Yours, Mine and Ours

If I were asked what my favorite film of all time was, I would probably say either "The Last Picture Show" or "Ordinary People," two films that I feel are legitimate masterpieces. But if I were asked what my favorite film of all time REALLY was, I'd have to say "Yours, Mine and Ours," which was one of the first movies my parents ever took me to (along with a re-release of "Swiss Family Robinson" and Steve McQueen's "Bullitt") as a five-year-old. I've loved it my entire life, and I have to admit my affection for it hasn't dimmed with age. Although I realize it's not one of the great masterpieces of all time, and I would never rate it as high as say, "Show" or "People" or "Casablanca" or "Schindler's List" for that matter, I still love this film all the same.

I must admit that I am also a lifelong fan of "I Love Lucy," so the fact that "Yours, Mine and Ours" stars Lucille Ball certainly has something to do with my fondness for this film. And growing up in the '70's when co-star Henry Fonda was relegated to cameo roles in awful films like "The Swarm" and "Rollercoaster," if it hadn't have been for his charismatic and likeable performance here, I would never have known he was the great actor that he was. Add the pleasure of Lucille's longtime friend Van Johnson in the prime supporting role of Darryl, Fonda's best friend, and an extremely young Tim Matheson as Fonda's oldest son, and you have the foundation of an excellent cast in a lovely romantic comedy about the ultimate blended family (think "The Brady Bunch" with brains, and much, much larger to boot).

Very loosely based on a true story, Ball is Helen North, a recent widow with eight unruly children who moves to San Francisco for a fresh start. While working at the infirmary at an (unnamed) Naval base, she meets Naval Officer Frank Beardsley (Fonda, of course), who is a recent widower himself (with 10 children !) and has brought one of his daughters (Suzanne Cupito, aka '70's starlet Morgan Brittany) in for treatment. Helen and Frank are immediately smitten with each other and go out on a date, but immediately break it off when they realize how many children their combined family would contain. Darryl realizes that eighteen children aside, these two were made for each other and proceeds to plot to get them together. They do eventually marry and this sets up many amusing scenes of this huge family trying to blend in together.

The nice thing about this film is that for once Lucille Ball is allowed to play a character completely different from Lucy Ricardo or Lucy Carmichael (from "The Lucy Show"). She is intelligent, touching, funny and very, very human here. In only one scene does she do any kind of "Lucy" shtick, and that is during a wonderfully played drunk scene. Even then she doesn't resemble her daffy TV persona as much as, well a woman who's had too much to drink. And the chemistry between Ball and Fonda is so believable, as a child I found it hard to believe they were not really married in real life! Honest! Johnson gives wonderful support and Tom Bosley has a few amusing scenes as the family's exasperated doctor. I also loved the character of Madeline Love, who Darryl sets Frank up with on a disastrous date that ends with her riding home between Frank and Helen (who's been dumped by her Darryl-arranged date). Their discussion of their respective families ends with the hilarious exchange: Frank: "I'm glad I have ten children!" Helen: "I'm glad I have my eight!" Madeline: "And I'm glad I'm careful!"

All in all, this is an extremely enjoyable romantic comedy that grandkids can watch with their grandparents where everyone will be entertained and nobody will be embarassed. An added treat: laughing at the '60's styles and hairdoes, which look worse and worse with each passing decade. They just don't make them like this anymore. ***1/2 (out of *****)

Lucille Ball has always been a favorite actress/comedienne of mine, and so this vehicle, Yours, Mine and Ours, was a good showcase for her talents. One year later, Florence Henderson was to "reprise" the same role in the Brady Bunch TV series. This movie has it over the Bradys hands down. When all of the kids that belonged to Henry Fonda's character met Lucille Balls' character for the first time, they got her drunk. Would never happen on the Brady Bunch. And all those kids! I think it was either 19 or 20! Much more responsibility in this combined household. Don't forget shopping day, with the caravan of shopping carts, I'm surprised collateral didn't have to be put up for the groceries. The idea here is that the sheer enormity of this situation makes it so hilarious, along with all the petty jealousies and conflicts inherent in all families, creates a movie that viewers can relate to on several levels. You don't need to have 20 kids to appreciate the film. The Brady Bunch seemed too perfect. The Norths and the Beardsleys had to put some tough love and effort into this to make it work, and this is reflected in Yours, Mine, and Ours. See it just for the fun of it. Look for Tom Bosley (Howard Cunningham of Happy Days) as the family doctor. Great fun!

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 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.