The Skipper Surprised His Wife

"The Skipper Surprised His Wife" is a film that lost money when it came out in 1950. I can understand why. Now I am NOT saying it's a bad film...but it sure seemed like a sit-com episode more than a film I would have rushed to the theaters to see!

When the film begins, you see that Robert Walker (in an odd bit of casting) is a Commander of a Destroyer in the navy. His ship has been ordered back home to San Diego and he's thrilled to be able to see his wife and two boys again. However, soon after his arrival, his wife falls and breaks her leg...forcing the Commander to take over household duties. This section is a typical fish out of water sort of thing and the guy screws up again and again.

Later, using navy efficiency techniques, he decides to use the navy way to improve the running of the household. At first, it's still the fish out of water scenario, but after some time he gets the hang of things...and here's where real serious problems begin. He begins to get a fat head and this know-it-all soon is asked to speak to a ladies' group...and he makes a total mess of things. So what's next for this guy and his poor, poor family?

As I said above, this has sit-com written all over it...making it very slight and skippable. It practically screams 'time-passer' and is one that is harmless fun as well as easy to skip.