Mama Loves Papa
Cast & Crew
Norman Mcleod
Charles Ruggles
Mary Boland
Lilyan Tashman
George Barbier
Walter Catlett
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Wilbur and Jessie Todd, a middle-aged couple, live alone now that their daughter Mary has married and moved away. Although Jessie does not understand Wilbur's lame jokes and Wilbur does not share Jessie's enthusiasm for buying new things, they love each other. One morning after breakfast, Wilbur chases Jessie, trying to tickle her. When she protects herself with her dead son's high chair, they solemnly remember that had he lived, he would now be fifteen. At the Kirkwood Furniture Company where Wilbur works, the irascible Mr. Kirkwood threatens his employees with dismissal unless they come up with more orders. When Wilbur returns home, he finds Jessie dressed in formal wear, the result of attending a lecture called "How to Improve Your Home Life" by noted author Basil Pew. Despite his protestations, Jessie gets Wilbur also to dress up for dinner and the next morning to go to the office in a bowler hat, jacket with tails and cane. Thinking that a relative must have died, Kirkwood insists that Wilbur take the day off. He goes to the park and listens to a soapbox radical, who calls him an exemplification of the idle rich. The radical and his followers chase Wilbur to an area where a group is about to unveil a new gateway to a playground. They mistake Wilbur for the playground commissioner, and a newspaper photographer takes a picture of him pushing Mrs. Franklyn Avery McIntosh, the attractive wife of a manufacturer of playground equipment, on a swing. After everyone but Wilbur and Mrs. McIntosh leaves, Kirkwood passes by and, seeing the couple together, fires Wilbur. Jessie is troubled by the photograph in the newspaper, but believes Wilbur's story. McIntosh convinces the mayor to fire the uncooperative playground commissioner and hire Wilbur, based on his wife's description of Wilbur as a "sweet, simple child." Wilbur visits a playground and sees a child narrowly escape injury when a piece of equipment, made by McIntosh's company, falls down. Wilbur learns that in another park, four accidents involving equipment have occurred, one causing a serious injury. At a weekend party at the McIntosh home, Jessie is snubbed, while Wilbur gets drunk with Mrs. McIntosh. Wilbur leads Mrs. McIntosh to her bedroom to see a bust, but McIntosh stops her and she returns to the party. After seeing Wilber enter Mrs. McIntosh's room and leave sometime later, not knowing he fell asleep inside, Jessie tells Wilbur that she does not belong in his sphere and, quoting Pew, says she must be honest, fair and brave, and leave the marriage. McIntosh, who has avoided Wilbur's inquiries about the faulty equipment, takes him to meet Mr. B. F. Pierrepont, a wealthy investor. After Wilbur courageously says that McIntosh's equipment is no good and quits, McIntosh finds Wilbur in his wife's room looking for his shoes and gives him a black eye. Wilbur and Jessie make up when she sees his eye. Kirkwood then arrives pleading with him to come back to work. When Wilbur tells of his idea to create a department to manufacture playground equipment and his plan to get an order from Pierrepont, who appreciated Wilbur's frankness, Kirkwood offers him the position of department head on condition he swing the deal. Just then the phone rings, and Wilbur and Jessie learn that their daughter Mary has just had a son. They rejoice and plan to send her the high chair. Kirkwood gives Wilbur the day off, and Jessie hugs her husband and cries in joy.
Director
Norman Mcleod
Cast
Charles Ruggles
Mary Boland
Lilyan Tashman
George Barbier
Walter Catlett
Morgan Wallace
Ruth Warren
Andre Beranger
Tom Ricketts
Warner Richmond
Frank Sheridan
Tom Mcguire
Crew
Sidney Brod
Jack Critchley
Richard Currier
Farciot Edouart
Mack Elliott
Jack Goodrich
"sailor" Holton
Gordon Jennings
Nunnally Johnson
James King
Arthur Kober
Ernest Laszlo
Douglas Maclean
Douglas Maclean
Sidney Street
Al Swindell
Keene Thompson
Gilbert Warrenton
Film Details
Technical Specs
