The Happiest Millionaire

1967
U
2h 21m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Lesley Ann Warren, Greer Garson, Hermione Baddeley, Joyce Bulifant, Gladys Cooper, John Davidson, Fred MacMurray, Geraldine Page, and Tommy Steele in The Happiest Millionaire (1967)

Clever yet hapless new butler John Lawless manages a Philadelphia household for quirky and joyful millionaire Anthony Drexel Biddle, his unflappable wife, Cordelia, and their spitfire daught... Read allClever yet hapless new butler John Lawless manages a Philadelphia household for quirky and joyful millionaire Anthony Drexel Biddle, his unflappable wife, Cordelia, and their spitfire daughter, Cordy.Clever yet hapless new butler John Lawless manages a Philadelphia household for quirky and joyful millionaire Anthony Drexel Biddle, his unflappable wife, Cordelia, and their spitfire daughter, Cordy.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

2.5K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 2 nominations total

Trivia
Richard M. Sherman had reservations about whether Fred MacMurray was right for the part of Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, but Walt Disney overruled him.

Goofs
In the opening scene, the camera appears to look East on Walnut Street, past Rittenhouse Square, with the tower of Philadelphia City Hall in the distance. Cars are shown on a drive in the square. No such drive ever existed. City Hall is on Market Street and the tower would have been outside the frame of this shot.

Quotes
John Lawless: [to camera] To have your alligators thaw out and your daughter forgive you all in the same bright morning, that's fortuosity.
Anthony J. Drexel Biddle: [peering quizzically into the camera] John?
John Lawless: Sir?
Anthony J. Drexel Biddle: Who are you talking to?
John Lawless: No one, sir.
Anthony J. Drexel Biddle: Well you know what they say about people who talk to themselves.
[starts to walk away then turn and peers at the camera again]
John Lawless: [winks at the camera]

Crazy credits
The opening credits alone are 5 minutes long.

Alternate versions
Originally premiered at 159 minutes, the film was cut to 144 minutes when box office returns were less than expected. Still doing inadequately, the film was further cut to 120 minutes for general release. The longer version was rereleased in 1984.

Connections
Featured in Film Review: The Disney Legend (Continued) (1967)

Soundtracks
Fortuosity
(uncredited)
Written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Performed by Tommy Steele

User reviews50

Review

Featured review

10/10

Fantastic Family Film

I have always loved musicals, but I've never cared for the most popular ones from the 50s and 60s, such as "The Sound Of Music". However, "The Happiest Millionaire" scores on every level. The music is superb, and there's a ton of it. Tommy Steele does indeed steal the show as a new immigrant who shows up for an interview to become a butler, not quite realizing how wacky the Biddle family really is. His tunes are the most lively, particularly the bar scene. However, others such as Fred Macmurray and Leslie Anne Warren really shine here too. And who knew John Davidson had talents outside of being a game show host? This is a real diamond in the rough.

Some minor guidelines - the Roadshow edition has quite a bit of extra footage, and for those of us who know the standard edition by heart, it's great to find little bits and pieces (20 minutes worth, overall) that we've never seen, including parts of some of the songs. However, the standard edition is a tighter movie and keeps things moving more quickly - and since the standard edition is already over 2 hours and 20 minutes, I'd recommend it first. Then if you like it, the Roadshow gives you more of the best stuff.

This was Disney's last picture, and from all accounts he loved it, even though it was unsuccessful due to being released at just the wrong time. With 30 years distance, though, it is still so much fun that I'd love to see it made into an actual Broadway show. Oh, well, one can dream...