The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band

This is a classic Disney movie involving a small bit of American history. This movie deals with a family that moves out to the Dakota Territory and the presidential election involving President Grover Cleveland. If you liked "The Happiest Millionaire" then you will probably enjoy this movie also. Because of this movie, I will always remember that Grover Cleveland lost this reelection, but won next four years later.

For purposes of abbreviation I'll just refer to this one of the longest titled films around as Family Band. It was one of the last attempts at an original musical from Hollywood, I can only think those two Julie Andrews films Star and Darling Lili that are both later and fall in that category.

The film refers to the Bower Family who have music in their blood as everyone plays an instrument and sings and dances. They are also opinionated politically, but their opinions do differ. Buddy Ebsen father of the clan is a Republican, but usually keeps it to himself as to not get into arguments with his father Walter Brennan who lives with them and is a dyed in the wool Democrat. Mother Janet Blair has a hard and fast rule, no politics be discussed when they enter the house. It's all saved for the barn where the kids also practice. In fact Brennan has whipped up a campaign song for Grover Cleveland in his re-election bid in 1888.

Listening to the pleas of John Davidson talking about the wonders of Dakota Territory, the Bowers move and eldest daughter Lesley Ann Warren is moved by Davidson as well romantically. But politics and the election of 1888 between Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison threaten everybody's happiness.

Family Band holds up well today as a fine family film and one gets a little history lesson thrown in for the bargain. The score written by the Sherman team of Richard M. and Robert B. contains no song hits, but its serviceable and the numbers are nicely staged. I'd highly recommend it for today's audience.

The Bower Family On the urging of Joe Carder (John Davidson), a journalist and suitor to eldest Bower daughter Alice (Lesley Ann Warren), the family decides instead to move to the Dakota Territory. There, Grandpa Bower (Walter Brennan), a staunch Democrat, causes trouble with his pro-Cleveland sentiments. The Dakota residents are overwhelmingly Republican, and they hope to get the territory admitted as two states rather than one(so as to send four Republican senators to Washington rather than two. Grandpa's actions result in family strife.

Based on the book, The Family Band: from the Missouri to the Black Hills, 1881-1900 by Laura Bower Van Nuys. The memoir by Van Nuys, the youngest of the Bower children, described her family's brass band, their journey out of Missouri, and their frontier life in the Black Hills The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band was one of a number of projects Walt Disney was involved with prior to his death. Originally intended as a two part TV special, Disney asked the Sherman Brothers for assistance in punching up the project. Writing the titular song, Disney was so impressed he asked for more songs with the intention of making the film a feature length musical, though Robert Sherman did so under protest feeling the material was insufficient to do so. After the Happiest Millionaire failed at the box office, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band was heavily trimmed to try and avoid the same fate. Despite the massive trimming done to the movie, the film ended up performing even lower than The Happiest Millionaire and was never reissued to theaters instead serving as a two parter on The Wonderful World of Disney as it was originally intentioned. The movie didn't fare all that better with critics who called the film flat and hokey among other jibes, but even though I don't feel The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band completely works, it's more successful than The Happiest Millionaire by virtue of having scope and an emotional core.

Walter Brennan is definitely a huge asset to the movie, serving as a strong anchor point for the film to be based around. In the film Brennan's Grandpa Bower is a very staunch Democrat who often finds himself at odds with Republicans, including his grown son Calvin and his granddaughter's fiancée Joe Carder. I think that's where the movie really sells itself because much like The Happiest Millionaire the plot of The One and Only, Genuine, Original, Family Band involves Lesley Ann Warren as eldest daughter dealing with loyalty to her family and balancing it against new fiancée who has friction with her family. It definitely makes a more engaging experience than the overlong and underplotted Happiest Millionaire and the fact we have a more commanding actor to serve as an anchor point is a massive improvement over the ill thought out attempt to anchor Fred MacMurray to a musical epic.

The movie is directed by Michael O'Herlihy, a veteran of TV whose work can be in many staples of TV including Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, and M*A*S*H. Despite being more associated with TV productions, O'Herlihy gives the film a feeling of scope and majesty with wide shots showing westward frontiers, beautiful shots of hilly landscapes and sets that are populated by a multitude of extras. While it doesn't match the epicness of the largest of this era of Roadshow Productions, it does carry a sense of weight and scope that give the movie a larger than life feeling. Unfortunately the movie does have a drawback in that it takes its viewer's knowledge of the political and historical climate of 1888 somewhat for granted. While the viewer can for the most part follow the events just fine without prior historical knowledge, there's not all that much clarity in the difference of opinions between the 1888 Democrats and the 1888 Repbulicans. You do get the general idea involving things like statehood for the Dakota territory, but other than that the movie gives us a somewhat limited view and probably could've benefitted from either a text crawl at the beginning explaining the contemporary mindsets or maybe a few more scenes explaining motivation. But despite the movie's very "arms length" approach to politics despite focus on them, the movie is more about family and community dynamics and does a decent job of focusing on those.

The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band has the same structure and arc as Disney's The Happiest Millionaire, but it utilizes it to much better effect here. With a shorter running time and more focus, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band gives us a good mixture of musical epic and family dynamic that makes the movie a pleasant sit thanks in large part to a strong performance by Walter Brennan as Grandpa Bower. While the 1888 election and arguments for Statehood don't always mesh as well with the musical epic format applied, the movie does a good job of building around it with enough character and drama even if the sides feel rather muddled and hard to distinguish. It doesn't reach the heights of My Fair Lady, Sound of Music, or Mary Poppins as Disney hoped, but it's an admirable attempt.

I happened not to be able to sleep one night a few years ago so I flipped on the t.v. There was a movie beginning so I decided to watch it since it's star was Buddy Ebsen, one of my favorites. I thoroughly enjoyed it with the oh so young John Davidson, Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell. A couple of years I was talking with the woman who had become the best friend I ever had. We were talking about old movies which we both loved. I mentioned Family Band and told her that I could never remember the full title and asked if she had ever seen it. A sly smile came over her still beautiful face. Her Name was Debbie Smith, or better known to FAMILY BAND fans as Lulu Bower. It is with great sadness and a full heart that I would like the fans to know that Debbie passed away on May 22,2003 at the age of 49 from a long time bout with heart problems. I write this for the fans of the movie and of beautiful little Lulu. I hope the owners of this site allow this to remain on line for a while. Debbie sang and had a beautiful voice. That voice is now stilled. I hope that we may be allowed to keep Debbie with us a while longer. The world of music has lost a lot. So have I and anyone who was lucky enough to know Debbie.

Back in the 60's two films from the Disney Studios featured newcomers John Davidson and Leslie-Ann Warren : The Happiest Millionaire and this one. When Milionare was released it didn't do well and only recently has been restored to it's full Roadshow version. That put a damper on other films to follow and this is one. It's too bad this one didn't come out first as in my opinion it's a better film. The story is more believable and human. Even though you have splendid sets and costumes in Millionaire you have the splendid exteriors here. The only real names in this are Buddy Ebsen and Walter Brennen, although Janet Blair is a name to some. They bring humanity to the roles they play and you don't have them mugging for the cameras like Fred MacMuray and Tommy Steele in the other.

Being a family of musicians there are more entertaining large numbers in this film, especially the one at the end that can be said to be the first time Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn appeared in a film together.

This film as also cut before the release but the VHS copy I have is 130 minutes, so I am hoping it is the full one. (This database lists it as 110 minutes)The only DVD I have seen is in full screen, so let's hope that the Disney vaults are opened again and a proper release of the original version is available to us.