Sandwiched as this movie is between two of the greatest events in the twentieth century, the Great Depression and World War II, You Can’t Take It with You’s emphasis on family, freedom, and the uselessness of a life lived in pursuit of wealth and social status is as striking as the film is funny. What else would be worth holding on to during these trying times if not family and liberty? What would be the use of selfishly seeking one’s own financial gain and ascension through the hierarchy of society when that very society is on the verge of war and death, the great equalizer?

While the Vanderhof/Sycamore family’s eccentricities are perhaps what most leaves an indelible impression on the film’s viewers, their evident care for each other is also undeniable. One of the focal points of their living room is a crooked “Home Sweet Home” sign that frequently crashes to the floor with the testing of the fireworks in the basement. Regardless of what causes the sign to fall down, some member of the family always retrieves it and replaces it in its prominent position. Family is home to this unconventional household. In fact, Grandpa Vanderhof refuses to sell his house because he still feels his deceased wife’s presence there and won’t abandon her. It’s not really the house itself that matters to Grandpa; it’s the house’s possession of the lingering closeness of the woman he loved. Because of his devotion to his family (even his late wife), Grandpa’s physical house–and his refusing to relinquish ownership of it to Mr. Kirby–takes on greater significance. Furthermore, the Vanderhof/Sycamores open their home and extend their family circle to their friends, who refer to the Vanderhof patriarch as “Grandpa.” Both the ice man, Mr. DePinna, and one of Mr. Blakely’s clerks, Mr. Poppins, are invited to live in Grandpa’s house and pursue their passions of inventing things. This domestic arrangement and family closeness isn’t lost on Tony Kirby, the son of the wealthy banker Anthony P. Kirby and Alice Sycamore’s unofficial fiancé. Tony observes to Alice, “It just seemed like in their own way, they found what everybody’s lookin’ for. People spend their whole lives building castles in the air, and then nothing ever comes of it…Well, it takes courage. Everybody’s afraid to live, you know.” Alice agrees with Tony’s assessment of her family’s emphasis on each person pursuing what he/she wants and having fun with life: “Most people nowadays are run by fear. Fear what they eat; fear what they drink; fear of their jobs, their future; fear of their health. They’re scared to save money and scared to spend it.” The Vanderhof/Sycamores refuse to live in fear and exalt their freedom to pursue love and happiness instead.

Family

This freedom of action practiced by the Vanderhof/Sycamores extends to more than just their pursuit of amusements and odd occupations. As Grandpa demonstrates in his conversations with Penny and with the IRS man, the Vanderhof/Sycamores also practice freedom of thought. Suggesting that Penny include “ism mania” in the play she is writing, Grandpa muses how “Everybody’s got an ism these days” (I find this ironically funny since my modern history class used to study a list of “isms” when we focused on this time period too!). Grandpa mentions communism, fascism, and voodooism specifically before explaining to Penny how isms work during their present time of the 1930s: “When things go a little bad nowadays, you go out and get yourself an ism and you’re in business.” Interjecting the names of great historical Americans such as Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Mark Twain, Grandpa continues, “When things got tough for those boys, they didn’t run around looking for isms. Lincoln said, ‘With malice toward none, with charity to all.’ Nowadays, they say, ‘Think the way I do, or I’ll bomb the daylights out of you.’” Grandpa and his family don’t subscribe to the war-crazed tendencies of the rest of the pre-WWII world. Instead, they’re oddly reasonable. I happen to side with Grandpa’s rational thoughts regarding the purpose of taxes in his conversation with the IRS representative (although, I actually pay my taxes!). Upon hearing that he needs to pay all the taxes that have accumulated from his never having paid them, Grandpa explains that he doesn’t believe in paying taxes because he doesn’t receive anything in return for his money. Shocked, the tax man insists that the government gives people everything, including protection. Grandpa laughs at the notion of the government having to protect people from invasion (how very ironic just three years before Pearl Harbor!) and then declares, “I wouldn’t mind paying for something sensible.” But financing paychecks for the President and members of Congress doesn’t fall under that “sensible” category in Grandpa’s mind. I find this quite amusing and yet seriously thought-provoking at the same time, especially with recent news of the White House’s budget proposal. I think I’m not alone when I say that the average American tax payer is too often unheard in the scheme of Washington’s workings. This goes as well for Congress. Am I, the average American really represented by those for whom I have voted? This debate could really distract me from my task here, so I’ll just say that I think Grandpa would agree with me that if those who work in Washington were paid according to their performance (how well they represent their constituents and how well they work with others), then important tasks might actually be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time. I mean, in any other job, if you don’t meet expectations…

Mr. Kirby has realized what you can take with you.

Back to my Vanderhof/Sycamores…While family and freedom are wonderful commitments, what Grandpa tells Mr. Kirby the elder about the uselessness of a life lived in pursuit of wealth and social status is what is really resonating with me this evening. While in jail (this movie is so wacky!), Grandpa vehemently reprimands Mr. Kirby for his constant obsession with money and possessions: “You can’t take it with you, Mr. Kirby, so what good is it? As near as I can see, the only thing you can take with you is the love of your friends.” In this sense, the poorest people on earth are those with no friends. That’s depressing. What struck me about this quote is its use of the film’s title. Anybody else notice that many of Frank Capra’s films have similar-sounding titles: It Happened One Night, You Can’t Take It with You, It’s a Wonderful Life? The question I had when skimming over these titles is what the “it’s” refer to. In the case of You Can’t Take It with You, it is very clear what the “It” refers to: money and material possessions. In the Biblical book of Job, even in his agony, Job worships God and declares, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Grandpa’s words remind me of Job’s. Again, what use is it chasing after financial and material gain when we can’t take it with us into the next life, the one that matters the most?

For Me Then…

I admit, I’ve been having a rough time with “it” lately. I’m in the doldrums of grad school (which I do enjoy!) with no real lucrative employment. I stress about money. I struggle with the fear Alice talks about in regards to saving and spending. Furthermore, my family is not the Vanderhof/Sycamores. We are eccentric, no doubt. But, yes, there are some difficulties…let’s just leave it at that. And yet, something Grandpa tells Mr. Poppins keeps popping into my mind. When the stressed Mr. Poppins asks Grandpa who takes care of him, Grandpa replies, “The same One that takes care of the lilies of the field.” Mr Poppins soon after renounces the monotonous work he despises and becomes a “lily” himself, trusting that he will be cared for while he pursues his passion. I need to take my cue from Mr. Poppins and the verse which this scene alludes to, Matthew 6:28-34:

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Lilies of the field. Background image created by Waewkidja – Freepik.com