If you have seen the 2003 remake with Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt, there are a few things different. The 2003 family's name is Baker, not Gilbreth. Frank Gilbreth isn't a football coach, but a scientist that studies motion. He is always trying to find a faster way to do things. There are 6 boys and 6 girls in the Gilbreth family, but 7 boys and 5 girls in the Baker's.
The general plots behind both movies are the same. It is about 2 parents with 12 kids and all the crazy things that happen when you have that many people together. The kids are growing up and need space, but with 12 kids in a house there is no space for all of them. The 2003 version is more physical humor. The 1950s Cheaper By the Dozen has the great one liners that reminds me of the time period.
Even the endings of the movies are different. But you have to watch them to find out how. Be sure to watch the dance scene to see Ann's friend Deborah Lancaster (Betty Lynn), who 10 years later would play Thelma Lou on "The Andy Griffith Show". Jeanne Crain and Myrna Loy return in the Cheaper By the Dozen sequel Belles in Their Toes in 1952. I will watch it soon and let you know if the sequel is as good as the original.
Cheaper By the Dozen is a funny, family movie. It is for older kids, because I think the younger kids would have a hard time following the dialogue. It is not a physical movie, so my younger children were not interested. But it is safe for all ages to watch.
To get your own copy, buy Cheaper By the Dozen DVD 1950, Cheaper By the Dozen 2003 DVD,
or rent from Netflix.com
