MovieChat Forums > Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) Discussion > I Adore This Movie:

I Adore This Movie:

posted 16 years ago by lesnmike
13 replies | jump to latest

I watched this movie today and can watch it over and over and never tire of it. Why can't they make movies like this today? Even if they were to do a remake, it would not be as good as this one...
One of my favorite scenes also is when they got lost at sea. But when they found their way back to the docks, the showed the sailboat coming out of the fog into the docks. When the camera panned away from the boat, there was no fog at all!
Also, I totally agree with the post about JS walking during the bird watching-OMG! That hurt my rear end and my calves just watching JS walk that way!
I had thought that there a sequel about the family going to Europe but remembered what I was thinking of had Fred McMurray - I think it was called Bon Voyage. In my opinion, the 1960's produced some great family movies!

[–] blofeld67 16 years ago

I agree, watched it for the first time today and its brilliant! The bird watching scene is hilaruious , im gonna have to get the DVD now.... They certainly don't make 'em like they used to,,,

[–] RainAndTangerines 16 years ago

Definitly! This movie rocks, it's such an adorable family movie. Funny, enjoyaable and entertaining. Plus James Stewart was an added bonus. Loved the cute scene where the daughter is singing with that boy in the pizza joint. Everything about this movie was great, if only movies were still made this sweet today.

[–] mtmv 16 years ago

"I had thought that there a sequel about the family going to Europe..."

You might be thinking of another Jimmy Stewart movie he made a few years after Hobbs called DEAR BRIGITTE. He plays pretty much the same character as Mr. Hobbs - the befuddled father of an eccentric brood who discovers that his youngest son has been writing fan letters to Brigitte Bardot and they end up going to France to meet her. It was every bit as charming a movie as Mr. Hobbs and was clearly directed at the same audience (Fabian even has a role in this one too).

[–] allegra11 16 years ago

My wife and I watched this film again just last night. And we tried to figure out just why it's so darned charming, but it just is. It doesn't have a really strong storyline. It's almost free-form in it's construction.
My wife and I, BOTH noticed the portrait of Captain Gregg from the Ghost and Mrs. Muir, in the hallway. The portrait is only seen in one shot, and you don't even see the entire painting, but it caught our eye and was familiar. We had to rewind and look at it a couple of times to try and be sure. THEN, to be really sure, we got out the Ghost and Mrs. Muir DVD for total verification. And I see here at IMDB, that it is a well known fact already. So much for my cinimatic archeology skills. I wonder where that painting is today?
As funny as the Bird watching walk may be, my wife and I both love the fact that all the birds Jimmy Stewart tries to 'spot' are all Barn Swallows.
We had to laugh at the silly pop song written by Henry Mancini for the pizza shop scene. It is a typical pop song written by an Old Guy, trying to write soemthing he THINKS teenagers will like. It's all nonsense lyrics set to a cute pop tune. I'm sure Twentieth Century Fox thought they'd have a BIG teen hit on their hand with that one. But outside of this film I have never heard the song anywhere else.
It's also interesting to see what 1962 Hollywood depicted as a middle class vacation, a MONTH at the beach, in an odd old victorian house, 40 feet from the ocean.

[–] kelly-527 15 years ago

I second your emotions. I loved this as a kid, especially always loved the relationship between JS and O'Hara. But now as a mother of an eleven year old boy struggling to fit in with the cool kids, ACK, I recall how JS paid the guys to dance with his duaghter. Great movie!!!

[–] bcoaggiemom09 14 years ago

And didn't you love it when Joe (Fabian) gave the money back to Mr. Hobbs after the dance? His comment, "Not for her." I think that was one of the sweetest scenes of any movie.

[–] sonomagirl2120 13 years ago

Jimmy Stewart did a movie with Sandra Dee called Take Her She's Mine about a father following his daughter to college, then on to Europe to make sure she is a *good girl*.

[–] lizcarlo87 13 years ago

It's so funny. Everybody is so good. Maureen and Jimmy were great together. Some of my 2 favorites.

[–] lizcarlo87 10 years ago

I adore this movie as well. Maureen and Jimmy are such great actors. Its such a cute charming family movie. One of my favorite scenes was when the guy gave Jimmy the money back. Well any of the scenes with Jimmy and Maureen.

[–] vvjti 9 years ago

it's a good spirited film.

[–] kenny-164 9 years ago

The story is kind of okay, but the two leads justify giving it an 8. Not sure I want to see it again anytime soon, though, so maybe it's more a 7.5.

[–] Sunflower007 8 years ago

~ I just saw this movie today for the first time, and I loved it so much. Mr.Hobbs Takes a Vacation was witty, sweet, funny and very enjoyable. The performances of James Stewart and Maureen O'Hera was great.

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🎶
How you turned my world, you precious thing
You starve and near exhaust me
Everything I've done, I've done for you
I move the stars for no one

-🌹rest in peace David Bowie🎤

[–] lesnmike 8 years ago

So funny, I am watching this movie...again...and logged into IMDB on my phone to get info on the Laurie Peterson, the girl who played the teen aged daughter. Came across this message I posted in 2007. Who would have thought then that we'd be using our phones to log into the internet.

9 years later, still feel the same about this movie.

We have a cable station that plays old TV shows from the 50's thru the 70's, getTV. I had no idea Jimmy Stewart had a TV series in the early '70's called ' The Jimmy Stewart Show', it was a sitcom where he played a professor at a university. Same type of character, had a grown married daughter & a pre teen son.