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For the films of the same name, see Cheaper by the Dozen (1950 film), and Cheaper by the Dozen (2003 film).

Cheaper by the Dozen is a 1948 book by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey that tells the story of time and motion study and efficiency experts Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth, and their twelve children. It was adapted to film by Twentieth Century Fox in 1950.

The title comes from one of Frank Sr.'s favorite jokes: it often happened that when he and his family were out driving and stopped at a red light, a pedestrian would ask, "Hey, Mister! How come you got so many kids?" Gilbreth would pretend to ponder the question carefully, and then, just as the light turned green, would say, "Well, they come cheaper by the dozen, you know," and drive off.

In real life, the Gilbreths' second eldest child, Mary, died of diphtheria at age six. The book does not explicitly explain the absence of Mary Gilbreth; it was not until the sequel, Belles on Their Toes, was published that her death is mentioned in a footnote.

Belles on Their Toes, published in 1950, outlines the family's adventures after Frank Sr.'s death in 1924. Belles on Their Toes was also made into a movie, starring Jeanne Crain and Myrna Loy, in 1952. This film focuses on the lives of Mrs. Gilbreth and her children.

Film adaptations

Cheaper by the Dozen was made into a 1950 motion picture starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy as Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. Mildred Natwick's character (a visitor to the household) is ridiculed for belonging to a Planned Parenthood-like organization, in a scene based on a real-life event from the book.

Further movies called Cheaper by the Dozen and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 were produced in 2003 and 2005 respectively, starring comedians Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt, but bearing no resemblance to the original book or 1950 film, except that both feature a family with twelve children.

External links

• Cheaper by the Dozen, ISBN 0-06-008460-X
• "Gilbreth Bug-Lights" (1991 article by Frank Jr. about their summer home on Nantucket Island)

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• 1948 books
• American books
• American biographies