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The film opens on Wall Street at the corporate headquarters of Kirby and Company. Anthony P. "A.P." Kirby (Edward Arnold) returns from Washington D.C. to a group of his corporate partners, including his son Tony (James Stewart) with good news. The government is allowing his company to pretty much monopolize the munitions industry, which excites them all greatly. Well, all except Tony, who sits rather nonchalantly upon hearing the news. As part of the immediate plans, Kirby plans to buy up a 12-block radius to build a new set of factories, which will put a competitor who's in the area out of business pretty much immediately. To buy up the area, he must convince everyone who has a house in that radius to sell, and only one is holding out. The gentleman who owns the house is meeting them there later, Martin Vanderhof (Lionel Barrymore). Kirby tells his real estate broker, John Blakely (Clarence Wilson), to get that house bought, and if that doesn't work, find other ways to make him come around (insinuating, cause problems for the Vanderhof household).
While Martin is in the offices waiting to meet Blakely, he makes conversation with a number-cruncher named Mr. Poppins (Donald Meek). Martin wonders how Poppins can stand doing that all day and asks him if that's really what he enjoys. Poppins confides in Martin that he actually loves to "make up things", and presents a motorized toy he built as an example. Martin loves the toy and tells Poppins he should live with him and his family so he can build all he wants. He then calls over everyone else in the office to check the toy out, which they all admiringly do until Blakely stamps out of his office and starts screaming. Blakely offers $100,000 to Martin for the house, but he's completely blown off as Martin continues to make pleasant and random conversation. Ultimately, Martin leaves and Poppins decides to go with him.
Martin returns home and we find he's part of a very eccentric family, the Sycamores. His daughter Penny (Spring Byington) types stories all day on a typewriter that was accidentally delivered there years ago. His granddaughter Essie (Ann Miller) dances around all the time, fancying herself a ballerina. Essie's husband, Ed Carmichael (Dub Taylor) loves to play the xylophone and make homemade candy. Others who live in the house, some family and some not, also have many quirks and odd habits, such as manufacturing homemade fireworks, which they love to frequently test out. Poppins at first doesn't quite know what to make of all this, but eventually gets comfortable and promotes an idea of glamorizing the Russian Revolution with messages like "The Revolution is Coming" inside packages of candy. He goes downstairs into the workroom with Penny's husband Paul (Samuel S. Hinds) and Mr. DePinna (Halliwell Hobbes) to brainstorm, create these messages and build stuff. The house also boards a maid, Rheba (Lillian Yarbo) and her fiancé Donald (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson), who are as much a part of the family as everyone else. Rheba calls Martin's other granddaughter, Alice (Jean Arthur), at her workplace to see if she's coming home for dinner. Alice answers on the other end while with her boyfriend, who is none other than Tony Kirby, and says they're going out tonight. You see, Alice is Tony's secretary at Kirby and Company. As Tony is nuzzling Alice's neck while she talks on the phone, in walks Mrs. Kirby (Mary Forbes), who huffs and immediately leaves at the sight of Tony and Alice being all cozy.
That night at a restaurant, Mr. and Mrs. Kirby discuss how they think Alice is not up to Tony's level because she's "just" a stenographer. Wouldn't you know it, Tony and Alice arrive at the restaurant as well. They all exchange some awkward pleasantries before Tony and Alice take their table elsewhere. Alice is concerned that Tony's family looks down on her, but Tony tells her it doesn't matter to him what they think, he wants to marry her. Throughout most of this conversation, Mrs. Kirby keeps staring over at Alice with a disapproving look on her face. Alice tells Tony she'll marry him, but not until his family comes over and meets her family. This way, the Kirbys can know the family that Tony wants to marry into. Tony hems and haws a bit but ultimately relents.
Several days later, the Sycamore household is full of hustle and bustle as usual. Essie is getting more ballet lessons from Russian instructor Kolenkhov (Mischa Auer). Ed comes home proclaiming he thinks he's been followed over the last couple of days because he keeps seeing the same person behind him, and he then starts playing the xylophone as Essie dances. Penny finds an old and unfinished painting of Paul dressed in his discus-throwing gear, and Paul decides to dress back up into the outfit so Penny can resume the painting. Martin tosses darts across the room. It's general dishevelment, disarray and mayhem in the house. This is unfortunate, because we then cut to a car with Tony and his parents inside, on their way to the Sycamore house.
