''Life with Henry'' is a 1941 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Theodore Reed Theodore Reed (June 18, 1887 – February 22, 1959) was an American film director, producer and former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Selected filmography * '' Say! Young Fellow'' (1918) * ''Arizona'' (1918) * '' ...

and written by

Clifford Goldsmith Clifford Goldsmith (March 29, 1899 – July 11, 1971) was an American writer, best known for his play ''What a Life'', from which ''The Aldrich Family'' radio and television series and the ''Henry Aldrich'' film series were derived. In 1943, ''T ...

and Don Hartman. The film stars

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...

, Leila Ernst,

Eddie Bracken Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) was an American actor. Bracken became a Hollywood comedy legend with lead performances in the films ''Hail the Conquering Hero'' and ''The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' both from ...

Fred Niblo Fred Niblo (born Frederick Liedtke; January 6, 1874 – November 11, 1948) was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer. Biography He was born Frederick Liedtke (several sources give "Frederico Nobile", apparently erroneously) in Yo ...

Hedda Hopper Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committ ...

and Kay Stewart. The film was released on January 24, 1941, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Plot

Henry Aldrich needs to raise 100 dollars to win a trip to Alaska, so he decides to start raising money by making and selling soap with his friend Dizzy. This turns out to be a disaster and Henry has to find another way to win the trip.

Cast

Reception

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' characterized the film as "pleasant family entertainment".

References

External links

* 1941 films The Aldrich Family films American black-and-white films Paramount Pictures films American comedy films 1941 comedy films Films directed by Theodore Reed Films scored by Friedrich Hollaender 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{1940s-comedy-film-stub