Tonight's Movie: Yes, My Darling Daughter (1939)

YES, MY DARLING DAUGHTER is the mildly amusing tale of a girl (Priscilla Lane) who wants to spend a weekend alone in a cabin with her boyfriend (Jeffrey Lynn) before he leaves to work overseas for two years. The girl's mother (Fay Bainter), a more free-thinking "feminist" in her younger years, tries to talk the couple out of this scandalous behavior. Comic hijinks ensue as various relatives chase after the couple.

The film seems a bit "talky" in places -- Priscilla Lane's character seems to speak nonstop -- which perhaps reflects the story's origins as a play, written by Mark Reed. The plot was mildly racy in its day -- as alluded to in this 1939 New York Times review by Frank S. Nugent -- though it seems tame by today's standards.

Though it's nothing particularly special, the film is worth seeing, especially if one has also enjoyed FOUR DAUGHTERS (1938) or DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS (1939). YES, MY DARLING DAUGHTER was released in between those two films; Lane, Lynn, and May Robson (who plays Lane's grandmother) were in both of the DAUGHTERS movies, and Fay Bainter also played Lane's mother in DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS. Bainter in particular elevates virtually anything in which she appears.

It's also fun looking around the family's enviable country home; the sets are great "eye candy."

YES, MY DARLING DAUGHTER was filmed in black and white and runs 86 minutes. It was directed by William Keighley. Besides directing, Keighley had a career in radio, notably as the host of Lux Radio Theater from 1945 to 1952. Keighley's wife, Genevieve Tobin, plays the much-married Aunt Connie in this film. In real life, Keighley and Tobin were married nearly 46 years, until his death in 1984.

YES, MY DARLING DAUGHTER does not appear to have been released on VHS and is not available on DVD. Vote here for it to be released on DVD. It's available on cable as part of the library at Turner Classic Movies.

The trailer can be seen at TCM here.