Rheba answers the door and is horrified to see the Kirbys there. They come in and witness the madness, and are stunned into silence. Penny gathers herself and welcomes them, laughing off the fact that they came by mistake one day early. Mr. and Mrs. Kirby feel embarrassed, and Tony plays it like he made the same mistake and came a day early. Chairs are haphazardly scattered throughout the room, and a quick dinner plan is made with Donald running in and out of the house to get groceries. In making conversation with Mrs. Kirby, Penny accidentally puts down the fact that she enjoys occultism, which Penny says is silly. (This does get a smile from Mr. Kirby, however.) Mr. Kirby is speaking with Kolenkhov, and the Russian says he used to wrestle, and then picks up Mr. Kirby into an airplane spin. Alice slides down the stairs banister and is stunned to see Tony and his parents. She and Tony enter the kitchen and Tony admits that he brought his parents a night early on purpose, because he wanted his parents to see the real Sycamore household with all of its hustle and bustle, as opposed to the front they would have likely put on the following night to try and impress his parents. Alice isn't pleased upon hearing this. Things just continue to go wrong at every turn and in every room, and the Kirbys decide they should go. As they turn to leave, several policemen arrive, including one that Ed recognizes as the guy who's been tailing him. The police question Ed about messages promoting a revolution being found in candy packages. Upon searching downstairs they also find loads of gunpowder. The police bring Poppins, DePinna and Paul Sycamore up, but the three men were testing fireworks and one of them was lit just before they were all dragged upstairs. A series of explosions then chases everyone from the house, and the entire lot, including the Kirbys, are arrested for disturbing the peace.
In the holding cells at night court, the men are all in one room and the women in another. Alice apologizes to Mrs. Kirby for the mixup, but she doesn't want Alice to speak to her at all. She continues to talk down to Alice and says she is unworthy to be Tony's wife. In the men's cell, Martin plays his harmonica and everyone sings along to "Polly Wolly Doodle". Mr. Kirby and Tony argue a bit about the situation they're now in, and Kirby also wonders why he can't get his lawyers here.
A guest arrives to see Martin. It's Blakely, who admits that he pretty much set up this arrest and will now get them all out of prison in exchange for the house. Martin tells him no way. Kirby overhears this and freaks out, yelling at Blakely to get his lawyers there immediately. Blakely stammers an apology, saying he was just following Kirby's orders to cause trouble, and runs off to call the lawyers. It's at this point that Kirby realizes that Martin owns the lone house holdout blocking his plans, and Martin realizes that Kirby owns the company that's been trying to buy the house. The two argue with Martin coming out on top, yelling at Kirby that all his money isn't going to make him happy, and in the end he'll find himself friendless. Plus, when you die, you can't take it with you. Kirby turns silent, as if something Martin said may have registered. Martin apologizes and slides one of his harmonicas into Kirby's pocket since Kirby had told him at dinner he used to play one. Meanwhile, Kirby's lawyers arrive, and when the press sees that, they practically run themselves over trying to get near the courtroom.
The courtroom is crammed with people, who the judge (Harry Davenport) is told are all friends of Martin and his family. Kirby's team of lawyers plead not guilty for their client on the charges of illegal fireworks. Martin pleads guilty on he and his family's behalf, saying they've been doing it for years. The judge decides the charges of disturbing the peace can be thrown out, but for the illegal fireworks he has to issue a $100 fine. Kirby, meanwhile, finds the harmonica in his pocket and when hearing about the fine, offers to pay it for Martin. Instead, the gallery all chime in and say THEY'LL pay the fine, and into a hat go a bunch of coins and bills from everyone to pay it. Even the judge chips in. Kirby looks around amazed at all the supporters for Martin, and you can see the conversation he had with him in the holding cell continuing to register in his mind. The judge says for Kirby to be proven not guilty, he'll need to know why they were present at the house, but Mrs. Kirby refuses to say why. Martin jumps in and says that Kirby was there to offer for the house, and Mrs. Kirby decides to second that. However, Alice has heard enough and she announces the real reason the Kirbys were there, but she won't marry Tony because she wants no part of that family. Alice tells Tony to pretty much piss off, and leaves the courtroom with Tony behind her trying to calm her down, followed the Kirbys (who are boo-ed by the gallery) and all the press photographers who have now burst in as well.
Back at the Sycamore residence, Tony stops by but is told it's probably best if he didn't do so anymore, since Alice has left town and they don't know where she is, but even if they did they can't tell him since Alice has decided to break off their romance. Tony accepts this and leaves. Moments later, Martin arrives with a letter from Alice, who says she's with a friend in Connecticut. Martin decides it's time to sell the house, and calls Blakely to do so.
