Skip to content
What's After the Movie?
Comedy

The Housekeeper’s Daughter (1939): Cast & Plot

The Housekeeper’s Daughter (1939) movie poster

The Housekeeper’s Daughter is a 1939 comedy directed by Hal Roach, starring Joan Bennett as Hilda, Marc Lawrence and Peggy Wood. It runs 1 hour 20 minutes.

Loading streaming availability…
The Housekeeper’s Daughter (1939) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 20m (80 min)
Director
Hal Roach
Genre
Comedy
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is The Housekeeper’s Daughter About?

The premise of The Housekeeper’s Daughter without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

DANGEROUS CURVES AHEAD! A mobster’s moll leads a newsman, cub reporter and photographer to a scoop.

The Housekeeper’s Daughter Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • gun moll
  • newspaper reporter
  • housekeeper's daughter
  • screwball comedy
  • damsel in distress
  • held at gunpoint
  • rich family
  • song
  • gambler
  • deception
  • police officer
  • police detective
+38 more
  • slang
  • professor
  • millionaire reporter
  • left handed gangster
  • newsroom
  • poisoned coffee
  • drunkenness
  • accidental poisoning
  • kiss
  • news editor
  • showgirl
  • corpse
  • news photographer
  • fireworks
  • flower vendor
  • womanizer
  • archeologist
  • drunk reporter
  • fish out of water
  • buddy comedy
  • flashback montage
  • cub reporter
  • psychopath
  • houseboat
  • gunshot
  • police shoot out
  • tear gas
  • marriage engagement
  • shot to death
  • wedding planning
  • poker the card game
  • humming a song
  • theft
  • gangster
  • gangster moll
  • mother
  • daughter
  • reporter
Loading streaming availability…
Cast & crew

The Housekeeper’s Daughter Cast & Characters

Joan Bennett leads the cast as Hilda, with Marc Lawrence as Floyd and Peggy Wood as Olga. Directed by Hal Roach; 57 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in The Housekeeper’s Daughter

· 53 more
Show all 57 cast members
From the director

More from Hal Roach

More films directed by Hal Roach: Road Show, Turnabout, One Million B.C. and Captain Fury.

Full filmography
Plot

The Housekeeper’s Daughter Plot Summary

What happens in The Housekeeper’s Daughter from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Hilda Kreemhild, Joan Bennett, is fed up with her life as a gun moll to gangster Floyd and visits her mother Olga, Peggy Wood, who keeps house for the cultured Randall family. Professor Randall, John Hyams, and his wife go on vacation, leaving behind sheltered son Robert John Hubbard to begin a new, nerve-wracking career as a reporter, nudged by Hilda toward a rough-and-tumble world of headlines and danger.

Full summary

The whole story of The Housekeeper’s Daughter, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Quiz

How Well Do You Know The Housekeeper’s Daughter?

9 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 9

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered

What is the occupation of Hilda Kreemhild at the start of the film?

Seen The Housekeeper’s Daughter?

FAQ

The Housekeeper’s Daughter FAQ: Cast & Runtime

Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of The Housekeeper’s Daughter, each answered in a sentence.

How long is The Housekeeper’s Daughter?

The Housekeeper’s Daughter runs 1 hour 20 minutes (80 minutes).

When was The Housekeeper’s Daughter released?

The Housekeeper’s Daughter was released on October 26, 1939.

Who directed The Housekeeper’s Daughter?

The Housekeeper’s Daughter was directed by Hal Roach.

More films by Hal Roach

Who is in the cast of The Housekeeper’s Daughter?

The Housekeeper’s Daughter stars Joan Bennett as Hilda, Marc Lawrence as Floyd and Peggy Wood as Olga, among 57 credited actors.

Does The Housekeeper’s Daughter have a post-credit scene?

No. The Housekeeper’s Daughter has no extra scene during or after the credits.

Coming soon to your phone

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

From blockbusters to hidden gems: plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when it launches. Your email stays private, always. Learn more about the app