yours, mine, and ours

December 22 movie: Yours, Mine, and Ours. Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda play a widow with 8 children and widower with 10 who marry, thus inspiring "The Brady Bunch." The main difference is that the movie begins before the couple meets, and the kids are a lot nastier. Particularly Fonda's sons, who are merciless to Ball. They spike her drink the first time they meet her and make her seriously ill, and then harangue her non-stop for the first year of the marriage. (I did learn the handy tip from the drink-spiking scene that vomiting is a cure for drunkenness: Ball is totally plastered, disappears into the bathroom to be sick, then comes back sober.)

This movie was funny, but should be avoided by anyone who can't take the sound of children yelling. Also anyone who was conscripted into caring for much younger siblings will probably be given nightmares by this movie. There's one scene near the end where Ball is asked how she manages to provide such a happy, well-run home for 19 kids (by this point she and Fonda have had another, the crazy freaks) and she gives some goo-goo eyed response about having a lot of love, a little discipline, and a husband who doesn't criticize. When really it's obvious that the family would go to hell without the older kids acting as nannies to the younger ones.

There's also some lame conflict over counter-culture which ends in one of the older daughters being nearly assaulted by her boyfriend, and her telling him to get a haircut. That scene was totally "huh?" but it was happening off to the side while everyone is trying to get Ball to the hospital to deliver child #19, so they kind of blow right by it. And the movie ends with the oldest son being drafted and happily marching off to join the Marines in Vietnam. The father is a Navy man which I guess is why the son is so cool with being drafted, but still, that kind of creeped me out. "You're off to experience and possibly commit unspeakable horrors! If you're lucky your wounds will only be emotional! Bye! Don't forget to write!"