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Actors: Fred McMurray, Tommy Steele, Lesley Ann Warren, Greer Garson, Geraldine Page, John Davidson
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Happiest Millionaire |
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John Lawless (Steele), an Irish immigrant, finds a job as a butler in the home of an eccentric American millionaire in Philadelphia, in 1916. His employer, Anthony J. Drexel Biddle (MacMurray), keeps a solarium full of alligators (who occasionally wander about the mansion) and insists on teaching boxing in his Bible study classes. Although based on some true people (the folks behind the Drexel Institute and the investment banking house) who also distinguished themselves in World War I, this movie concerns itself mainly with Biddle's daughter, Cordelia (Warren), who is fearful she will never land a beau because her father's odd ways scare all the boys away. She goes off to boarding school and finds the right fella (Davidson), but his family disapproves of Drexel pere as well. This 1967 movie, the last live-action film Walt Disney personally oversaw, was based on a 1957 hit Broadway play, which in turn was inspired by Cordelia Biddle's autobiography, _My Philadelphia Father_. It's a light, fluffy thing, a little long at 164 minutes, but buoyed by the Sherman Brothers' bouncy songs and Steele's energetic personality.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Happiest Millionaire |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Comedy, primarily
Yes
Time/era of movie:
- 1900-1920's
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Kind of romance:
- romance (general)
Family, loving
Yes
Special relationship with
- father
Kind of comedy
- life of the rich
How much humor v. drama
- Mostly humor, but some serious drama
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- servant
Age:
- 20's-30's
Hair color?
- blonde
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) very skinny
Events of movie makes character more...
- happy
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Irish
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- not employed but independently wealthy
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 20%
Hair color
- white
Hair type
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn curly
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
City?
Yes
City:
- wealthy
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
- school
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- very happy
Any profanity?
- None
If lots of song/dance...
- lot of singing and dancing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Broadway musical
Is this movie based on a
- play
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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