Cheaper by the Dozen

Cheaper by the Dozen is a 1950 family comedy set around the Gilbreth household, where efficiency expert Frank Gilbreth and his wife Lillian raise twelve children. Frank applies the principles of motion study he champions at work to his own home, organising chores, routines and even the children's daily lives along strictly rational lines. His regimented approach clashes with the wishes of his daughters and the ordinary chaos of a very large family, while the household also faces a move from Providence, Rhode Island, to Montclair, New Jersey. The film draws on the real Gilbreth family and the book written by two of the children.

Walter Lang directed, working from a screenplay by Lamar Trotti, who also produced. The film sits between Sitting Pretty (1948) and There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) in Lang's directing career. Clifton Webb plays Frank, with Myrna Loy as Lillian and Jeanne Crain as Ann; the credited cast runs to 26 names, among them Edgar Buchanan, Barbara Bates and Betty Lynn. Running 85 minutes, the film is a 20th Century Fox production.

On IMDb it holds a rating of 7 out of 10 from around 6,000 votes, while on TMDB it has a 6.4 out of 10 from a much smaller number of votes. The two figures suggest a well-regarded title among those who have seen it, with the larger IMDb sample pointing to a durable following for the family comedy.