You Can't Take It with You (1938)

September 1, 1938 (US) • Comedy, Romance • 126m

Overview

Alice, the only relatively normal member of the eccentric Sycamore family, falls in love with Tony Kirby, but his wealthy banker father and snobbish mother strongly disapprove of the match. When the Kirbys are invited to dinner to become better acquainted with their future in-laws, things don't turn out the way Alice had hoped.

Director

Frank Capra

Writer

Robert Riskin

Top Billed

Jean Arthur

Keywords

harmonica monopoly house tycoon based on play or musical love friends eccentric secretary free spirit black and white rich snob stenographer eccentric family philosophical playful

Where to watch

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

Jean Arthur

Alice Sycamore

Lionel Barrymore

Martin Vanderhof

James Stewart

Tony Kirby

Edward Arnold

Anthony P. Kirby

Mischa Auer

Kolenkhov

Ann Miller

Essie Carmichael

Spring Byington

Penny Sycamore

Samuel S. Hinds

Paul Sycamore

Donald Meek

Poppins

H.B. Warner

Ramsey

Halliwell Hobbes

DePinna

Dub Taylor

Ed Carmichael

Mary Forbes

Mrs. Anthony Kirby

Lillian Yarbo

Rheba

Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson

Donald

Clarence Wilson

John Blakely

Josef Swickard

Professor

Ann Doran

Maggie O'Neill

Christian Rub

Schmidt

Bodil Rosing

Mrs. Schmidt

Charles Lane

Henderson

Harry Davenport

Judge

Irving Bacon

Henry (uncredited)

Ward Bond

Mike (uncredited)

James Burke

Chief Detective (uncredited)

Eddy Chandler

Plainclothes Policeman (uncredited)

Anne Cornwall

Miss Jones (uncredited)

Nell Craig

Blakely's Inquisitive Office Worker (uncredited)

Edgar Dearing

Bill (uncredited)

Pat Flaherty

Police Guard at Courtroom Entrance (uncredited)

Robert Greig

Lord Melville (uncredited)

Kit Guard

Inmate Wearing Black Cap (uncredited)

John Hamilton

Kirby's Dining Guest (uncredited)

Edward Hearn

Court Attendant (uncredited)

Russell Hicks

Kirby's Attorney (uncredited)

Edward Keane

Board Member (uncredited)

Pert Kelton

Inmate (uncredited)

Edwin Maxwell

Kirby's Attorney (uncredited)

Frank McLure

Restaurant Patron (uncredited)

Charles McMurphy

Guard (uncredited)

James Millican

Policeman (uncredited)

Edward Peil Sr.

Neighbor Helping with Move (uncredited)

Ian Wolfe

Kirby's Secretary (uncredited)

Eugene Anderson Jr

Bobby (uncredited)

Stanley Andrews

Kirby's Arraignment Attorney (uncredited)

William Arnold

Reporter (uncredited)

Johnny Arthur

Kirby's Office Aide (uncredited)

Frank Austin

Neighbor (uncredited)

Harry A. Bailey

Neighbor (uncredited)

Joseph E. Bernard

Neighbor (uncredited)

Beatrice Blinn

Neighbor (uncredited)

Charles Brinley

Neighbor (uncredited)

Beatrice Curtis

Neighbor (uncredited)

Betty Farrington

Neighbor (uncredited)

John Ince

Neighbor (uncredited)

Stella LeSaint

Neighbor (uncredited)

Margaret Mann

Neighbor (uncredited)

Tina Marshall

Neighbor (uncredited)

Eva McKenzie

Neighbor (uncredited)

Fred Parker

Neighbor (uncredited)

George C. Pearce

Neighbor (uncredited)

Ed Randolph

Neighbor (uncredited)

Frances Raymond

Neighbor (uncredited)

Bert Starkey

Neighbor (uncredited)

Dorothy Vernon

Neighbor (uncredited)

Bess Wade

Neighbor (uncredited)

Gladys Blake

Mary (uncredited)

Joe Bordeaux

Taxi Driver (uncredited)

Ralph Brooks

Restaurant Patron (uncredited)

