''The Wife's Family'' (also released as ''My Wife's Family'') is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Gene Gerrard, Muriel Angelus, and Amy Veness. It was based on the popular stage farce by Fred Duprez. The play was subsequently filmed a further four times: in a Swedish version ''

Mother-in-Law's Coming ''Mother-in-Law's Coming'' (Swedish: ''Svärmor kommer'') is a 1932 Swedish comedy film directed by Paul Merzbach and starring Karin Swanström, Nils Wahlbom and Magda Holm.Larsson & Marklund p.130 It was shot at the Råsunda Studios in Stockholm ...

'', in 1932; a 1933 Finnish film ''

Voi meitä! Anoppi tulee ''Voi meitä! Anoppi tulee'' (AKA''The Mother-in-Law Cometh'') is a 1933 Finnish comedy film directed by Erkki Karu and starring Mia Backman, Uuno Laakso and Georg Malmstén. It was based on a popular stage farce '' My Wife's Family'' by Fre ...

''; and British remakes in

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

and

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

. It was produced by British International Pictures and shot at the company's Elstree Studios in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

John Mead. Poster taglines: "His Mother-in-law wasn't born--she was quarried out of solid granite and could lick her weight in wildcats!"
"An inside comedy of the in-laws-the in-bads and all but ingratitude!"

Premise

Farcical confusions ensue when newlywed bride Peggy Gay overhears her husband Jack discussing the purchase of a piano, and somehow interprets what he has said to mean he is the father of an illegitimate child.

Cast

* Gene Gerrard as Jack Gay * Muriel Angelus as Peggy Gay * Amy Veness as Anabella Nagg *

Charles Paton Charles Ernest Paton (31 July 1874 – 10 April 1970) was an English film actor. He joined the circus at 14, and had early stage and music hall experience. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1927 and 1952, including ''Freedom of the ...

as Noah Nagg * Dodo Watts as Ima Nagg * Tom Helmore as Willy Nagg * Jimmy Godden as Doc Knott *

Molly Lamont Molly Lamont (22 May 1910 – 7 July 2001) was a South African-British film actress. Life and career Lamont was born in Boksburg, Transvaal, South Africa. After winning a beauty contest in South Africa she was offered a contract by British ...

as Sally * Ellen Pollock as Dolly White * Geoffrey Frost as Baby

Critical reception

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

wrote, "the level of humor can be assessed by the fact that the hero's unbearable mother-in-law is named Arabella Nagg." * Tasmania's ''The Advocate'' wrote in 1931, "this big talkie has been described as "Britain's Cyclone of Merriment," and packed houses have greeted it everywhere. "My Wife's Family" can hardly be included in the category of "comedies." Perhaps "super-comedy" would be an applicable term to describe the film's side-splitting qualities, but better still it would be safe to say that "My Wife's Family" has more laughs than " Rookery Nook" and " The Middle Watch" put together."

References

1931 films 1931 comedy films 1930s English-language films British comedy films Films directed by Monty Banks British black-and-white films British films based on plays 1930s British films {{1930s-UK-comedy-film-stub