Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House1948Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
1948
Jim Blandings, a New York advertising man, is tired of cramming his wife and two daughters into a cramped Manhattan apartment. He buys a ramshackle old Connecticut farmhouse to fix up, and the costs, contractors, and calamities begin to pile up.
The default: films the whole family can watch together; any scary or intense moments for the littlest viewers are flagged in the Context Notes.
Why it’s here
A loving, bickering marriage survives every disaster of building a home, and the family ends up together on its own front lawn. A gentle comedy that treats a home as worth the trouble, and one Armstrong specifically asked for.
Context notes
For parents, before you press play.
Jim briefly suspects his wife of unfaithfulness when his best friend is stranded overnight by a storm; the suspicion is shown to be false and foolish and is played for comedy, so it's easy to explain as a jealous misunderstanding. Men smoke throughout, period-typical and unaddressed.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
Discussion questions
When the credits end, go around the room. Each person gives the film a score out of ten and says why.
- Why did Jim want the house so badly? Was it a wise decision?
- Who was the most patient person in the family, and how could you tell?
- What did the family learn about money and plans?
- What was the funniest disaster?
Content advisory
IMDb parents guide: no violence, profanity, or frightening scenes; mild smoking and drinking. BBFC notes period smoking and a husband wrongly suspecting his wife of an affair.
Trailer
Best edition
The disc comes first.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House Blu-ray (Warner Archive Collection)
Blu-ray · May 18, 2021
Edition link coming soon.
Listing on Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)Coming later
Where to stream
Streaming services are not listed yet. When they are, this note stays secondary to the disc.