Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation is a 1962 American comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara.

Originally, he and his wife Peggy were to travel overseas alone together, but Peggy instead arranges a seaside holiday, which includes their two grown daughters Susan and Janie, teenage daughter Katey, teenage son Danny, family cook Brenda, sons-in-law Stan Carver and Byron Grant, and young three grandchildren Peter, Peewee and Junior.

Son-in-law Stan has a shot at a good job, and Susan asks Roger and Peggy to entertain the potential employer and his wife for a few days.

During the scene in which Mr. Hobbs escorts his daughter Katey to a dance at the yacht club, Herb Alpert is the trumpet player in the band.

[citation needed] Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation's success inspired a series of light-hearted family comedies written by Johnson.

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote in his review: "Right off the bat, it is suggested in this wacky domestic report that togetherness is strictly for the birds and that sensible parents, especially elders, should write it out of their books.

"[16] Wanda Hale of the New York Daily News gave the film a full four-star rating, calling it "a crackerjack comedy.

By all means hurry to the Paramount Theatre and laugh yourself weak at this take-off on family togetherness on a holiday at the seashore that stars James Stewart in one of his funniest roles.

"[17] Philip K. Scheuer wrote in the Los Angeles Times: Twentieth Century-Fox has, for a change, what looks .like a box-office winner in "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation," arriving in color today at the Fox Wilshire and three other theaters.

Mr. Hobbs Is played by James Stewart, his wife by Maureen O'Hara and his family, which is numerous, by some pleasing and not-too-familiar young people.

[18] Myles Standish wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: ONE WOULD SUPPOSE it is about time the modern American fetish of togetherness gets a gentle ribbing, and just that is given it in "MR. HOBBS TAKES A VACATION," an amusing domestic comedy at the FOX THEATER.

The funniest sequence is one in which that deft comedian, John McGiver, and Marie Wilson as his wife, visit the Hobbs and have to be kowtowed to in spite of his grumpiness and the hopeless stuffiness of both, because it is hoped he will give a son-in-law a job.

James Stewart is likable in the lead, but Maureen O'Hara is a fairly sugary mama who looks more like a model than a woman with a large brood and a lot of problems.

"[21] Stanley Eichelbaum said in the San Francisco Examiner that "it doesn't take much ingenuity to predict almost all of the situation comedy that rains down on James Stewart in" the film, but added that "this is Wald's idea of good, clean, family fun and I suppose it is.

"[24] Henry T. Murdock of The Philadelphia Inquirer was among those who reviewed this film alongside the concurrent and similar Walt Disney comedy Bon Voyage!, remarking that "these two movies are variations on a theme, but the writing, acting and direction bring a refreshing quality to their gags.

"[25] Boyd Martin of The Courier-Journal remarked that "despite the fact that its theme is hardly original and its situations predictable, it has enough unique moments to keep one's interest alive.

"[27] Jay Carmody, a drama critic for The Evening Star of Washington, D.C., said that it "undertakes to prove that there still is mileage in the domestic farce built' around a family’s summer holiday.

"[29] Marjory Adams wrote in The Boston Globe:The new comedy at the Keith Memorial has warmth, human appeal and the charm of slick production values.

"[31] Wendy Michener of the Toronto Daily Star said that "screenwriter Nunnally Johnson has allotted the family too many miseries for comfort", and that "for about 10 minutes—the length of an early morning bird-hunt—the comedy gets off the ground.

Maureen O'Hara delivers her lines as though trying to be understood over a bad long-distance telephone connection while Valeric Varda (once Susan Vajda of Toronto) successfully recreates the siren stereotype.

"[32] Michael P. Feiner of the Montreal Star wrote that "the picture is excellent when it treats the Hobbses as a caricature of a representative North American family.

The first half hour of the movie takes some gentle but Intelligent satirical pokes at intra-family difficulties in general and communication troubles in particular.

"[33] Harold Whitehead of Montreal's Gazette wrote: If the moviemakers ever want another team like William Powell and Myrna Loy we can think of no better candidates than James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara.

Mr. Stewart has always been an accomplished performer in comedy roles and Miss O'Hara, in late years, has gathered a great deal of technique.

[34]In his review for London's Daily Mirror, critic Dick Richards wrote that the fact "that this lighthearted film does not become as laborious to the audience as the holiday itself does to Jimmy Stewart is almost entirely due to his deft comic skill.

The dialogue is mostly brisk and bright and with his easy, laconic, slightly bemused charm, Stewart keeps the whole thing on a cheerful note.

As the awkward house guests John McGuier and Marie Wilson arrive just in time to pump some fresh gaiety into the proceedings when it is very much needed.

lanky Yank, Jimmie Stewart, starts a new trend in American pictures with this cheerful chunk of top-grade holiday family entertainment.