Bringing Up Father
Cast & Crew
Eddie Cline
Joe Yule
Renie Riano
Tim Ryan
June Harrison
Wallace Chadwell
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Construction contractor Jiggs and his overbearing, social-climbing wife Maggie are visited in their posh Park Avenue, New York apartment by the snobbish Mrs. Kermishaw, who, unaware that Jiggs is Maggie's husband, tells her that Jiggs is a "hybrid" and that she wants him removed from the building. Jiggs makes his presence known during Mrs. Kermishaw's visit and embarrasses Maggie, who then punches her husband for ruining her chances to get into the society Blue Book . When Jiggs stumbles down the stairs of his building and into a parked car, he happens upon his daughter Nora, who introduces him to her date, Junior Kermishaw, son of F. Newson Kermishaw, a dishonest developer who is planning to tear down Dinty Moore's Tenth Avenue saloon. Dinty's nephew Danny, an architect, is in the employ of Kermishaw but is unaware that he plans to welch on his promise to Dinty that he will modernize the building and let the saloon stand. Kermishaw's neighborhood improvement plan is nothing more than a front that he plans to use to take over the neighborhood. As part of his scheme, Kermishaw begins circulating a petition containing a clause in small print that turns over ownership of Dinty's saloon to him. The petition is soon signed by Maggie and all the patrons of Dinty's saloon. Meanwhile, Junior proposes to Nora and asks Jiggs for his blessing to marry his daughter, even though Danny is in love with Nora. When two men present Dinty with an injunction ordering the closure of his saloon, Dinty realizes that he made a terrible mistake in ignoring the small print of the petition, which also stipulates that its patrons refrain from drinking at any establishment. Jiggs is blamed for the fiasco by Dinty and all of the saloon's patrons, and is banished from the bar. Distraught, Jiggs wanders the streets and happens upon Danny, who is also upset because he knows that he has been had by the Kermishaws. Danny decides to fight back, though, and begins circulating a "counter petition" and goes to the Kermishaw Holding Company to slug Junior. Danny succeeds in reopening Dinty's saloon, and he is reunited with Nora. Later, an attempt by Kermishaw's thugs to "rough up" the patrons of the saloon is called off when the leader of the thugs recognizes Murphy, a regular habitué of the saloon, as an old friend.
Director
Eddie Cline
Cast
Joe Yule
Renie Riano
Tim Ryan
June Harrison
Wallace Chadwell
Tom Kennedy
Laura Treadwell
William Frambes
Pat Goldin
Jack Norton
Ferris Taylor
Tom Dugan
Joe Devlin
Fred Kelsey
Charles Wilson
Herbert Evans
Dick Ryan
Mike Pat Donovan
Bob Carleton
George Hickman
George Mcmanus
Jimmy Aubrey
Ralph Peters
Stanley Blystone
Joseph J. Weston
Jasper Palmer
Walden Boyle
Bryn Davis
Polly Bailey
Daun Kennedy
Bill Haade
Frank Marlowe
Bert Roach
Sailor Vincent
Jack "tiny" Lipson
Crew
Harry Bourne
Eddie Cline
Eddie Cline
Glenn Cook
Ralph Dixon
Frank Fox
Barney Gerard
Barney Gerard
Barney Gerard
Carla Hadley
Edward J. Kay
Edward J. Kay
David Milton
L. W. O'connell
Harry Ross
Elden Ruberg
Jerry Warner
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The opening credits read: "Jiggs and Maggie in Bringing Up Father." Bringing Up Father was the first of five Monogram films between 1946 and 1950 based on the George McManus cartoon strip of the same title. The "Jiggs and Maggie" films all starred Joe Yule (actor Mickey Rooney's father) and Renie Riano and, with the exception of the first film, were all directed by William Beaudine. The series ended following the death of Yule in 1950. According to contemporary sources, Barney Gerard acquired the screen rights to the comic strip in May 1940, at which time it was announced that he would produce two "Jiggs and Maggie" films annually. A June 1946 Los Angeles Examiner article indicates that the final decision as to who would play the role of Jiggs was made just prior to the start of production. According to the article, the choice was narrowed down to either McManus or Yule, but McManus rejected the role because it required that he shave his head. The Variety review notes that this film marked Barney Gerard's "first attempt as a single producer." An article in Look magazine in July 1947 featured comic strip cells from McManus' "Bringing Up Father" newspaper series placed side-by-side with film frames from corresponding scenes in the movie, to illustrate how the filmmakers created settings, costumes and facial expressions that were nearly identical to those in the cartoon. For additional titles in the series, consult the Series Index.
