Hindsight

Classic Kids, or 100 films the kids in your life have to see by 13 or else!

Day 50:  You can't take it with you (1938)

Some folks call Frank Capra's films Capra-corn, and this one does fit that suggestion.  The movie is overly sentimental, but the quirky unexpected traits of the main family are truly joyous.  The film stars wonderful Jean Arthur, always special Jimmy Stewart and Stalwart character actor Edward Arnold.  It is based on the Pulitzer prize winning play, of the same name, written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart.  Much of the film uses Kaufman and Moss' dialogue so the characters have some witty lines and comments to make about what it means to be human in a world of business and competition.  The basic plot hinges on the marriage of a rich man's son into a poor and eccentric family.  The film was nominated fro several academy awards, and was seen as an artistic satire on the absurdities of 'keeping up with the Jones."  
It was the biggest box office film of the year.  
It contains elements of the screwball comedies of the era,  with a dash of social commentary.  
Younger kids might like if for the silly situations, while older kids will see this as a period comedy that spoke to the depression.  
Footnote:  Ann Miller, the characters of Essie is Married to a man named Ed.  Ann was only fifteen at the time.
Themes:  Class, masculinity, money, privilege, fulfillment
Media Literacy Questions:  How might the stage play been changed when it was adapted by Hollywood?  What are the core values at work within the film?  Why was this such a popular film with Depression era audiences?