It’s time for another episode of Flashback Cinema with Jeremy Morrison! This week he triumphantly returns with a look back at Melville Shavelson’s “Yours, Mine And Ours.” The film just hit Blu-Ray via the fine folks over at Olive Films. Here is a quick look at what the film is all about and the players involved:
Yours, Mine and Ours, based on the book Who Gets the Drumstick, stars Lucille Ball (The Facts of Life) and Henry Fonda (The Grapes of Wrath) as Frank and Helen Beardsley, parents to a blended family of twenty.
When Navy officer Frank Beardsley meets nurse Helen North (with a little help from mutual friend Darrel Harrison, played by Van Johnson, Brigadoon) there’s an undeniable attraction although both are apprehensive about any potential romantic involvement, having recently lost their spouses leaving them responsible for raising ten children and eight children respectively. When they decide to wed, unconventionality turns into hilarity in the wacky Yours, Mine and Ours.
Directed by Melville Shavelson (Houseboat) from a screenplay by Mort Lachman and Shavelson and a story by Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis based on the Helen Beardsley book, Yours, Mine and Ours features supporting performances by Tim Matheson (Animal House), Tom Bosley (TV’s Happy Days), Gary Goetzman (Married to the Mob), Morgan Brittany (Gypsy) and Tracy Nelson (Down and Out in Beverly Hills).
THE REVIEW: “Yours, Mine and Ours” is just as charming as ever. Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda are nothing short of fantastic together in this hip, edgy comedy from 1968. The cast is loaded with incredible talent from top to bottom. Among the 21 children are names like Tim Matheson, Gary Goetzman, Kimberly Beck, Gil Rogers, Morgan Brittany and Tracy Brown, and amongst the “holy crap, they were in this” group are Tom Bosley and Larry Hankin.
“Yours, Mine and Ours” is full of great sight gags from the always hilarious Lucille Ball. A role it seems Lucy was destined to play, Ball actually bought the rights to Helen Beardsley’s book, “Who Gets The Drumstick” and became rather close with the family (thanks, IMDb Trivia).
Even with all of these powerhouse names in “Yours, Mine and Ours,” the real scene stealer goes to the very young and oh so adorable, Eric Shea. Shea plays Phillip, the often overlooked North child. Shea is one of the very first links to the families actually getting along. He admires Tim Matheson’s Mike and dearly wants to be apart of one family unit.
THE VERDICT: One of the greatest family comedies to ever grace the screen. A work of pure cinematic genius.
Oh, and one last fun fact observed in this film…a bill of groceries for a 23 person household rang up to $126.63. That’s about half of what a 6 person household taps out at today. Christ.
Jeremy Morrison – Staff Writer
Co-creator/host of the Acid Pop Cult Podcast, film reviewer, screenwriter, Jeremy has more than eight years experience in television and film production. His childhood fascination with the naked breasts featured in the “Friday the 13th” franchise prepared him for absolutely nothing in life. J-Mo lives by one motto: #wecantallbezacksnyder
Twitter: @acidpopcult
IG: @almostgothim
