Writing in The Hollywood Reporter, Richard Newby pays appropriate tribute to Werner Herzog's 1979 remake of Murnau's 1922 silent horror film classic "Nosferatu". Murnau's adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" featured a terrifying performance by mysterious actor Max Schreck, while Herzog's film employed equally eccentric actor Klaus Kinski, who also gave a superb performance. Click here to read.
(Click here to read review of Shout! Factory Blu-ray special edition)
It was the era of The Graduate and Midnight
Cowboy. Family films were being replaced by more subversive, sophisticated
movies. This did not mean audiences had entirely lost interest in wholesome
entertainment. Nor did the stars themselves, especially those from past
decades. One of them was Lucille Ball.
Although television took up much of her
career, she appeared in four motion pictures during the 1960s. Perhaps the most
successful of them was Yours, Mine and
Ours, released in April of 1968. The project had been in development for
several years. It was originally titled The
Beardsley Story and then His, Hers
and Theirs. The script was based on the book “Who Gets the Drumstick?†by
Helen Eileen Beardsley, who chronicled her own real life experiences. Desilu had always
been slated to produce the movie, since it was Ball's company.
When casting choices were being made,
Lucille wanted her children to be in the film. They auditioned, each making a
screen test. Unfortunately, the director, Melville Shavelson, did not think
neither Lucie or Desi Jt. was right. They would get their chance to act
alongside their mother in her next series, Here's
Lucy.
With Ball as Helen North Beardsley, it
was decided that Henry Honda would play opposite her. This marked the second
time they worked together. In 1942, Lucille and Henry starred in The Big Street. With the major stars in place, it was
time to focus on the supporting roles. Van Johnson would play Darrell, Frank’s
navy buddy. Tim Matheson was cast as Mike, the eldest son of Fonda’s character.
Louise, another child of Frank’s, was portrayed by Morgan Brittany.
As Helen and Frank, the chemistry
between Ball and Fonda sparkled. Because of their previous working
relationship, Lucille and Henry were comfortable around each other. Even when
not filming, they openly displayed affection. Jane Fonda always said her father
loved Lucy.
The plot starts out simply. Helen and
Frank are widowed. Both lonely and dealing with the challenges of raising large
families, they are set up by Darrell. Although they really like each other, the
couple wonders if the difficulty of reading eighteen kids is too much. Their
feelings for one another prevail, and they eventually marry. Before long, the
Beardsleys find themselves expecting their first child together. At the same
time, they are trying to unite the feuding, bitter children.
Production didn’t always run smoothly.
Lucille, who was used to assuming executive duties, took control of the set,
sometimes to the consternation of director Melville Shavelson. Then, there was
the uncertainty of the star herself. There were times when Lucille questioned
her ability to transform herself into Helen. One particular scene was
especially difficult for her. It involved her going to Frank's house to meet
his children for the first time. Still mourning the loss of their mother, the
kids feel as though Helen is attempting to replace her. As a way of showing
their disdain for Helen, the kids pour excessive amounts of alcohol into her
drink. Helen becomes so intoxicated that she breaks into fits of laughter and
then tears. Lucy did not think she could convincingly act so hysterically but in the end,
came through with flying colors. Imagine one of the world's greatest stars experiencing
doubts about switching back and forth between emotions.
One would have thought the scenes
centering around Helen's pregnancy would have caused her anxiety. They must
have meant something to Lucille, for she had longed to have more children.
Several years earlier, when she was in the process of making recordings for her
unfinished memoir, she mentioned her disappointment at no longer being able
to have a baby. At fifty-seven, she looked younger than her age suggested.
Regardless of Lucille's reproductive inability, she cradled the infant in the
final minutes of the movie just like he had been one of her own.
If there were any tensions on the set,
neither Henry nor Lucille allowed them to interfere with their performances.
They sought advice from each other. She found relaxation in needlework. During
his time away from the studio, Henry painted.
I first saw Yours, Mine and Ours in 1996. It had a profound impact on me. That
was my introduction to the later work of Lucille Ball. Coincidentally, it was
the first movie I ever watched that I would go on to consider a classic. A
remake was filmed in 2004. It pales in contrast to the original. No one can
play Helen and Frank the way Lucille and Henry did. That is why the 1968
version of Yours, Mine and Ours still
remains- in the opinion of this writer- one of the funniest, most heartwarming
movies ever made.
(Barbara Irvin has been featured in
numerous publications, including The
Beverly Hills Courier and Classic
Images. This is her second article for Cinema
Retro.)
(For Cinema Retro's previously published review of the Blu-ray release, click here)