Jim on Film
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(c) Disney

The Happiest Millionaire (1968) and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968) Cousins of Mary Poppins, most Disney fans know and love these two musicals that followed in the wake of that film’s success; however, because neither captured the adoration or success of Mary Poppins, only recently has Disney finally made these films available for home viewing again.

The Happiest Millionaire concerns the family of an eccentric millionaire in Philadelphia, namely his daughter Cordelia Drexel Biddle and her courtship and engagement to Angie Duke, the son of a millionaire from New York society during World War I. Included in the mix is John Lawless, an Irish immigrant who arrives fresh off the boat into the role of the Biddle butler and George, the happiest millionaire’s favorite pet alligator. Fred MacMurray is the warm-hearted millionaire of the title, Greer Garson is his patient wife, Disney favorite Hermione Baddeley is the cook Mrs. Worth, Gladys Cooper is Aunt Mary, and Geraldine Page, who would later voice Medusa in The Rescuers, is Mrs. Duke, the New York socialite. The real stars, however, are the extremely talented young couple, played perfectly by Lesley Ann Warren and John Davidson.

Granted, The Happiest Millionaire is probably an hour longer than it really needs to be (particularly in its road show cut), but it’s just so much fun. Every scene with Fred MacMurray is a delight, Tommy Steele steals all his scenes, and the gentle love story seems so real and charming. I first saw The Happiest Millionaire on video when I was in about the ninth grade, and I’ve been loving it ever since.

(c) Disney

More compactly told and with less ambition than its predecessor, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band probably tops it. Lesley Ann Warren and John Davidson return to play a different set of young lovers (and they truly are creating different personalities here), this time in the 1880s. The talented song and dance stars of Buddy Ebsen and Janet Blair play the heads of the Bower family, who take their family to Dakota Territory to settle. Daughter Alice (Warren) is in love with Republican newspaperman Joe Carder (Davidson), but the election year politics between Carder and Democrat Grandpa Bower (played by Walter Brennan) almost tear the couple apart. Like The Happiest Millionaire, it’s an endearing story. In fact, when I finally found a video store that had a copy of it in the mid-90s, I rented it once a month for almost a year. Thank God Disney has finally released it on DVD.

The best part of both films is getting to see the stars sing and dance to great Sherman Brothers songs. Most reviews of these movies attack the music as being a weak element; however, because they feel to be true Broadway songs, to me, they actually top those in Mary Poppins and leave the songs of Bedknobs and Broomsticks in the dust. After seeing the films for the first time, I vividly remember singing songs from both films long after the videos were back at the video store. The musical highlight of The Happiest Millionaire is the love duet Are We Dancing, which is sung so beautifully by the extremely talented duo of Lesley Ann Warren and John Davison. It deserves a place with Disney’s greatest love songs. But in addition to it, there’s also the rousing dance number Let’s Have a Drink on It, Bye-Yum Pum Pum, and the memorable Fortuosity. What’s Wrong With That is one of those pleasant songs that gets in your head, and I’ll Always Be Irish is a foot-tapping treat. The under-rated There Are Those, a battle of Philadelphia society and New York Society between Aunt Mary and Mrs. Duke, with John Lawless caught in the middle, is a gem.

Sadly, the soundtrack CD of The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band has yet to surface, but the songs are up there with the Sherman’s best. ‘Bout Time is a charming ballad between the young lovers, and West O’ the Wide Missouri is a dance number delight that I love to watch over and over (both for its songs and its funny interplay between characters). The Happiest Girl Alive is a great introductory song for Lesley Ann Warren, one, which to the credit to the talented songwriters, is not a copy of her great introductory song from The Happiest Millionaire. The title song and Dakota are also highlights of the film.