Stanley Brown

Newsboy (uncredited)

Gloria Browne

Child Dancer (uncredited)

Wallis Clark

Bill Hughes (uncredited)

Chester Clute

Hammond (uncredited)

Nick Copeland

Barber (uncredited)

Dick Curtis

Strongarm Man (uncredited)

Sidney D'Albrook

Trustee (uncredited)

Lew Davis

Reporter (uncredited)

Lester Dorr

Reporter (uncredited)

Jack Gardner

Reporter (uncredited)

William Lally

Reporter (uncredited)

Gene Morgan

Reporter (uncredited)

Vernon Dent

Expressman (uncredited)

Kay Deslys

Woman (uncredited)

Florence Dudley

Woman (uncredited)

Almeda Fowler

Woman (uncredited)

Alice Keating

Woman (uncredited)

Georgia O'Dell

Woman (uncredited)

Dagmar Oakland

Woman (uncredited)

Rosemary Theby

Woman (uncredited)

Homer Dickenson

Man (uncredited)

Oliver Eckhardt

Man (uncredited)

Sterrett Ford

Man (uncredited)

Jesse Graves

Man (uncredited)

Louis King

Man (uncredited)

Bob Kortman

Man (uncredited)

Ralph McCullough

Man (uncredited)

Clive Morgan

Man (uncredited)

Cy Schindell

Man (uncredited)

Harry Semels

Man (uncredited)

Ernest Shields

Man (uncredited)

S.S. Simon

Man at Jail (uncredited)

Victor Travis

Man (uncredited)

Roland Dupree

Child Dancer (uncredited)

Edward Earle

Bank Manager (uncredited)

Jim Farley

Police Sergeant (uncredited)

Eddie Fetherston

Worried Neighbor (uncredited)

James Flavin

Jailer (uncredited)

Byron Foulger

Kirby's Assistant (uncredited)

Dick French

Bank Clerk (uncredited)

Carlton Griffin

Bank Clerk (uncredited)

Dick Rush

Bank Guard (uncredited)

Bruce Sidney

Bank Clerk (uncredited)

Harry Stafford

Bank Clerk (uncredited)

Carlie Taylor

Bank Clerk (uncredited)

Joe Geil

Child Dancer (uncredited)

Billy Wolfstone

Child Dancer (uncredited)

Chuck Hamilton

Guard (uncredited)

Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian

Ice Man (uncredited)

Harry Hollingsworth

Doorman (uncredited)

Paul Irving

Office Manager (uncredited)

Boyd Irwin

Kirby's Arraignment Attorney (uncredited)

Eddie Kane

Kirby's Attorney (uncredited)

Frank Mills

Trustee (uncredited)

Bruce Mitchell

Policeman in Park (uncredited)

Wedgwood Nowell

Diner (uncredited)

Blanche Payson

Matron (uncredited)

Lee Phelps

Bailiff (uncredited)

Hilda Plowright

Lady Melville (uncredited)

Doris Rankin

Mrs. Leach (uncredited)

Ky Robinson

Court Policeman (uncredited)

Frank Shannon

Mac (uncredited)

C.L. Sherwood

Drunk (uncredited)

Edwin Stanley

Executive (uncredited)

Bert Stevens

Court Bailiff (uncredited)

Laura Treadwell

Kirby's Dining Guest (uncredited)

John Tyrrell

Strongarm Man (uncredited)

Walter Walker

Governor Leach (uncredited)

Pierre Watkin

Kirby's Attorney (uncredited)

Pat West

Expressman (uncredited)

Larry Wheat

Kirby's Secretary (uncredited)

Alex Woloshin

Jailed Russian General (uncredited)

Bess Flowers

Martin's Neighbor in Courtroom (uncredited)

Jimmy Anderson

Porter in Bank (uncredited)

Dorothy Babb

Child Dancer (uncredited)

William A. Boardway

Pedestrian (uncredited)

Howard Davies

Neighbor (uncredited)

Bill Dill

Reporter (uncredited)

Melvin J. Gibby

Reporter (uncredited)

Joseph Glick

Prisoner (uncredited)

