''Her Twelve Men'' is a 1954 American
comedy drama film
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
made by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
. It stars Oscar-winning
Greer Garson
Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was an English-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the hom ...
, and was directed by
Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter.
Biography
He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to silent star Mae Murray with the two formin ...
, and written by
William Roberts and
Laura Z. Hobson
Laura Zametkin Hobson (June 19, 1900 – February 28, 1986) was an American writer, best known for her novels
''Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947) and ''Consenting Adult'' (1975).
Early life and career
Laura Kean Zametkin was born on June 19, 1900So ...
. It was based on the best-selling pseudo-autobiographical book written by Louise Maxwell Baker, ''Snips and Snails''. Louise herself taught at an all-boys boarding school, as the only female teacher in the school. Subsequently, Louise recounts many of the funny stories from her time as a teacher in ''Snips and Snails'', which then translates into the film, ''Her Twelve Men''.
Plot
Although she has no teaching experience, widow Jan Stewart is hired by headmaster Dr. Barrett to be the first woman to teach at The Oaks boarding school. Due to the fact that she is the only woman teaching at the school, the other faculty members either are condescending towards her or try to woo her.
Jan gets to know her twelve students and fellow faculty member Joe Hargrave, who is dating the rich Barbara Dunning. Her young students hate her at first as she gives a strict punishment to a few boys who are disrupting her class; however, they begin to appreciate her nurturing and kind nature, and she begins to serve as mother for many of the boys who miss their actual parents. She has so much sympathy for one young boy, Bobby Lennox, whose globe-trotting parents neglect him, that she reads letters pretending they are from his mother that Jan wrote herself.
A wealthy Texan widower, Richard Oliver, enrolls his son. Richard Jr. instantly alienates the other boys with his attitude and by refusing to confess to causing a fire alarm to go off, for which Dr. Barrett punishes the entire class. The other students in the class then all alienate Richard Jr., as he does not own up to his wrongdoing. This ultimately results in Richard Jr. being pushed out of a second-story window by the other students, causing him to break his leg.
The boy's father wants him sent home and Jan is asked to accompany him on the journey. She wins young Richard's trust and gains Richard Sr.'s interest as well. Richard Jr. starts to treat Jan as a mother figure, as he severely misses his late mother. Later, Richard Sr. ends up proposing to Jan because of his feelings for her, as well as his son's, but Jan and Joe Hargrave ultimately realize they were meant for one another. Jan decides to continue to teach at The Oaks for another year after being begged by Joe Hargrave and her students. Richard Jr. also reconciles with the other students, and appears to finally be happy at The Oaks.
Cast
*
Greer Garson
Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was an English-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the hom ...
as Jan Stewart
*
Robert Ryan
Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American actor and activist. Known for his portrayals of hardened cops and ruthless villains, Ryan performed for over three decades. He was nominated for the Academy Award for ...
as Joe Hargrave
*
Barry Sullivan Barry Sullivan may refer to:
*Barry Sullivan (American actor) (1912–1994), US film and Broadway actor
*Barry Sullivan (stage actor) (1821–1891), Irish born stage actor active in Britain and Australia
*Barry Sullivan (lawyer), Chicago lawyer and ...
as Richard Y. Oliver, Sr.
*
Richard Haydn
Richard Haydn (born George Richard Haydon, 10 March 1905 – 25 April 1985) was a British-American comedy actor. Some of his better known performances include his roles as Professor Oddley in ''Ball of Fire'' (1941), Roger in '' No Time for Lov ...
as Dr. Avord Barrett
*
Barbara Lawrence
Barbara Jo Lawrence (February 24, 1930 – November 13, 2013) was an American model, actress, and real estate agent.
Early years
Born to Morris and Bernice ( Eaton) Lawrence in Carnegie, Oklahoma, Barbara Jo moved with her mother to Kansas C ...
as Barbara Dunning
*
James Arness
James Arness (born James King Aurness; May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the CBS television series '' Gunsmoke''. Arness has the distinction of having played the ...
as Ralph Munsey
*Rex Thompson as Homer Curtis
*
Tim Considine
Timothy Daniel Considine (December 31, 1940 – March 3, 2022) was an American actor, writer, photographer, and automotive historian. He was best known for his acting roles in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Early life
Considine was born in Lo ...
as Richard Y. Oliver, Jr.
*
David Stollery
David John Stollery, III (born January 18, 1941 in Los Angeles, California) is a former American child actor and, as an adult, an industrial designer. He appeared in numerous Disney movies and television programs in the 1950s. He is best known for ...
as Jeff Carlin
*
Frances Bergen
Frances Bergen (née Westerman; September 14, 1922 – October 2, 2006) was an American actress and fashion model. She was the wife of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and the mother of actress Candice Bergen and film and television editor Kris ...
as Sylvia Carlin
*
Ian Wolfe
Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as ...
as Roger Frane
*Donald MacDonald as Bobby Lennox
*Dale Hartleben as Kevin Ellison Clark III
*
Ivan Triesault
Ivan Triesault (born Johann Constantin Treisalt; in Reval (now Tallinn) – January 3, 1980 in Los Angeles) was an Estonian-American actor. His parents were from the island of Hiiumaa.
Life
His first stage appearance was at the German Theat ...
as Erik Haldeman
Reception
According to MGM record the film earned $817,000 in the US and Canada and $601,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $116,000.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Her Twelve Menon
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
{{Robert Z. Leonard
1954 films
1954 comedy-drama films
American comedy-drama films
Films set in boarding schools
Films about educators
Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Films scored by Bronisław Kaper
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
Films with screenplays by William Roberts (screenwriter)
Films based on autobiographies
Films about widowhood
1950s English-language films
1950s American films