PARENTS DECIDE: MILD ADULT THEME & LINGERIE SHOPPING SCENE. This endearing family comedy (based on the book by their children Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey) is inspired by the true story of the husband-and-wife efficiency experts Frank and Lillian Gilbreth and their adventures raising 12 kids at the turn of the century. Clifton Webb as Frank Bunker Gilbreth plays an eccentric father who prides himself on some truly unorthodox child-rearing methods. The kids descend upon the new school in force while Dad offers his unsolicited views on education; Dad takes his oldest daughter (wholesome Jeanne Crain) to the school dance and becomes the hit of the ball; a mass tonsillectomy becomes an opportunity to document the ordeal as an experiment in efficiency. Myrna Loy almost steals the film in her one standout scene, holding back a smirk while a birth-control advocate (played by Mildred Natwick) solicits this mother of 12 to speak at a rally. This classic maintains an even tone of good humor and warmth throughout, capturing a bygone era through the travails of a loving family. Narrated by the oldest daughter (Jeanne Crain), "Cheaper by the Dozen is a family comedy in the truest sense. A charming sequel, Belles on Their Toes, followed two years later.
