Love this film. Sort of a minor film for Cary Grant. Won't spoil it for anyone but what few people seem to know is that it is based on a book written in the 30's by the actual mother of the family. The title of the book is Room for One More by Anna Perrot Rose. Hard to find but worth the read.

Anne (Betsy Drake) and Poppy Rose (Cary Grant) are a loving couple with three kids after losing the fourth. On a PTA tour of an orphanage, the selfless Anne is taken with the children. When the group is shown the older unwanted kids, everybody walks away except Anne. Jane is a troubled child who tried to kill herself. She's bitter with trust issues. They win her over and then Anne picks angry handicapped orphan Jimmy-John.This starts like a sentimental hurricane. Jane is a real tear jerker. They do switch to Jimmy-John who is a more difficult battle. I wonder if the movie loses a bit of steam by sidelining Jane's story. The characters are compelling and heart-wrenching. It has a few fun scenes mostly with Grant pulling off gags. It's just a very touching movie.

Pushover engineer Cary Grant (as George "Poppy" Rose) and pretty housewife Betsy Drake (as Anna Perrott Rose) live comfortably with their three kids, dog, and pregnant cat. Then, the couple decide to become foster parents to a couple of needy children. First, they take in disagreeable, neglected Iris Mann (as Jane Miller). Next, they bring in sullen, crippled Clifford Tatum Jr. (as James "Jimmy John" Wilson). Prepare to get your heart tugged as the kids learn to fit in with their new family, and visa versa...If you've ever wondered how a TV situation comedy series starring Cary Grant would have played, this is your chance. Looking like a pilot for a series planned for Mr. Grant and Ms. Drake, who was his wife at the time, it's like "My Three Sons" and "Father Knows Best" meets "The Brady Bunch". In fact, "Room for One More" finally did become a series, in 1962. But, since Grant was a perennial box office attraction in theaters, there was no reason for him to do television. Watch it for the kids, they're terrific.****** Room for One More (1/10/52) Norman Taurog ~ Cary Grant, Betsy Drake, Clifford Tatum Jr., Iris Mann

I loved this film. It is the story of a family (Cary Grant and Betsy Drake starring as "Poppy" and Anna Rose) who take in a couple of orphaned children, and the various mi-adventures and calamities that result.I enjoyed the way the film dealt with some real-life issues, like how the financially-strapped couple would deal with the added costs of taking in another child, how "natural" children deal with adopted children, and how "normal" children deal with disabled children. Some of the scenes aren't pretty; in the current era of political-correctness, we sometimes forget how mean children could be to one another back in those days.There are several scenes in the movie that involve the Boy Scouts. As a Scouter myself, these were my favorite parts. I especially liked the Eagle ceremony, and I really noticed how the Pledge of Allegiance, as said in 1952, omits "under God", which wasn't added until 1954! Another thing I noticed: George Winslow, who played "Teenie" in this movie, later played a Cub Scout in "Mister Scoutmaster" (1953) starring Clifton Webb and Frances Dee.Scouting played a prominent role in both films, which evidenced the place of Scouting in American society of the 1950s. For those of us currently involved in Scouting, we can only look with nostalgia at how Scouting was viewed at that time: as a wholesome activity for boys, unburdened with all the baggage of the political-correctness of our times.Whether you're a Scouter or not, I think (unless you're totally jaded) that you and your children will really enjoy this heartwarming story of Scouting in an extended family.