''The Wife's Family'' (also released as ''My Wife's Family'') is a 1931 British

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Monty Banks Montague (Monty) Banks (born Mario Bianchi; 18 July 1897 – 7 January 1950) was a 20th century Italian-born American comedian, film actor, director and producer who achieved success in the United States and United Kingdom. Career Banks was bor ...

and starring Gene Gerrard,

Muriel Angelus Muriel Angelus ( Findlay; 10 March 1912 – 26 June 2004) was an English stage, musical theatre, and film actress. Early life The daughter of a chemist, young Muriel was educated at the Ursuline Convent in London. At age 12, she acted in a ...

, and

Amy Veness Amy Veness (26 February 1876 – 22 September 1960) was an English film actress. She played the role of Grandma Huggett in '' The Huggetts Trilogy'' and was sometimes credited as Amy Van Ness. Veness was born Amy Clarice Beart in Aldeburgh, Su ...

. It was based on the popular stage farce by

Fred Duprez Fred Duprez (September 6, 1884 – October 27, 1938) was an American actor, comedian and singer who performed in vaudeville, phonograph record and film. He made phonograph recordings in the US and the UK in the 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s. Most of t ...

. 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 Stockh ...

'', in 1932; a 1933 Finnish film '' Voi meitä! Anoppi tulee''; and British remakes in

1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...

and

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

. It was produced by

British International Pictures Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...

and shot at the company's

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

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

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 *

as Peggy Gay *

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 Margorie Edith Lamont was born in Boksburg, Transvaal, South Africa. She was active in sports as a young woman. She moved to England aft ...

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

Production

BIP bought the rights to the stage farce for $7,500. The film production was very popular.

Critical reception

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

wrote, "the level of humor can be assessed by the fact that the hero's unbearable mother-in-law is named Arabella Nagg." *

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

'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 English-language comedy films {{1930s-UK-comedy-film-stub