The Bachelor Father
The Bachelor Father | |
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Directed by | Robert Z. Leonard |
Produced by | Marion Davies, Robert Z. Leonard |
Written by | Edward Childs Carpenter (play), Laurence E. Johnson |
Starring | Marion Davies |
Cinematography | Oliver T. Marsh |
Edited by | Harry Reynolds |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Bachelor Father is a 1931 American pre-Code MGM drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. The film stars Marion Davies, Ralph Forbes and C. Aubrey Smith.
Plot
Ageing English bachelor Sir Basil Winterton (C. Aubrey Smith) suddenly has his hands full when his three grown (illegitimate) children return. Tony (Marion Davies) is a sharp tongued New Yorker, Maria is an aspiring opera singer and Ray Milland is the son.
Tony and Basil grow fond of each other, as do Tony and Ashley, but Sir Basil's Lawyer strikes when Tony learns that she is not really the daughter of Sir Basil. Sir Basil soon learns of the mistake and confronts Tony. She leaves Basil's estate and on flying back to the United States her plane crashes on take-off as Sir Basil reads a telegram that Tony sent before she boarded the plane. It explained that she loved him very much and she was sorry for what had happened.
Luckily Tony has survived the disaster and is carried into Sir Basil's living room to rest by Ashley. The film ends happily with Sir Basil promising to adopt Tony and Ashley promising to make her his wife.
Cast (in credits order)
- Marion Davies as Antoinette Flagg
- Ralph Forbes as John Ashley
- C. Aubrey Smith as Sir Basil Algernon Winterton
- Ray Milland as Geoffrey Trent
- Guinn Williams as Richard Berney
- David Torrence as Dr Frank MacDonald
- Doris Lloyd as Mrs Julia Webb
- Edgar Norton as Bolton, The Second Butler
- Nina Quartero as Maria Credaro
- Halliwell Hobbes as Larkin, The Butler
- James Gordon as Carson Creswell, a lawyer
Foreign Language Version
One foreign language version was produced by MGM in French and was entitled Le père célibataire. It was released in 1931 and starred Lili Damita.