Family Affair
Family Affair
Made by Western Electric, this film promotes the use of the telephone in a 1950s house.
Family Affair
Family Affair Slow zoom into cartoon aerial of neighborhood. The houses have facial expressions: happy, sad, angry, loud. Cartoon interior views as the house changes based on the residents.
Family Affair
Dissolve to live footage. Color is a little faded. Interior of house. Tracking shot through living room, hallway, parlor, study/ home office. The shot ends on a telephone on the desk in the study. Phone rings. A wife and mother named Kay (Genevieve Frizzell) doing laundry in basement looks up in annoyance. Her husband (J. Pat O'Malley) in on the other end in a business suit. He's forgotten his glasses. They have a friendly chat about their daughter-in-law who is expecting (pregnant). Their youngest daughter comes in asking about shortening her dress before kissing her mom goodbye and heading off to school.
Family Affair
A husband named Tim (William Redfield) is fussing over his pregnant wife, Sally (Elaine Joyce) in the kitchen. She tries to finish breakfast and answer telephones. When the phone rings, he goes across the house to answer it. The phone cord is either to short or gets tangled around the furniture. The wife says I wish we had a telephone in every room in the house. She decides to call someone as she sits on a stool her husband has so kindly brought her.
Family Affair
A woman, Ann (Phyllis Wynn) is awoken from her sleep by a telephone ringing in the background. Her roommate, Bonnie (Beverly Dennis) comes in from work grabs the phone and talks until the other woman can answer the phone. She agrees to go visit her sister later in the day before hanging up. Nice 1950s day and night fashion. The roommates bid each other good morning and good night.
Family Affair
Black Telephone ringing on a table. Ann (Wynn) and Bonnie (Dennis) run into each other as one leaves the shower and the other from bed. Bonnie mistakes the telephone for the alarm clock then goes back to bed. The phone rings again. They both rush to answer it. Ann receives a long distance call from San Francisco.
Family Affair
In a cameo appearance Steve McQueen portrays a young sailor named Freddie. He wants to come visit his unemployed girlfriend, Ann and hopefully convince her to marry him. She s speechless and all smiles until she sees him the next day.
Family Affair
Ann races to the door to wake her roommate with the news. She runs right in.
Family Affair
Back at the house, Kay is emerging from the basement when the phone rings. She goes to answer it. Ann now dressed rushes to answer her phone.
Family Affair
The pregnant daughter-in-law, Sally is in the kitchen frantically cooking dinner. The phone rings and she goes to answer. Tim can t make out her grocery list. CU pot boiling over on the stove.
Family Affair
Bart (O Malley) sitting at his desk in the study working in a balance book when the phone rings. The youngest daughter races to the phone to talk her friend. Dating trouble. The father leaves his office to sit with mother in the living room as she knits. A few awkward facial expressions as dad tries to listen in on the conversation.
Family Affair
American family gathered in the living room. Mom knits. Daughter reads. Dad flips pages of a book with a pencil in his hand until the phone rings. They all stop and stare at the phone each running though their inner thoughts. Everyone decides the call isn t for them and no one gets the phone. Finally, Father makes the youngest go answer it. Mom quickly knits as daughter calls dad. Traveling shot of dad walking back into her study answering. It s a wrong number. Prompting an immediate conversation of needing another phone in the house and where it should be placed. Mother and daughter each gang up on Dad/Husband to get their own phone.
Family Affair
Ann is being put in bed by her friend and roommate. She takes some pill and then picks up a book to read as her friend leaves for work. She tosses and turns looking over at a picture of her sailor, Steve McQueen. The Phone rings prompting her to get up. "Hello, Hello." Then menacing music causes her to lock the door and look about fearfully. She wants to take the phone with her but goes back to her room.
Family Affair
Sally (Joyce) wakes up in the middle of the night then wakes her husband (Redfield). "I think you'd better call Dr. Gage." Slapstick comedy about an inconveniently placed phone. Husband tripping over her hospital ready suitcase while reaching for the telephone.
Family Affair
Back at home Dad (O Malley) comes walking down the stairs at 2:30 in the morning to answer the telephone. It s the son telling him the baby s on the way. He tries to move the phone before making himself comfortable on the couch in the study. The next morning mom (Frizzell) is whispering to her daughter on the phone as dad is fast asleep on the couch. Ann, if you can, bring Freddie around later to say hello. We all need to get better aquatinted mom says.
Family Affair
Daughter (Wynn) on the phone with her mother. Her roommate (Dennis) is awake with the excitement of the baby and Freddie arrival. But the daughter has an interview and has to leave so the roommate volunteers to keep him company until she returns.
Family Affair
An old passenger airplane is landing. Freddie (Steve McQueen) has just arrived and finds himself a payphone to use. He looks hard for a nickel. He talks to telephone directory to get her number that he has lost.
Family Affair
CU Black rotatory telephone. The phone rings at Ann & Bonnie s apartment. Bonnie, the roommate answers. Ann wanted to check and see if Freddie arrived and tell Bonnie the baby has arrived it s a boy. A confused and anxious Freddie (Steve McQueen) finally arrives with a bouquet of flowers. Bonnie agrees to take him to the hospital to meet her.
Family Affair
CU Crying baby on changing table. CU baby bottles being sterilized in a boiling pot. Sally, the housewife answering her new kitchen phone. Grandfather is sending the 3 month old baby a tricycle.
Family Affair
At Bonnie and Ann s apartment, Bonnie answers a phone for Ann in her room. Yells across the hall for Ann to pick up the telephone. Ann is in her room reading a book when she answers. Freddie (Steve McQueen) is calling to check in with Ann. She tells him she ll be employed for four more months at least till he gets out the navy. He says "Hey, we can get married."
Family Affair
Mother is in the basement doing chores when she answers a phone. Dad is working at his desk in the study when his telephone rings. The teenage daughter is already on the phone when he puts it back on the receiver gently. CU teenager lying face down on bed on the telephone gossiping.
Family Affair
Dad turning out all the lights downstairs when the phone rings. He starts to go back to his study to answer it when the wife calls you can take it in our room. He happily goes upstairs.
Family Affair
Cartoon 1950s Happy House. Slow Zoom out on cartoon neighborhood as cast credits roll. Cast includes J. Pat O'Malley, William Redfield, Genevieve Frizzell, Elaine Joyce, Beverly Dennis, Phyllis Wynn and Stephen McQueen..