JohnHowardReid Director: GARSON KANIN. Screenplay: Norman Krasna. Story: Felix Jackson. Film editors: Henry Berman, Robert Wise. Photography: Robert de Grasse. Art directors: Van Nest Polglase and Carroll Clark. Set decorator: Darrell Silvera. Miss Rogers' costumes designed by Irene. Make-up: Mel Berns. Music: Roy Webb. Music orchestrated by George Parrish. Choreographer: Hermes Pan. Stills: John Miehle. Special effects: Vernon L. Walker. Publicity: Nan Blake. Assistant director: Edward Killy. Sound recording: Richard Van Hessen. RCA Sound System. Producer: Buddy G. DeSylva. A Pandro S. Berman Production. Copyright 6 July 1939 by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 29 June 1939 (ran two weeks). U.S. release: 4 August 1939. U.K. release: 31 August 1939. Australian release: 19 October 1939. 82 minutes. SYNOPSIS: On the day before Christmas, a department store salesgirl innocently picks up a baby on the steps of a foundling home.NOTES: Hollywood obviously thought there was something especially catchy about the word bachelor, for it is used in the title of a whole heap of movies including Bachelor Father, Father Is a Bachelor, Bachelor Daddy, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, Bachelor Apartment, Bachelor Bait, Bachelor in Paradise, The Bachelor Girl, Bachelor Party, The Bachelor's Affairs, The Bachelor's Daughters, Bachelor's Folly, Bachelor Flat, etc. There's even another movie called Bachelor Mother. Produced and released in 1932 by Hollywood Pictures, it starred Evelyn Knapp, James Murray, Maragret Seddon, Paul Page, and Astrid Allwyn. The screenplay by Paul Gangelin, Jack Natteford, Luther Reed and Jack Townley was based on a story by Al Boasberg. The movie was directed by Charles Hutchison.Felix Jackson, who penned the story for this one, was nominated for the year's top writing award, but lost out to Lewis R. Foster's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". COMMENT: Although disguised by a typical exploitation picture title, "Bachelor Mother" actually turns out to be a very classy "A" romantic comedy with a top cast and high production values. Mind you, there are no comedic belly laughs but plenty of chuckles and lots of charm. The story no doubt deserved its award nomination, but Krasna's ingenious screenplay adds many piquant details to take the fun much further and even manages to weave Donald Duck into playing a key role in the proceedings. Indeed the whole business with Mr. Duck is quite funny, including a clever montage and a brilliantly satiric scene in which Niven attempts to get a faulty Donald exchanged. We love the reprimand: "You're a disgrace to the Toy Department!" All the players are faultlessly cast, from stars down to the smallest bits. Krasna even provides some nice bits of business for favorite character actors like Chester Clute (as the little man at the water fountain in the park), Horace McMahon (as a tuxedo-suited bouncer), Barbara Pepper (as Niven's willing/unwilling dance partner), Alec Craig (as a mink-coat-gathering night watchman), and above all, June Wilkins, the snooty society girl who stands Niven up and is then neatly put into her place by a delightfully acerbic Ginger Rogers.

