When I was a boy, I'm in my 40s now, my mother would get Disney albums in the mail. They contained music from the soundtracks of movies. Consequently, I was familiar with the songs long before I had seen the films. 'Happiest Millionaire' was one of them, but I have never seen the movie until 2004 when I bought it on DVD, and it was fantastic!

The version on the disc lasts close to 3 hours. It is a 'Roadshow Edition,' and that is entirely enjoyable. It begins with a music overture. In the middle of the film is an intermission, and after the movie is over, there is another musical medley with the word 'Exit' on the screen. That must have been there to remind people to leave the theater!

I see that on IMDb it gets an average rating of 5.5. Maybe that comes from the shorter, lesser cuts of the film. This restored edition is much better than that. My children loved it, too! They were literally glued to the screen for the duration of the movie.

This is easily the most musical of any film I have ever seen. That is one of the reasons the movie is so entertaining. Tommy Steele looks as if he is having a lot of fun, and that feeling is contagious.

'Happiest Millionaire' was released in 1967, the year after Walt Disney died, but he loved this film. The music is by the Sherman brothers, the same duo who gave us the unforgettable tunes in 'Mary Poppins.' I think it is sad that these kinds of films are no longer made. The great family oriented musicals are gone. Can anyone recommend 'Moulin Rouge' or 'Chicago' to their children?

And yet, this is not necessarily a kids' movie. Walt Disney had the genius to understand that things need to appeal to everyone. That was the inspiration behind Disneyland.

Out of four stars, I rate this: ***

I am not sure why some of the people disliked the film so much. The musical score by the Sherman Brothers is first class, the casting excellent, and the story moving. It seems to me those who review films like this in the negative really can't sit down and be entertained for a few hours. One doesn't always need a deep movie....a person can watch this film and feel good when it's over, and to me, that's what film is best at.

I just watched for the 6th time the dvd of the roadshow edition, and it is much better than the edited version. The ending was too abrupt before, and now we have not only an extra song, but a much better climax, that of a grand musical.

Leslie Ann Warren and John Davidson make their screen debut, and both are perfectly cast. The soundtrack on the dvd has been restored and sounds wonderful, especially in scenes with an orchestra, and the picture quality is very good for the period.

The best thing about this film is the score of the wonderful Sherman Brothers. Songs like FORTUOSITY,ARE WE DANCING, I'LL ALWAYS BE IRISH, DETROIT, NO DILLY DALLY, THERE ARE THOSE are much under-rated. This is an excellent original musical score.

Highly recommend for kids, families, and grown ups with a child still within.

After the tremendous success of "Mary Poppins", the musical writing duo of the Sherman Brothers were on top of the world. Their songs were truly memorable and the film a huge hit. But, amazingly, just a few years later, the duo tried again to have a hit musical...only to have it flop miserably. There were two main problems...the quality of the songs in "The Happiest Millionaire" simply wasn't there (such as the oft repeated "Fortuosity") AND a few of the singers had no right to ever sing a note in any musical. Perrenial game show guest Joyce Bulifant was godawful in the film when she sang....and Fred MacMurray wasn't much better nor was Gladys Cooper. Why they would have any of them sing is beyond me. No wonder the film did poorly simply because of these two big problems.

You also know that the film was a troubled project when it clocked in at nearly three hours but the studio chopped it down several times to shorter lengths in an attempt to gain traction. And traction is something the film just couldn't establish.

The story is about an eccentric rich guy (MacMurray) and his family, in particular, his comely daughter (Leslie Ann Warren). It's on the eve of the US entry into WWI and although life seems sweet, problems are on the horizon. Anthony Biddle (MacMurray) operates a strange Bibile school, which is like a combination of a Bible program and YMCA...stressing exercise and manliness. He also keeps pet alligators for some inexplicable reason. In the midst of this manliest of households is Biddle's youngest daughter, Cordelia (Warren)...a tom-boy who wants to go away to college and live like a normal lady. And, in the process, she falls in love...which means a lot of singing. Unfortunately, the boyfriend's family, though rich, is nothing like Cordelia's and it threatens their pending nuptuals.

Overall, this is NOT a bad film...though a disappointing one. The story itself is good...the songs, certainly, are not. And, since there are so many forgettable songs, it makes the story drag. Worth seeing but considering the film's length, you might just want to pass on this one.