Cinema Revisited: Weekend With Father (1951)

Directed by Douglas Sirk. Cast: Van Heflin, Patricia Neal, Jimmy Hunt, Gigi Perreau, Virginia Field, Richard Denning, Tommy Rettig. Released December 6, 1951. Running time: 83 minutes.

An uncharacteristic comedy for director Douglas Sirk, and an uncharacteristic comic performance by Van Heflin are two of the selling points for "Weekend With Father," a comedy that had a discernible impact on the culture, even though the movie itself isn't so well known. The story deals with a widow mother and a widower father joining their families and trying to adjust. It is the portent for the film "Yours, Mine, and Ours" as well as the TV series "The Brady Bunch." And this lesser known movie is actually better than either of them.

Heflin plays a typically paunchy post-war father type while Neal is his pretty fiancee. Heflin's snooty past girlfriend offers another challenge, as does a muscular jock type who has designs on the Neal character. They all end up at a summer camp for the weekend, where Neal's boys are unhappy with the unathletic Heflin, while his girls are disappointed that typical mom Neal has replaced the TV actress girlfriend who was more glamourous.

Director Sirk usually used melodrama to explore the ways and mores of post war America, dealing with such issues as bigotry ("Imitation of Life") and social classes ("Magnificent Obsession"). With "Weekend With Father" Sirk used comedy to parody the post-war family unit with stereotypes abounding. Richard Denning is quite amusing as the camp counselor who is nearly always shirtless, foists health food on the kids, and exhibits the sort of cheerful boorishness that is laughably annoying. Heflin, meanwhile, is incapable of displaying the qualities considered necessary to be respected as a father. He has no athletic prowess when he engages in activities like a three-legged race, gets lost on a camping trail, and is even punched out by a man half his size. This film is, today, considered a lesser Sirk, but it has every bit as much satirical edge as any of his dramas, and it shows he was quite capable directing a comedy.

It is unfortunate that Van Heflin did little in comedy in his long career, as he is very funny here. His reactions and sense of timing add so much more to the typical character, and he even successfully engages in a sufficient amount of slapstick. He is delightfully appealing throughout.

Because it is rarely revived and has never been released to DVD, "Weekend With Father" is little known today. But it was one of the most popular films of 1951, especially with the family trade. An offbeat film for its director and star, "Weekend With Father" is worth seeking out.