jacobs-greenwood Directed by Garson Kanin, with a screenplay by Norman Krasna, this above average romantic comedy earned Felix Jackson his only Oscar nomination (Original Story).Polly Parrish (Ginger Rogers) was hired as a seasonal employee by the (John) Merlin (Charles Coburn) department store. However, the three week Christmas sales period has ended and Polly receives her termination notice on Christmas eve morning. During her lunch break, she visits an employment agency and, on the way back, sees a woman leaving a baby on the steps of a foundling agency. After confronting the woman who hurries away, Polly decides to carry the infant inside so that it doesn't fall down the steps. After giving her name and place of employment, Polly explains what happened, but the agency's employees are dubious. Reading their expressions, Polly insists that the baby is not hers and rushes out. Back at Merlin's, Polly is approached by a store inventory clerk, Freddie Miller (Frank Albertson), who offers her half of a sure $50 prize at a dance contest that night if she'd only agree to be his partner. Needing the money, she agrees.The foundling agency's investigator (Ernest Truex) visits Merlin's and discovers that Polly has just been let go. So he calls on the store's management and gets a meeting with David Merlin (David Niven), who usually shows up late or infrequently at work due to his social life. The investigator believes that Polly abandoned "her" child because she'd lost her job and David, who's instantly concerned, summons her to his office. She is surprised to learn that her job has been restored and that she's to receive a $5/week raise retroactively. She is also promised a Christmas gift, which she's to receive later. At her apartment that evening, the investigator arrives with her 'package', the baby. He isn't happy about her attitude, she still insists it isn't hers and doesn't want it, but is able to leave without taking the baby with him after he explains the baby is the reason she'd gotten her job back. When Freddie arrives, Polly has an idea - on the way to the dance contest, she has him drive her by the Merlin home. Freddie then overhears her as she leaves it with the Merlin's butler (E.E. Clive) and says "it's his responsibility". Naturally, Freddie gets the wrong idea.After Polly departs, David learns from the butler what transpired. He picks up the baby and the two of them follow Freddie and Polly to the dance contest. However, David is soon thrown out of the dance hall for his behavior while Freddie and Polly are disappointed to win the contest, getting a trophy instead of the $50 they needed. Freddie takes Polly home and tries to make advances while David waits inside with the baby. Before he departs, Freddie's belief that David is the father of the baby is solidified. After a discussion of her circumstances with David, Polly decides to admit that the baby is hers and accept the responsibility for raising it. The 'playboy' seems to grow up a little too; he'll help her with Johnnie. After David leaves, Polly's landlord Mrs. Weiss (Ferike Boros) tells Polly that she would be happy to help by taking the baby while Polly works.The next day, Freddie asks Polly to "wink, wink, use her influence" to get him a better job as a floor manager. Without Polly doing anything, Freddie is promoted within minutes after he sees David visiting Polly's sales counter, where she sells Donald Duck toys. Later, David shows up at Polly's apartment to help her with the baby. He's brought a book from some expert and proceeds to read some nonsense about how to feed it. He also breaks a toy duck, but promises to return it for a replacement the next day. Polly laughs, telling him that you can't return anything at Merlin's. As the executive second only to his father, David insists that he can. But the next day, dressed incognito, David learns otherwise. Upset, he goes to the sales counter where he breaks several of the ducks before he puts a working one in his pocket. Of course, Freddie sees this and tackles him before he sees who he's just accosted. Naturally, David demotes him back to his old job.For revenge, Freddie decides to write a note to David's father, telling him he's a grandfather. So, John has his chauffeur follow David, who joins Polly and Johnnie at the park. The previous evening, New Year's Eve, David had been stood up by his girlfriend Louise (June Wilkins); he'd been neglecting while helping Polly. David finds a replacement date in Polly. While Mrs. Weiss watched Johnnie, Polly and David had a wonderful evening together. At the stroke of midnight, they shared their first kiss, a particularly long one. The next day in the park, John finds them. He sees a resemblance and learns the baby's name is Johnnie which, in his mind, confirms that he's holding his grandson. After John's left, Polly and David simultaneously figure out why John had been teary eyed. David chases after his father while Polly laughs that he is in the same predicament that she was regarding the baby's mistaken parentage.When Polly learns from David that his father will use lawyers to gain custody of Johnnie, she discusses it with Mrs. Weiss who suggests that her son Jerome (Leonard Penn) pretend to be the father. Meanwhile, David has tracked down Freddie and convinces him to do the same. Hence, at the Merlin home, right after Polly and Jerome have all but convinced John that the baby is theirs, David arrives with Freddie to ruin the ruse. Eventually all is resolved as David proposes to Polly and they 'admit' to his father that the baby is his.Later remade as the musical Bundle of Joy (1956).

utgard14 Department store clerk Polly (Ginger Rogers) is mistakenly believed to be the mother of an abandoned baby. She has to go along with it to keep her job. David Merlin (David Niven), the son of department store owner J.B. Merlin (Charles Coburn) takes a special interest in Polly's situation. Gradually the two fall in love but things are further complicated when J.B. is led to believe David is the father of Polly's baby.Delightful romantic comedy with wonderful performances from Ginger Rogers, David Niven, and Charles Coburn. Special mention for Frank Albertson in one of his better roles outside of playing Sam "Hee Haw" Wainwright in It's a Wonderful Life. Donald Duck also figures into things in an amusing way. I actually heard the radio version of this before I saw the movie. I heard it on satellite radio several years ago. It featured Ginger and David reprising their film roles. This is a fun, nicely-paced movie with an immensely likable cast that seems to be having a great time. Ginger fans certainly won't want to miss it as it's one of her best.

bkoganbing Bachelor Mother finds Ginger Rogers as a shopgirl working for the large department store that Charles Coburn owns. When she's let go at Christmas time she's going to have to worry where the next meal for her is coming. No position to be taking on dependents.Which is why when she finds a baby left on her doorstep she takes it to a foundling home where everyone assumes it's her's. When she tells her story about being let go, they're moved to do something about it. She gets her job back with a raise, but Ginger's a most unwilling mother.Of course the speculation gets going as to who the dad is and the playboy son of Charles Coburn seems a real likely possibility. Especially when you've got David Niven as the playboy. Garson Kanin directed the Felix Jackson original story in the film that became Bachelor Mother. The original screenplay was nominated for an Oscar in that category, but lost to Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.I saw the musical remake that RKO did 17 years later with Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds and it was clear just how superior this film is to that one. Eddie was playing David Niven's part and while the man could sing, he hadn't a tenth of Niven's charm. To be perfectly fair though, there were few men as charming as David Niven, he carried more films on the strength of that charm than anyone else I can think of.Ginger Rogers was doing a great variety of dramatic roles now at RKO in between her films with Fred Astaire. She was really kicking her career into high gear at this point and would win an Oscar next year for Kitty Foyle. Hard as she struggles in this film to convince everyone she's not the mother it gets easier to just go with the flow. When you see where the film is flowing you'll agree.Bachelor Mother is a bright and witty comedy, not quite of the screwball variety, but still holding up quite well after more than 70 years.