It's a Gift

Synopsis: The owner of a general store (Harold Bisonette) is hounded by his status-anxious wife ("That's 'Bee-soh-nay'" and "I have no maid you know"). To get some sleep he goes out on the porch where he is tormented by a little boy from the floor above (Baby Dunk) and an insurance salesman down below ("LaFong. Capital L, small a..."). He uses an inheritance to buy an orange ranch through the mail, then drives off with his family for California. The orange grove consists of a withered tree, the ranch house is but a shack, and the car falls to pieces. But a racetrack operator wants the land, so all ends happily.
Genre: Comedy
Director(s): Norman Z. McLeod
Production: Universal Studios Home Video
  1 win.
 
IMDB:
7.4
Rotten Tomatoes:
100%
PASSED
Year:
1934
68 min
264 Views


Stop that racket! Give me that letter.

And take those skates off, I told you.

Clattering up and down the stairs

all day. Why, it's from Aunt Matilda.

Haven't heard from her

in months.

"Dear, Amelia. You'll have to

forgive me for not answering sooner. "

Mildred, see if the coffee's perking.

Get some fresh cream.

And take that cat

out of the dining room!

"Uncle Bean has been

in very bad health for weeks."

"We're all afraid

he will never get up again. "

Hey, Ma, if Uncle Bean dies, Pop's gonna buy

an orange ranch out in California, ain't he?

Norman. Well, Pop says

he is, if Uncle Bean dies.

We're all gonna go out to

California to live. Norman, be quiet.

Pop says he knows more about oranges

than most men who raise 'em.

- Your father says a lot of things.

- I wouldn't go to California on a bet.

Because you can't bear to leave

thatJohn Durston guy.

Good-bye, darling,

sweetheart, dear.

You stop teasing her aboutJohn

Durston! Get down out of that chair.

Pop.

Yeah.

- Hurry up. I wanna come in.

- Come on in. I'm only shaving.

Ow.

Pfft!

You want me to cut my

throat, keep that up.

You evidently do.

Hey, Pop, who do you

think's dying? Dying what?

Uncle Bean's dying! Well, you don't

have to spit in my eye, do you?

Do we get to go to California? Get

out of here. Go 'way. Go 'way! Go 'way!

Do we, Pop, huh?

Go 'way.

I've just had a letter from

Aunt Matilda. I told him!

Uncle Bean's sinking.

Who's sinking?

Your Uncle Bean is

sinking. Ohhh, that's awful.

Uncle Bean is sinking. What kind

of tomfoolery are you up to now?

I'm shaving. Why don't

you shave over there?

Because... sh...

Uh, oh, excuse me.

Of all the driveling idiots!

Hurry up and come in to breakfast.

I'll be down

in half a tick.

Beautiful morning, isn't it?

Don't be kicking

Norman's skates around.

I'vejust had them fixed.

Suffering sciatica.

Get up off the floor! Coming,

coming, coming, coming.

Do it again, Pop.

Shut up!

Did you hurt yourself, dear? Shut... No,

no, I didn't. Where's your other skate?

- I got it on.

- Well, go and put that one on!

Norman, I told you

to take those skates off...

Yeah. Go and take those skates off.

Running around here with roller skates on.

What are you trying

to light the flower for?

What are you tr...

Oh. Excuse me.

Don't smoke

at the table.

No? Don't throw matches on the floor!

No. Well, the doctors

say he's at death's door.

Who's at death's door?

Your Uncle Bean.

You think they'll be able to

pull him through? Afraid not.

Oh, that's unfortunate.

Hey, Pop.

Do we get to go to California

if they don't pull him through?

Uh, no. No. I should say we do not.

See, we get to go. When Pop said

"no," he shook his head "yes. "

Uh...

Ha-ha, you missed me.

Put that down! What's the matter,

Pop? Don't you love me anymore?

Certainly I love you.

Don't you strike that child!

Well, he's not gonna tell me

I don't love him!

I won't go to California,

that's all!

What's eatin' on her? She's afraid

she'll have to give up thatJohn Durston.

Have you fnished?

No.

You've eaten enough.

You may leave the table.

He snitched a piece of bacon.

Harold, I want one thing settled.

If you get any money from your Uncle Bean,

you are not going to buy an orange ranch.

Oh, no, no, no, no. Oh, don't

try that innocent look with me.

We need things in the house.

I haven't a stitch to my back, the children

need clothes, and we should have a car.

A car by all means, yes.

I don't know where you get the idea

you can make money raising oranges...

when you can't even run

a corner grocery store.

I know a lot about raising oranges.

What are you so nervous about?

You haven't eaten a bite.

I'm not hungry.

That won't be worth eating if you put

any more salt on it. Oh, no, no, no.

You should eat something before you go to

the store. How much to fix these skates?

Oh, never mind

Norman's skates!

Where are you going? That's the 8:00

whistle. I gotta get to the store.

Wait. I'm not through with you. Now I

know you've got something on your mind.

You're constantly doing things behind

my back, and I know nothing about them...

till you're in some scrape

and I have to get you out.

Remember that scheme to revive the celluloid

collar you had a couple of years ago?

Well, that was going to

make us a fortune. Where is it?

Now you've got an orange ranch

on your mind.

Nothing will come of it.

You're not going to drag me

and the children across this country,

away from friends and relatives.

If any money comes into this family,

I'm going to handle it...

and put it to some practical purpose, and

that's that! What are you crying about?

You're just trying to ruin the lives

and future of everybody in this family.

Me? You don't care how much you

take me away from people I like.

Harold, are you listening to

me? Yes, dear. Go on. Go on.

What did I say last? Uh,

yes, yes, every word of it.

I never knew such

an ungrateful father!

Listen, you've all gotta

realize one thing:

That I...

Am the master of this household.

Harold!

Yes, dear.

I don't know why every time I want to talk to

you, you're off. In some other part of the house.

I have to shout, shout, shout!

No wonder the neighbors know

all about our private affairs.

I get little enough opportunity as

it is to find out what's going on...

without you running away as if

I had the smallpox or something...

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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