Deine, meine, unsere

YOURS, MINE, AND OURS reunites Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda, who had worked together in the 1942 B-film THE BIG STREET, the former a heavy-handed drama making a contrast to this lightweight comedy. Reminiscent of CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, the premise -- a man and woman, both with a huge family, meet, fall in love, and marry -- would be unbelievable if it weren't true.

Based on the autobiographical novel by Helen Eileen Beardsley, YOURS, MINES, AND OURS is a blueprint of sorts of future television shows "The Brady Bunch" and "Eight is Enough" but amps it up to eleven. While on those shows we never got to see just how a real household was handled (being situation programs, their stories were resolved in minimal time), here we get glimpses of what happens at dinnertime, or how groceries get done, and it's those trivial things that keep the charming story in check instead of throwing it into la-la land. Both Fonda and Ball are well-matched and have funny scenes together despite that both actors were a little too old for their characters, but it's not even a minor contrivance. Very enjoyable, witty, sunny: just what this kind of movie should be.

YOURS, MINE, & OURS is the 1968 family classic based on a true story that, among other things, was an inspiration for the TV series THE BRADY BUNCH. This warm and entertaining comedy stars Lucille Ball as Helen North, a widowed naval nurse, who is the mother of eight children who meets and falls in love with Frank Beardsley (Henry Fonda), a widowed naval officer, who is the father of ten children and the obvious complications that ensue when Helen and Frank decide to marry and blend their families. There are no surprises here...the children obviously object to the union and still think of themselves as separate families despite Frank and Helen's efforts to bring them together, but everything does eventually iron itself out in true sitcom style. Lucille Ball has one of her best film roles here, playing it relatively straight as Helen, but the Lucy we know and love does get to shine through in a couple of comic scenes...one at a crowded bar where she does battle with a slip and a fake eyelash and during a dinner at Frank's house where Frank's sons have spiked her drink and she gets very drunk. Fonda proves to have a surprising gift for light comedy and his chemistry with Ball is unexpectedly solid. Van Johnson is very funny as the mutual friend who brings them together and Tom Bosley has some funny moments as the family doctor. There are several future stars featured in the film as the North/Beardsley children, including Tim Matheson, Gil Rogers, Morgan Brittany, Mitch Vogel, and Tracy Nelson. A true family classic that still makes me laugh out loud after almost 40 years.

I have always just loved this movie! I saw it as a teenager in the 60's, getting ready to go off to college and thought it was great fun at that time. Since I was a teenager, I remember really enjoying the character of Mike, played by Tim Matheson. I always thought he would go on to be a real big movie star instead of TV movies, since he had lots of charisma and maturity at that young age. However, he has done very well in the roles on television he has played and is always a real treat to watch. I don't think I thought Lucille Ball was too old the first time I saw it, because anyone over 25 seemed old to me at the time! I recently caught this movie on TV and enjoyed it again from an adult perspective. It was a little corny but still a good film. Life in the sixties even with Vietnam and all was a much more innocent time especially with what kids face today. I would give it a 100 just because it is so uplifting.

"Yours Mine And Ours" is one of the best "family films" of the 1960s. (Very) loosely based on the real-life story of Helen North, a Navy widow with eight children, who married Navy career man Frank Beardsley, a widower with ten children of his own. Lucille Ball bought the rights to Mrs. Beardsley's book "Who Gets The Drumstick?", co- produced it, and took the starring role of Helen North. For those who know her chiefly as a comedienne, this film will be a pleasant surprise. For not only does she have the opportunity to indulge in some of the slapstick she is famous for, she proves conclusively that she was an excellent dramatic actress as well. Moreover, she can switch abruptly (and seemingly effortlessly) from comedy to pathos, sometimes in the same scene! Henry Fonda takes the part of Frank Beardsley and gives it both dimension and strength. As his bachelor friend, Van Johnson is a welcome presence, as is Tom Bosley as a sardonic doctor. There is also a hilarious performance from Louise Troy, as Frank's date early in the story. The kids are well cast and include future notables Tim Matheson, Suzanne Cupito (who grew up to be Morgan Brittany), Mitch Vogel and Tracy Nelson. A good deal of the plot involves the mutual dislike most of the kids have for their step-siblings, but a great deal of charm is present as well. Aiding the production is a nice score by Fred Karlin, a lovely song "It's A Sometimes World", and handsome San Francisco location photography. A remake has just been completed and will be released around the holiday season, but it's not likely to top this one. Incidentally, if you read the original book by Helen Beardsley, you will most likely come away with a far different picture of the Beardsley family, one which may not have transferred as well to the screen. This may also explain why there is no mention of the book as the story source in the movie's opening credits.

I worked with Helen Beardsley at a hospital in Fresno, CA in the early 80's. She was a nice woman with a take-charge attitude. (I think you have to have one when you are the mother of 19 children.) She used to live in an ocean-view house in the Carmel area, but then sold it to move to Fresno. We always kidded her about doing that; she said the weather was better inland. I think that she was proud of her book and movie. She sold the rights to her movie early on, before it achieved sort of cult-favorite status. She told me that she regretted doing that. I did not know that she died until I read it on this comment page. I was sorry to read that; she wasn't that old and she was a strong woman.