|
The Happiest Millionaire (1967)A happy and unbelievably lucky young Irish immigrant, John Lawless, lands a job as the butler of an unconventional millionaire, Biddle. His daughter, Cordelia Drexel Biddle, tires of the ... See full summary » Director:Norman Tokar |
| 0Share... |
Share this Rating
Title: The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Fred MacMurray | ... |
Father
|
|
| Greer Garson | ... |
Mother
|
|
| Gladys Cooper | ... |
Aunt Mary
|
|
| Geraldine Page | ... |
Mrs. Duke
|
|
 |
Tommy Steele | ... |
John Lawless
|
| Hermione Baddeley | ... |
Mrs. Worth
|
|
| John Davidson | ... |
Angie
|
|
| Lesley Ann Warren | ... |
Cordy
|
|
| Paul Petersen | ... |
Tony
|
|
|
|
Eddie Hodges | ... |
Livingston
|
| Joyce Bulifant | ... |
Rosemary
|
|
|
|
Sean McClory | ... |
Police Sgt.
|
| Jim McMullan | ... |
Lt. Powell
|
|
|
|
William Wellman Jr. | ... |
Lt. Grayson
|
|
|
Aron Kincaid | ... |
Walter Blakely
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
A happy and unbelievably lucky young Irish immigrant, John Lawless, lands a job as the butler of an unconventional millionaire, Biddle. His daughter, Cordelia Drexel Biddle, tires of the unusual antics of her father--especially since the nice young men around town all fear him. Wouldn't you fear a father-in-law that keeps alligators for pets and teaches boxing at his daily Bible classes? Cordelia decides to run off to boarding school and promptly finds the man of her dreams. Unfortunately, his family doesn't approve of Biddle's outrageous antics, either. A Disney musical punctuated by snappy songs and an energetic debut by Tommy Steele. This is reportedly one of the last live- action films Walt Disney personally oversaw. Written by Tim Kretschmann <Tim.K@VirComm.com>
Plot Keywords:
pet alligator | based on stage play based on book | family relationships | based on play | based on bookTaglines:
So Big!... So Romantic!... So Full of Life! See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
7 December 1967 (Australia) See more »Also Known As:
A legboldogabb milliomos See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (re-release) | (original)Sound Mix:
Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
Edit
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 nearly mine! 'Tis a job with an elegant millionaire, and his elegant family! Today I move from immigrant - to high society!
See more »
Written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Performed by Lesley Ann Warren
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The last live action film that Walt Disney worked on. At the time of his death, the crew had completed principal photography, but post-production had not begun. It was with this film that the studio's trend of subjecting its live-action musicals wholesale cuts began. Radio City Music Hall, the site of the film's New York premiere, had a Disney-themed Christmas stage show and demanded cuts to accommodate it. See more »Goofs
The Biddle Mansion at 2104 Walnut Street is shown as being directly across Walnut Street(the North side of Walnut Street) from Rittenhouse Square. In fact, Rittenhouse Square is between 18th and just beyond 19th Street on the South side of Walnut Street. 2104 is two blocks West and also on the South side of Walnut Street. This block is now occupied by a high-ride apartment building. See more »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 nearly mine! 'Tis a job with an elegant millionaire, and his elegant family! Today I move from immigrant - to high society!
See more »
Soundtracks
"VALENTINE CANDY"Written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Performed by Lesley Ann Warren
See more »
When I was a boy, I'm in my 40s now, my mother would get Disney albums in the mail. They contained music from the soundtracks of movies. Consequently, I was familiar with the songs long before I had seen the films. 'Happiest Millionaire' was one of them, but I have never seen the movie until 2004 when I bought it on DVD, and it was fantastic!
The version on the disc lasts close to 3 hours. It is a 'Roadshow Edition,' and that is entirely enjoyable. It begins with a music overture. In the middle of the film is an intermission, and after the movie is over, there is another musical medley with the word 'Exit' on the screen. That must have been there to remind people to leave the theater!
I see that on IMDb it gets an average rating of 5.5. Maybe that comes from the shorter, lesser cuts of the film. This restored edition is much better than that. My children loved it, too! They were literally glued to the screen for the duration of the movie.
This is easily the most musical of any film I have ever seen. That is one of the reasons the movie is so entertaining. Tommy Steele looks as if he is having a lot of fun, and that feeling is contagious.
'Happiest Millionaire' was released in 1967, the year after Walt Disney died, but he loved this film. The music is by the Sherman brothers, the same duo who gave us the unforgettable tunes in 'Mary Poppins.' I think it is sad that these kinds of films are no longer made. The great family oriented musicals are gone. Can anyone recommend 'Moulin Rouge' or 'Chicago' to their children?
And yet, this is not necessarily a kids' movie. Walt Disney had the genius to understand that things need to appeal to everyone. That was the inspiration behind Disneyland.
Out of four stars, I rate this: ***