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Jackie Gleason stars as Jackie Gleason in a movie that isn’t meant for Jackie Gleason.

Papa’s Delicate Condition belongs to a certain, extinct breed of film. It’s a light, confectionary family comedy/drama from 1963, set vaguely in the early years of the 20th century, but featuring characters ostensibly from…well…1963. There were actually quite a few ‘60s pictures like this (Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), where the usual “decade swap” of modern makeup and hair were supplanted by en vogue (and patronizing) references to women’s lib, with typically jarring results. As a sub-genre, they came and went. By the mid-‘80s they were the backbone of the children’s section at the video store.

But Papa’s Delicate Condition is a little different. Papa, you see, purports to tackle a difficult subject: alcoholism, and how it affects a man and his family. Ostensibly based on forgotten silent film star Corinne Griffith’s 1952 memoir, the film tap-dances its way around the subject, referring to the titular father’s euphemistic “condition” but never showing any hint of it until an hour has gone by. In fact, going by the early reels of the film, you might well believe that Papa’s condition has more to do with throwing his money around and trying, in the most extravagant ways, to help people.

Jackie Gleason is the eponymous Papa, which really doesn’t make things any better. Fred Astaire was originally announced to star in the project, which makes more sense; for one, because he could play drunk better, but also because he had the perfect personality for a wash-up who tries too hard to make everyone happy. But Jackie Gleason just plays Jackie Gleason, sashaying into every scene with the knowing smirk he later bequeathed to Garfield the cat. And he’s even more jarringly modern than the rest of the cast, tossing out one-liners so often I kept waiting for the reveal that this was all just a skit on his variety show. The character’s first spoken line? “How sweet it is,” of course. He’ll repeat it three or four times throughout the film. And if there’s any doubt how poorly cast Gleason is, take a gander at the Oscar-winning song, “Call Me Irresponsible.” The Great One staggers and slurs his way through it, perhaps endearing himself to audiences of 1963 but proving, to me, that this was not the film for him.

The film’s whole concept is a bit strained. That’s not to say there aren’t good aspects. Gleason has a fine supporting cast, including Glynis Johns of Mary Poppins fame, along with stalwarts Elisha Cook, Jr., Murray Hamilton, Charles Lane, Charles Ruggles, and an especially balanced performance from little Linda Bruhl as daughter Corrie. Director George Marshall, better known for Destry Rides Again, never lets the comedy get too saccharine or outrageous, and by the end, he just about manages to instill a certain loneliness about Papa and his “condition.”

Papa’s Delicate Condition comes to DVD from Legend Films, as part of their recent deal with Paramount. The film is presented in anamorphic 1.78:1, which is peculiar, as the original ratio was almost certainly 1.85:1 (yes, there were early 35mm films in the other ratio, but none from Paramount that I can recall). The film is not particularly clean, featuring a lot of grain and frequent evidence of dirt on the print. Worse, the colors are permanently muted - not so evident in big crowd scenes, but in smaller, intimate settings, it’s clear the skin tones were never meant to be that gray. Still, the image is sharp and clear. It would’ve been a great DVD image in 1998. In 2008, well, it’s acceptable. The soundtrack is the original 2.0 stereo, and unforgivably, no subtitles have been provided.

The one and only special feature - completely unannounced on the DVD case - is a 4:3 version of the original trailer, which banks heavily on Jackie Gleason and the comedy of the plot. In fact, it pretty much gives away the entire story, albeit in an exaggerated fashion (for instance, Papa does not buy the local drug store “just to buy a stamp!”), and even uses the last line of dialogue from the film. Funny stuff.

Papa’s Delicate Condition is a real curate’s egg. Even today, the film could feasibly wind up in the “family” section of a video store, and although I think a child would be in the best position to appreciate its merits, the actual meaning of Papa’s “condition” is likely to escape them, or at least confuse them. If you’re a fan of Gleason, you’ll certainly like having this one on your shelf, but I would steer newcomers to any of his immediately preceding pictures instead: The Hustler, Gigot or even Requiem for a Heavyweight. They are far better examples of Gleason the actor, even if they don’t boast an Oscar-winning song.

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