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DVD The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
"All I know is, the Democrats elected a president, and the Republicans cheated 'em out of it!" No, this is not a Michael Moore documentary, but a 1968 Disney musical. The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band is probably the best musical comedy set against the 1888 presidential campaign between Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison. The family band, a bit like American prairie Von Trapps, settles in the Dakota territory. Problem is, Grandpappy Walter Brennan is a diehard Democrat, and Dakota is rife with Republicans, including the suitor (John Davidson at his dimpledest) to his granddaughter (Lesley Ann Warren). The score by the Sherman brothers is not their best, and the "family fare" approach almost killed Disney films during this era. Nice to see old hoofer Buddy Ebsen get to dance a bit, and trivia buffs should note that Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn are first linked here--he's one of the kids, she's a featured dancer. --Robert Horton
Review(s): DVD The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
Very Confusing for Kids
Our kids (9, 8, 6, and 4) were very confused by the constant polictical rivalry between Democrats and Republicans during the 1890's. Plus, the story was itself confusing - the first part, about applying to sing at the Democratic Convention, went nowhere and added nothing to the narrative. The kids had great difficulty following what was going on. Really not a very good movie!
review for dvd
The movie is just as I remember it. It was great to see it again and now with the DVD, I can watch it anytime I want.
Surprisingly satisfying late 60s Disney feature.
I didn't expect to like this film. The title was too corny for one thing. Also, I'd seen Disney's trailers for the film and noticed how they always focused on a scene featuring Goldie Hawn even though she's only in the movie for a few minutes toward the end. If they have to try to sell it with shots of Goldie Hawn, how good can it be?
But I finally got the chance to see it in its entirety and found out that it's a pretty darn good film. I've heard the Sherman Brothers songs for this movie dismissed as "forgettable" by notable critics but, while this film isn't loaded with Academy Award winning songs, there are still some good tunes sprinkled throughout, most notably a duet between John Davidson and Lesley Ann Warren entitled "Bout Time". The film has a lot of good choreography too and the dance sequences are thouroughly engaging without being over the top.
Walter Brennan and Buddy Ebsen are perfect for their roles here and both do a fantastic job. (Although I'm not sure that Brennan was really old enough to be Ebsen's father.)
The film is in full screen but in the documentary that's included here as a bonus feature, there's a mention of this being a made for TV film. The bonus features are nice and a commentary track with Davidson, Warren and one of the Sherman brothers is included too.
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