At Kirby's office, everyone is ecstatic at the plans now being able to roll out. Kirby is in the conference room, and he seems to be thinking about something. As he's doing so, he continues to fiddle with the harmonica in his hand, but he finally slides it across the table. Tony walks in, and his dad is about to tell him he'll be promoted to a presidential position, but before he can say this, Tony announces that he's quitting and going somewhere else to start a new life. Tony and Kirby regretfully shake hands and Tony leaves. Kirby continues to think. Several of his cronies walk in and are ready to bring Kirby to the top floor for the big announcement, but in stumbles someone we haven't seen before. Kirby knows who it is, though. It's Ramsey (H.B. Warner), the man who Kirby is about to put out of business with this new factory building. Ramsey gives Kirby a tongue-lashing, calling him a failure of a man, and he slides the harmonica back Kirby's way. As he continues to yell, he grabs his chest and stumbles away. Kirby sends the men out, saying he'll be up in a minute. Soon, Kirby is alerted that Ramsey collapsed and died of heart failure in the restroom.
Kirby meets his cronies at the elevator and they head up to the 52nd floor. Upon arriving, everyone exits the elevator except Kirby, who looks out and sees a slew of corporate partners and whatnot applauding that the deal has been done. Kirby does not step out but instead says he wants the elevator to go down.
At the Sycamore house, everyone is packing up for the move. Tony, who apparently can't take a hint, visits again to say goodbye to Martin and try once again to find out where Alice is. As it turns out, Alice then arrives, having heard of the house being sold. Tony tries to talk to Alice, but she doesn't want to hear it and locks herself in her bedroom while Tony bangs on the door. Downstairs, a surprise visitor arrives in Mr. Kirby. Kirby tells Martin that what he told him in the holding cell has finally indeed sunk in. He asks Martin for advice on what to do. Martin simply says they should both play their harmonicas, and he starts up "Polly Wolly Doodle" with Kirby eventually joining in. Ed brings his xylophone into the room and joins in. Essie then joins in with her dancing. Eventually the room fills up with everyone else singing and clapping and dancing as well. Tony hears all this ruckus and comes downstairs, stunned to see his dad. Alice comes downstairs, Tony paws all over her as if nothing was wrong minutes ago, and apparently without actually saying anything, Kirby communicates to Martin that he's calling off the purchase of the house and the plans to build the factory, meaning everyone in the radius won't be evicted. The film ends with the Sycamores and the Kirbys (including Mrs. Kirby, who apparently has softened her stance on everything as well) all sitting down to dinner and celebrating the impending nuptials of Tony and Alice.
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This was the first film where director Frank Capra and actor James Stewart worked together. They hit it off and made several more films together, including arguably the most famous film for both, 1946's It's a Wonderful Life. Robert Riskin's screenplay was modified slightly to accomodate Lionel Barrymore, who was suffering severe arthritis in his legs at the time. The Martin Vanderhof character was changed to be on crutches throughout the film as a result of his granddaughter talking him into sliding down the stairs banister, which resulted in a sprained ankle. Ann Miller, who played Essie, married to Ed, was actually only 15 years old when she made this film. She looked and acted quite a bit older, but it does help explain all the ballet spinning and pirouetting she was able to do. In actuality, she was in a lot of discomfort from doing it though, crying out of sight of most due to the pain. Stewart would see her crying but wouldn't know why, so he would buy her candies to cheer her up. It always worked.
You Can't Take It With You scored seven Oscar nominations for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Recording, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (Byington...not sure why, the performance was nothing special in my view, but at the time she was a very active contract player for MGM in supporting roles, so maybe it was an overall recognition), Best Director (Capra) and Best Picture (called "Outstanding Production" at the time). It won two of those Oscars, Director and Picture. In winning the big one, it bested The Adventures of Robin Hood, Alexander's Ragtime Band, Boys Town, The Citadel, Four Daughters, Grand Illusion (which was the first foreign language film to be nominated for Best Picture), Jezebel, Pygmalion and Test Pilot.
Personally, I think the film hasn't necessarily aged well. Not taking into account the changes in societal behavior that certainly would not see things happening in this film the way they would today, I just don't think some of the humor and pacing holds up to a modern audience. Is it a good film? Certainly. Is it a great film? Eh...can't say that it is. Today, I'd rather rewatch Robin Hood or Jezebel, because I think they're better films that DO hold up the test of time well. I'd also prefer a number of Capra's other films to this one. One of my issues, which I really only came to the conclusion is the case today, is that I'm just not a fan of some of Jimmy Stewart's acting style. I notice it especially in films such as this one and 1950's Harvey. When he does his soft-talking long-take stuff, it just slows everything down too much, and I never have really been able to buy him as a romantic lead in most of his films. Plus, in this film he really kinda comes off as a prick sometimes, even though the character is not at all written that way. His later works, such as the Hitchcock films, I absolutely love, and I'll take his Wonderful Life performance any day of the week, so hold off on the hate mail. I don't dislike Jimmy Stewart. Just certain elements of some of his work. No matter though, You Can't Take It With You is a pleasant-enough quasi-screwball comedy that fit the times perfectly. Today, the fit may be a little tight.
[NOTE: There is apparently no existing trailer for the film available publicly.]
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