Question 1

What real-life detail about the Gilbreth family is altered in the movie regarding the last child?

Accepted Answer

In the movie, the last child born is a boy named Robert, but in real life, the last Gilbreth child was a girl named Jane. There was a son named Robert, but he was the second-to-last child born.

Question 2

Which set from another classic film was reused for the family's house in Montclair?

Accepted Answer

The big house the family moves to in Montclair is the same house set originally built for Judy Garland's family in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). Fox rented time on MGM's lot.

Question 3

What subtle tribute to the real Frank Gilbreth appears in a scene during the mass tonsillectomies?

Accepted Answer

On the living-room shelf is a picture of the real Frank Gilbreth in uniform as an Army Major during WWI, visible outside the makeshift operating room.

Question 4

How does the movie handle the character Mary compared to the real Gilbreth family history?

Accepted Answer

In the actual Gilbreth family, daughter Mary died from a childhood illness; the movie includes a Mary, but keeps her in the background with no lines.

Question 5

What detail in the mother's costume hints at her educational background?

Accepted Answer

The mother is a degreed psychologist, and the gold necklace she wears is a Phi Beta Kappa Key, an honors society symbol.

Cheaper by the Dozen

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