The Happiest Millionaire (1967)

Director:

Norman Tokar

Writers:

AJ Carothers (screenplay)
Kyle Crichton (play)

Release Date:

7 December 1967 (Australia)

Genre:

Family | Romance | Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

So Big!... So Romantic!... So Full of Life!

Plot:

A happy and unbelievably lucky young Irish immigrant, John Lawless, lands a job as the butler of an unconventional millionaire...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Kids And Family | Based On Book | Based On Play

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Fred MacMurray	...	Father
Tommy Steele	...	John Lawless
Greer Garson	...	Mother
Geraldine Page	...	Mrs. Duke
Gladys Cooper	...	Aunt Mary Drexel
Hermione Baddeley	...	Mrs. Worth
Lesley Ann Warren	...	Cordy
John Davidson	...	Angie Duke
Paul Petersen	...	Tony Biddle
Eddie Hodges	...	Livingston Biddle
Joyce Bulifant	...	Rosemary
Sean McClory	...	Police Sgt.
Jim McMullan	...	Lt. Powell
William Wellman Jr.	...	Lt. Grayson
Aron Kincaid	...	Walter Blakely

Runtime:

141 min | Sweden:118 min | USA:159 min (re-release) | USA:164 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:G

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Adapted from a non-musical Broadway play. The stage version of "The Happiest Millionaire" starred Walter Pidgeon, opened Nov. 20, 1956 at the Lyceum Theatre in New York and ran for 271 performances.

Goofs:

Continuity: When John and Angie are at the bar, the amounts of Stout in the two glasses change between frames.

Quotes:

[first lines]
John Lawless: [singing] Well now, ain't this an elegant neighborhood, all the residents dressed so fine! One day off the boat am I, with a job that's near, an' mine! 'Tis a job with an elegant millionaire, and his elegant family! Today I move from immigrant - to high society!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

DETROIT

Disney's Last Live Action Film is One of His Greatest!

I remember the first time I saw this terrific film. I was nine going on ten and living in Westchester County, New York, at the time. "Happiest Millionaire" was the Christmas attraction at Radio City Music Hall that year [1967] and it was a delight! The performances, particularly those of Tommy Steele, Fred MacMurray, and Leslie Ann Warren are all bursting with effervescence and energy, and the Sherman brothers' songs, if not up to their work on "Mary Poppins," (But, then, what could be?) are consistently pleasant and enjoyable. As the last complete film that Walt Disney was to oversee before his death, it's one of his best latter-day works.

Which is why I find the critical drubbing it's taken over the years, particularly Leonard Maltin's in his book "The Disney Films," so hard to understand. "Happiest Millionaire" is what many family films try to be today, rarely succeeding. I was given a video of it as a present recently and found it just as enjoyable as I did 32 years ago, if not more so. Plus, living in the Philadelphia area as I do today, there's the historical interest, as well.

In short, "Happiest Millionaire" was great in 1967, and even better today. If you can see it, by all means do. You'll be in for a rare treat and a hidden treasure from the Disney vaults!