though comic, efficiency, it is Dad's charm and love for his offspring keeps the family together.BELLES ON THEIR TOES: The Gilbreth family is back in this sequel to 1950's CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, picking up where the original left off with the death of the patriarch Frank Gilbreth (Clifton Webb). Myrna Loy reprises her role as the sturdy Lillian Gilbreth, mother of twelve children; faced with supporting her brood by herself, she puts her engineering qualifications to use, albeit with some sexist misgivings on the part of her employers. Eventually she wins out, however, and in the meantime her daughters are growing up, creating a whole new slew of comic situations. A memorable performance is delivered by Jeanne Crain as the about-to-be-wed Ann, while some hilarious misadventure ensues when the younger Gilbreth kids decide to take charge of their older siblings' dating prospects!DVD Features:Region 12-Pack