Jack Kittredge
Jack Kittredge is the father of Kit Kittredge; she refers to him as "Dad".
Personality and Facts
Jack Kittridge is Kit and Charlie's father and the head of the Kittredge household. Jack grew up in Kentucky and was raised by Aunt Millie and her husband Uncle Birch after his parents died when he was young. They were the only family that Jack knew; this implies his parents died when he was very young. It's implied he's of lower class and background than his wife, Margaret; her uncle and his uncle-in-law, Hendrick Frosbythe, often disparages him and his background. In college he was a baseball star, playing catcher, and was a soldier in The Great War;[1] he learned the song Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag while in service, which became the basis for his daughter Kit's nickname when she asked him to sing the song often when younger.
Jack initially ran a car dealership, but with the ongoing Depression the market slowed (as people could not afford to buy new cars). He struggled to keep his business afloat, in part because he chose not to fire any of his employees and used his own savings to pay their salaries until the dealership was forced to close; he even returned his car in the loss. He often struggles to find work as there is nearly none to be had, and even goes as far as to get himself midday meals in bread lines early on to help take the burden off his family. As things become harder, he accepts that he likely has to travel to try and find work to support his family, and plans to go to Chicago to look for a job. However, he manages to not need to leave, finding smaller jobs and tasks elsewhere including around the house. He's skilled at building and carpentry. He and Margaret owe twenty dollars a month on their mortgage.
By the time of Changes for Kit, he has a part time job at the airport clearing land and building stone walls under one of President Roosevelt's programs, the Civil Works Administration; he still has some form of work at the airport by the events of Danger at the Zoo.
In The Books
Meet Kit: An American Girl
Kit Learns a Lesson: A School Story
Kit's Surprise: A Christmas Story
Happy Birthday, Kit!: A Springtime Story
Kit Saves The Day: A Summer Story
Changes for Kit: A Winter Story
Mr. Kittredge sings in harmony with Kit while they dry dishes. It is also mentioned that Mr. Kittredge has a part-time job at the airport clearing land and building stone walls. He got this job through the Civil Works Administration. Kit is happy to see her father cheerful and whistling as he goes off to work. Even though it is a short-term, low-paying job, Mr. Kittredge is proud of his work. He is also hoping that he will be able to use his mechanic skills for a better job; he recently ran into an old friend, Mr. Hesse, in an airplane hanger, and Mr. Hesse said there might be some jobs to repair airplane engines. Later in the book, Mr. Hesse offers to drive Mr. Kittredge, Charlie, and Kit to the airport so she can take photos of her father next to the walls he built. However, Mr. Hesse changes his mind because of the snow.
When Kit writes a letter to the editor at the Cincinnati Register and Uncle Hendrick gets angry that it is published, Mr. Kittredge asks what is going on and picks up the newspaper to look at it. He tells everyone in the house to settle down and to listen to him as he reads Kit's letter aloud.
Much of Jack's actions and personality remains the same. However, early in the film, Kit's father goes to Chicago to try to find a new job and is gone for much of the events. He comes back very close to the end of the film, just in time to see the editor of the paper come and tell Kit that she has been published.
He is played by Chris O'Donnell.
References