Alice Sycamore, a nice girl employed downtown, has fallen in love with the boss's son, Tony Kirby, but is very nervous about letting him (let alone his wealthy, proper folks) meet her eccentric family. Grandfather Martin Vanderhof (Robards) walked out on his Wall Street job decades ago; mother Penny writes play after play because a typewriter was delivered to the house by mistake (thus ending her horrid painting phase); Alice's Dad makes fireworks in the basement, which often go off unexpectedly; her dingy sister makes candy and wants to be a ballet dancer; and a constant parade of various other weirdoes (most notably the Grand Duchess Olga Katrina, played by Dewhurst, who escaped Russia and now waits tables downtown) marches through the house. This 1984 stage production of Kaufman & Hart's beloved late Depression era comedy was taped during its Broadway run. (The Capra film version that starred Jimmy Stewart diverged from the original play significantly.) The sound is poor, and the play gets a little preachy at the end, but there's plenty of lively acting, and Robards is perfectly loveable.
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The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus
