The Bachelor Father (1931): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1931, The Bachelor Father is a comedy, drama and romance film directed by Robert Z. Leonard, running about 90 minutes. “Her daddy was a bachelor-and she won her way right into his heart.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Lonely in his English country estate, Sir Basil decides to gather his grown (albeit illegitimate) children around him in his declining years. He uses a ledger which keeps track of the payments he has been making to ex-lovers to locate 2 of them, and a third is found by a lawyer in New York, her mother was too proud to accept any money. Sir Basil is a curmudgeon, and his three adult children have a hard time with him at first. Toni, the American, is a free spirit who had a budding career in show business. Jeffery is English and a semi-gentleman, and Maria is Italian, with a Latin temperament. They begin to bond, especially Sir Basil and Toni, whose outgoing personality finally wins over the old man. But past lives begin to creep back into the picture and threaten the old man's plans for a life filled with his children.

Who’s in it. The Bachelor Father stars Marion Davies as Antoinette "Tony" Flagg, Ralph Forbes as John Ashley, C. Aubrey Smith as Basil "Chief" Winterton and Ray Milland as Geoffrey Trent, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, The Bachelor Father has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Bachelor Father page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Bachelor Father tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.