Jack Grant

Policeman (uncredited)

Beatrice Hagen

Woman (uncredited)

Sam Harris

Diner (uncredited)

Dick Johnstone

Prisoner (uncredited)

Hilda Rhodes

Woman (uncredited)

Ruth Robinson

Neighbor (uncredited)

Gale Ronn

Neighbor (uncredited)

Nell Roy

Woman (uncredited)

Bee Stephens

Woman (uncredited)

Belle Stoddard

Neighbor (uncredited)

Jane Talent

Woman (uncredited)

Patty Thomas

Child Dancer (uncredited)

Pearl Varvalle

Woman (uncredited)

Gertrude Weber

Woman (uncredited)

Bud Wiser

Policeman (uncredited)

Crew

Frank Capra

Director

Moss Hart

Theatre Play

George S. Kaufman

Theatre Play

Robert Riskin

Screenplay

Arthur S. Black Jr.

Assistant Director

Stephen Goosson

Art Direction

Gene Havlick

Editor

Irene

Costume Design

Frank Capra

Producer

Irving Lippman

Still Photographer

Bernard Newman

Costume Design

Max Reese

Orchestrator

George Parrish

Orchestrator

Dimitri Tiomkin

Original Music Composer

Joseph Walker

Director of Photography

William Knight

Makeup Artist

Lionel Banks

Assistant Art Director

Edward Bernds

Sound Engineer

Garry A. Harris

Sound Recordist

Eugene Joseff

Other

Morris Stoloff

Music Director

Curly Twiford

Animal Wrangler

Reviews

barrymost

⭐ 10/10

August 9, 2019

If you enjoy this review, please check out my blog, Old Hat Cinema, at https://oldhatcinema.medium.com/ for more reviews and other cool content.

A heartwarming film from start to finish

My favorite movie is Frank Capra's 1938 Best Picture winner, You Can't Take It with You. Okay, honestly I have a good twenty favorite movies. But this one ranks above them all. Why? Because I love the feel, the message, the theme inherent in the plot. Put very simply, it is this: life is too short to waste it in the pursuit of wealth, which ultimately brings no happiness. It makes infinitely more sense to spend it bringing joy into your own life, and the lives of those around you. Why, you might ask, do you need to spend over two hours watching a movie just to hear this idea reiterated? Because, I would answer, the journey, from the opening scenes of a day in the life of a wealthy Wall Street banker to the final scene of saying grace before supper, is just so much fun - good, clean, heartwarming fun, at that. Also, there is the not inconsiderable merit of Mr. Lionel Barrymore playing the harmonica and railing against the "isms" of the world.

Under Capra's expert direction, a mix of acting talents so perfect the cast must have been blessed from above, comes together to create one of the most down-to-earth, enjoyable, and hilarious screwball comedies of all time. Oh, but be warned: the firecrackers do tend to go off with a real bang from time to time.

It's the story of Alice Sycamore, a relatively normal young woman - normal considering she comes from an offbeat clan of free spirits, including her grandfather Martin Vanderhof, her aspiring playwright mother Penny, and one old gentleman who came to deliver the ice one day and never left. She's a secretary for the son of banking magnate Anthony P. Kirby, and she falls in love with the boss's son - or rather, with the back of his head, as she tells him herself. But the horribly sane, dull world of Anthony Kirby, Jr. isn't so well-suited to the topsy-turvy, go-with-the-flow lifestyle adopted by Alice's family. The rest of the film deals with the juxtaposition of the two very different ideals and lifestyles, and whether or not Alice and Tony can find happiness together.

Some ridicule this film as an over-the-top fantasy slamming work ethic and responsibility, and making the rich look like poor fools. While it's true that life can't always be as simple and beautiful as it is for the fictional Vanderhof family, it's a gentle reminder of what's really important in life, and how we need to take the time to live in the moment, sometimes even with joyous abandon, and never forget to have some fun.

Consider the Vanderhof family this way: each person seen as a unique individual; free to do whatever it is they want to do most; never overlooked; never judged; but always loved. I like to think that almost every person secretly, somewhere deep down inside, would want to live that way. I know I would.

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