Comedy

Sitting Pretty (1948): Cast & Plot

Name: Sitting Pretty
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1948-03-10
Duration: 1 h 23 min
Cast: Robert Young, Clifton Webb, Richard Haydn, Maureen O'Hara, John Russell

Sitting Pretty is a 1948 comedy directed by Walter Lang, starring Robert Young as Harry King, Clifton Webb and Richard Haydn. It runs 1 hour 23 minutes.

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Released: March 10, 1948
Runtime: 1h 23m (83 min)
Director: Walter Lang
Genre: Comedy
Original language: English
Studio: 20th Century Fox
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is Sitting Pretty About?

The premise of Sitting Pretty without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Tacey and Harry King, a suburban family with three boys, need a live‑in babysitter. After placing a newspaper ad, they hire Lynn Belvedere. When Belvedere arrives, the family discovers the “she” is actually a man—an eccentric, outspoken genius with a bewildering array of careers and experiences, whose unconventional methods and boundless knowledge keep the family constantly surprised, turning their household upside‑down.

Sitting Pretty Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags

mr belvedere character
snooping
male nanny
satire
nanny
fish out of water
mother son relationship
father son relationship
brother brother relationship
eccentricity
wrongly accused
small town americana

+38 more

small town gossip
suburban american life
three sons
hearing aid
domineering mother
male male relationship
female female relationship
male babysitter
reference to john j. pershing
reference to julius caesar
sexual harassment
sculptress
reference to mae west
reference to 'the birth of a nation' 1915
book author
bestselling book
family house
jealous man
husband wife reunion
rambunctious children
dog
lawyer
mistaken identity
marital discord
husband wife separation
neighborhood gossip
pregnancy
satire comedy
man
babysitter
town
genius
master servant relationship
scandal
newspaper headline
husband wife relationship
great dane
attorney

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Cast & crew

Sitting Pretty Cast & Characters

Robert Young leads the cast as Harry King, with Clifton Webb as Lynn Belvedere and Richard Haydn as Mr. Clarence Appleton. Directed by Walter Lang; 45 actors are credited in all.

Director Walter Lang

Robert Young as Harry King
Clifton Webb as Lynn Belvedere
Richard Haydn as Mr. Clarence Appleton
Maureen O'Hara as Tacey King

Also Starring in Sitting Pretty

· 41 more

John Russell Bill Philby
Dave Morris John the Mailman (uncredited)
Louise Allbritton Edna Philby
Grayce Hampton Mrs. Appleton (uncredited)
Ed Begley Horatio J. Hammond
Josephine Whittell Martha Hammond (uncredited)
Cara Williams Secretary (uncredited)
J. Farrell MacDonald Cop (uncredited)
Minerva Urecal Mrs. Maypole (uncredited)
Syd Saylor Cab Driver (uncredited)
Billy Wayne Newsreel Man (uncredited)
Mary Field Della (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor Townswoman (uncredited)
Willard Robertson Mr. Ashcroft
Charles Arnt Mr. Taylor (uncredited)
Harry Seymour Waiter (uncredited)

Show all 45 cast members

Charles Tannen Newsreel Director (uncredited)
Thomas Martin Waiter (uncredited)
Anne O'Neal Mrs. Gibbs (uncredited)
Ruth Warren Matron (uncredited)
Mira McKinney Mrs. Phillips (uncredited)
Ken Christy Mr. McPherson (uncredited)
Ann Shoemaker Mrs. Ashcroft (uncredited)
Leota Lorraine Conference Guest (uncredited)
Isabel Randolph Mrs. R. B. Frisbee (uncredited)
Loretta Russell Conference Guest (uncredited)
Boyd Cabeen Club Patron (uncredited)
Lee MacGregor Jitterbug (uncredited)
Ellen Lowe Effie (uncredited)
Randy Stuart Peggy
Marion Marshall Secretary (uncredited)
Betty Lynn Ginger
Jane Nigh Mabel Phillips (uncredited)
Larry Olsen Larry King
Anthony Sydes Tony King (uncredited)
Albin Robeling Maitre D' (uncredited)
Bill Sheehan Cab Driver (uncredited)
Charles Owens Jitterbug (uncredited)
Roddy McCaskill Roddy King (uncredited)
Barbara Blaine Jitterbug (uncredited)
Bob Tidwell Jitterbug (uncredited)

From the director

More from Walter Lang

More films directed by Walter Lang, best-rated first: The King and I, Snow White and the Three Stooges, The Marriage-Go-Round and Can-Can.

Full filmography

Plot

Sitting Pretty Plot Summary

What happens in Sitting Pretty from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

In the quiet suburb of Hummingbird Hill, lawyer Harry King, [Richard Haydn], and his wife Tacey King, [Maureen O’Hara], juggle the chaos of three lively boys—Larry, Tony, and baby Roddy—while trying to keep a steady nanny. After yet another dismissal, Tacey hires Lynn Belvedere, [Clifton Webb], sight unseen, only to discover that Belvedere is a man with an astonishing array of skills who frankly declares he detests children. Despite the initial misgivings, the Kings grant him a trial period, and Belvedere quickly wins over the boys with his calm competence and quiet, almost mysterious confidence. Harry’s patience wears thin as Belvedere’s cool, condescending demeanor grates on him, yet the children adore their new guardian.

Full summary

The whole story of Sitting Pretty, scene by scene

Read the full summary