After years of reading about this movie, I finally checked out Papa's Delicate Condition from my local library several days ago. Jackie Gleason plays a railroad supervisor who occasionally drinks which makes him a little generous when trying to please his youngest daughter, Corrie, (Linda Bruhl) to the consternation of his elder daughter, Augusta, (Laurel Goodwin) and wife, Amberlyn, (Glynis Johns). When Corrie wants a pony, he buys the circus that goes with it. He also buys a drugstore in order to keep a young man employed there and the mean previous owner (Charles Lane) off his back. Quite funny and touching is Gleason's performance and it's a hoot seeing him singing, "Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey" but also touching when also hearing him warbling "Call Me Irresponsible" when his family temporarily abandons him. That song was original to the film and was good enough to win the Oscar for Best Song for James Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn. Maybe the ending was a bit pat but it was believable enough for me. So on that note, I recommend Papa's Delicate Condition. P.S. As always, I like citing when a player from my favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life, is in another one and here, it's Mr. Lane.
Review of Papa's Delicate Condition
