When the film was over I began to wonder. The story is really too somber for a kid's movie, what could have been an uplifting story about a family coming together to deal with the son's worry over a wild animal seemed to get lost at the finale. Father Eddie (Ernest Borgnine) found himself fired from his job and there was no rabbit to rescue. The build up required a more positive ending for this viewer, and I couldn't help thinking there was an opportunity missed, even if Eddie remained true to his principles.
The other bothersome head scratcher for me was the character of Judy (June Blair). That business of throwing herself at the boss (David Brian) a couple of times was just a complete mystery to me, especially after Spellman (David Brian) respectfully declined her advance the first time. Otherwise the guy was pretty much a creep, which many of the employees seemed to recognize, so what was Judy thinking? Better yet, what were the writers thinking when they came up with those scenarios?
Well back in the Fifties, one would encounter similar job responsibility anxieties and the stress that comes with it that you find today. Maybe on a smaller scale, but the picture does an adequate job of explaining things from both sides of the employer/employee equation. That ten dollar raise Eddie got for his promotion seems like small potatoes today, but it's interesting to reflect on how that would have been a big deal back in the day. Especially when a cream soda down at the Y went for a dime, anyone else recall something like that?
I don't want to sound too pessimistic about this film because I believe it was searching for a heartwarming message, but it seemed to get garbled a little in the telling. For a real Ernest Borgnine gem of a movie, one must absolutely see "Marty" in which he portrays the title character. That role earned him an Oscar and is an absolute keeper of a film.
The other bothersome head scratcher for me was the character of Judy (June Blair). That business of throwing herself at the boss (David Brian) a couple of times was just a complete mystery to me, especially after Spellman (David Brian) respectfully declined her advance the first time. Otherwise the guy was pretty much a creep, which many of the employees seemed to recognize, so what was Judy thinking? Better yet, what were the writers thinking when they came up with those scenarios?
Well back in the Fifties, one would encounter similar job responsibility anxieties and the stress that comes with it that you find today. Maybe on a smaller scale, but the picture does an adequate job of explaining things from both sides of the employer/employee equation. That ten dollar raise Eddie got for his promotion seems like small potatoes today, but it's interesting to reflect on how that would have been a big deal back in the day. Especially when a cream soda down at the Y went for a dime, anyone else recall something like that?
I don't want to sound too pessimistic about this film because I believe it was searching for a heartwarming message, but it seemed to get garbled a little in the telling. For a real Ernest Borgnine gem of a movie, one must absolutely see "Marty" in which he portrays the title character. That role earned him an Oscar and is an absolute keeper of a film.