As we reach the final days of 2014, many of us are spending time with our families after weeks, months and maybe years apart. We may complain about an in-law we don't share political beliefs with or an uncle's odd taste in music, but at the end of the day, it's nice to spend time with our family. Among the best films to explain the importance of family is Frank Capra's You Can't Take It With You. The winner of the 1938 Best Picture Oscar is my personal favorite film to have that title. Sure, it's not even the best film by Capra to win Best Picture, but it is a heartwarming cinematic treasure trove, brimming with performances that have made audiences smile for 76 years.
Based on George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the film was a return to form for Capra after his financial disaster Lost Horizon the previous year. Part of being a genius is understanding what you do well, and Capra learned that the hard way. While Lost Horizon is still a film with plenty of merits, its far-flung setting in a mythical Shangri-La just doesn't scream Capra. He needed to go back to what he did best, center on stories about personal triumph and battling the system, not trying to make some larger philosophical stance. You Can't Take It With You was perfect material for Capra, who made sure Columbia snapped up the screen rights for him.
Tony Kirby (James Stewart – in his first of three Capra movies), a banker's son, falls head over heels for his secretary, Alice Sycamore (Jean Arthur). Alice isn't so sure the relationship will work out, since he comes from high society and her family is – well, let's just say – different. Her grandpa, Martin Vanderhof (Lionel Barrymore), tries to assure her that everything will be all right, but when Tony's parents do meet Alice's family, things don't go peacefully since Tony brought them when the Vanderhofs weren't prepared. Meanwhile, Grandpa is refusing to sell his house to banker Anthony P. Kirby (Edward Arnold), who happens to be Tony's father. Kirby has already bought-out Grandpa's neighbors, but Grandpa won't do it.
What makes You Can't Take It With You different from standard Hollywood fare from the late '30s is that the romantic couple isn't actually at the center of the film. Yes, Jean Arthur and James Stewart are the top-billed stars, but the film's real focus is the conflict between Grandpa and Kirby Senior. Tony already loves Alice, so the audience is never in suspense over that. Instead, Grandpa and Kirby are the two that have to learn to come together and put aside their differences.
That in itself is a pure Capra move. What one learns when going through the bonus material in Sony's 2006 set The Premiere Frank Capra Collection is that he loved every single actor who appeared in his films, even the ones in the background. It's no wonder that You Can't Take It With You is a showcase for character actors, not for glamorous stars. Instead, the greatest grandfather figure the screen ever knew – Lionel Barrymore – and his relationship with Edward Arnold, who played villains throughout the '30s, is what the film is concerned with. The rich man must understand that life isn't just about money and if a romance between his son and Grandpa's daughter is what it takes, than so be it.
Aside from Barrymore, there are the other wonder faces that populate the Vanderhof homes. For instance, Donald Meek – who you've seen in Stagecoach and Young Mr. Lincoln - plays a desk clerk who just wants to make toys, an opportunity Grandpa gives him. An incredibly young Ann Miller can be seen practicing ballet moves in the house, while Spring Byington – seen in the 1933 version of Little Women - earned a Best Supporting Actress nod for playing Alice's mother. The only other director who could put together such a cast of delightful character players was John Ford.
It's also an important film in James Stewart's career. Before this, he had never really been given a great leading role under contract at MGM. Capra got MGM to loan him out to Columbia for You Can't Take It With You, since the director knew he was perfect for the part. Of course, Stewart would go on to star in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and It's A Wonderful Life.
Yes, You Can't Take It With You is as sentimental as Capra's best works, but there's no denying the film's message. A rich man is one who has family and friends, not piles of money. It's A Christmas Carol Capra style, and the best way to learn the message other than reading it from Dickens himself.
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