Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)

A widower with ten children falls for a widow with eight, and they must decide about forming a huge, unconventional family.

Director:

Melville Shavelson

Writers:

Bob Carroll Jr. (story), Madelyn Davis (story)

Stars:

Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, Van Johnson

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lucille Ball	...	Helen North Beardsley
Henry Fonda	...	Frank Beardsley
Van Johnson	...	Warrant Officer Darrel Harrison
Louise Troy	...	Madeleine Love
Sidney Miller	...	Dr. Ashford
Tom Bosley	...	Family Doctor
Nancy Howard	...	Nancy Beardsley
Walter Brooke	...	Howard Beardsley
Tim Matheson	...	Mike Beardsley (as Tim Matthieson)
Gil Rogers	...	Rusty Beardsley
Nancy Roth	...	Rosemary Beardsley
Gary Goetzman	...	Greg Beardsley
Morgan Brittany	...	Louise Beardsley (as Suzanne Cupito)
Holly O'Brien	...	Susan Beardsley
Michele Tobin	...	Veronica Beardsley

Storyline

When a widower with 10 children marries a widow with 8, can the 20 of them ever come together as one big happy family? From finding a house big enough for all of them and learning to make 18 school lunches, to coping with a son going off to war and an unexpected addition to the family, Yours, Mine and Ours attempts to blend two families into one and hopes to answer the question Is bigger really better?

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Plot Keywords:

based on true story | fatherhood | carton | motherhood | redhead | 

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Taglines:

He had a population of 10...She had a community of 8...When you have 18 kids - nothing's impossible...except having nineteen!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The four full shopping carts that Helen and Frank purchase at the supermarket have the grand total of $126.63. Adjusted for inflation, that same amount would total $1067.27 as of 2018.

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Goofs

The reflection of a cameraman is visible in the window of the school bus as it drives off.

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Quotes

Colleen North: [Helen is about to have a baby] I know this is a terrible time to talk about it, but Larry says...
Frank Beardsley: I've got a message for Larry. You tell him this is what it's all about. This is the real happening. If you want to know what love really is, take a look around you.
Helen North: What are you two talking about?
Frank Beardsley: Take a good look at your mother.
Helen North: Not now!
Frank Beardsley: Yes, now.
[to Colleen]
Frank Beardsley: It's giving life that counts. Until you're ready for it, all the rest is just a big fraud. All the crazy haircuts in the world won't keep it ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Melrose Place: Pilot (1992)

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Soundtracks

It's a Sometimes World
(uncredited)
Music by Fred Karlin
Lyrics by Ernie Sheldon

User Reviews

...And Baby Makes... 21?

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Cantonese Japanese

Release Date:

24 April 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Yours, Mine and Ours

Filming Locations:

USS Enterprise CVN-65, Newport News, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desilu Productions, Walden Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1