How To Grow Your Geek: Parenting and More!

From the back of the box:

Things are different for the Pontipee men now that big brother Adam has fetched a bride and brought her to their cabin. Indeed, the unwed brothers are so inspired; they raid the town and carry off brides of their own.

Like a favorite flannel shirt, (yeah, it really says that.) everything fits right in this rugged whoop for joy directed by Stanley Donen, choreographed by Michael Kidd, and featuring an exhilarating Gene Depaul/Johnny Mercer score that won an Academy Award.

Jane Powell and Howard Keel star, supported by a cast of buckskinned dancers and petticoated danseuses. (means girls I guess.) And what stepping! The barn raising sequence alone, full of back flipping, plank leaping athleticism, leaves you with a daylong smile. “Bless yore beautiful hide”, all you brides and brothers.

This is Jenny’s first favorite picks, and I have to say I really liked this movie.

It all starts with the oldest brother, Adam going into town to get supplies…..and a wife. Hehe. He has made his mind up that he is tired of living in a messy house with his six brothers, and needs someone to cook, clean, wash clothes and basically wait on them all hand and foot. (yeah I know, way sexist.) But that’s the way they were back then. He goes though town looking for just the right type girl, when his eyes fall on Milly. And it was love at first sight. He proposed to her, telling her how much he needs a strong woman by his side to help him with his land and raising crops. It doesn’t take her long to make her decision, (like a couple seconds. Hehe.) And there they are in front of a judge getting married.

On the way to her new home, Adam tells her all about his cabin twelve mile up in the mountains, and how hard things are there, they pass though echo pass and Milly shouts for joy at having gotten married. Adam tells her that during winter she couldn’t do that. The snow piles up high on either side then and will come crashing down, snowing anyone in until it melts. (that’s important for later on.) He also wants to tell her something else, but fails to do so.

Once they arrive we find out he has six brothers, who just happen to live in the same cabin. And wow what a mess that place is, animals on the tables, in the kitchens, clothes everywhere; doesn’t look like it’s ever been cleaned. Now if I was Milly, I’d toss him his old wedding ring, hop on a horse and say see ya! But she a strong woman, and decides, okay this isn’t what I thought it was going to be, but I am going to changes things around here. And does she ever! Hehe. She has them hoping, all but Adam; but she’s getting to him too.

She has to go into town one day and all the brothers go with her, that’s when they all discover…..gasp….girls. hehe, now this is soooo funny. None of them know the first thing to say to a girl, so one of them offers a girl some chewing tobacco. Pretty soon a huge fight breaks out and they return home looking like they have been though a war.

Long story short, they too have fallen in love at first sight with all the girls. Milly takes pity on them and decides to teach them all about courting, dancing and winning a girls hand. Adam has other ideas, after all for him he just went in and took what he wanted. Worked for him, so why not his brothers? They wind up going back into town at night, kidnapping the girls, going though echo pass, causing the snow to fall and trapping them and the girls up in the cabin for months until the snow melts. They all arrive cheering, and the girls crying. This is where Milly puts her foot down, she tells the boys they are not to set foot in the house all those months, but must sleep in the barn. (not what the boys planned at all.) But Milly isn’t someone you want to cross. Adam gets upset and goes further up the mountain to live in a smaller cabin until the snow melts. The boys are in misery, seeing the girls they have fallen in love with, but not able to have any contact with them. Then something else is added to the problems already, which makes things even more interesting.

So what will happen when the snow melts and the girls kinfolk decide to come after them? Will Adam return? What was the new thing I said was added and how will that effect things? Hehehe. Just going have to watch the movie.

Now then here is some trivia Jenny told me about this move. This was the last musical MGM ever made, which is sad because this was SOOOOO good! The movie went though three name changes, the first was “Sobin’ Women”, which was a name of a book. The studio didn’t care for that so it was changed to, “A bride for seven brothers”; the censors didn’t like that; (no duh.) So it was changed to the final title.

Now here is something cool and something to look for:

All of men, bothers, and town boys’ dance in the film but for two people. One was Adam himself, Howard Keel couldn’t dance. But there was also a brother that couldn’t dance as well. Only they hide that fact and you really have to look to see which one. I won’t spoil it and tell you.

And also on the look out for one of the girls, if you watched the old TV Batman, you should see her. Yeps, it’s the lady that played Catwomen. This was her first screen appearance. Pretty cool huh?

Over all this was a fun movie. The dancing was really something else. Now I will say if you buy this, and you really should, get the two disc set. One disc has the making of and behind the scenes and is really cool. It has a lot of the actors as they are today talking.

Well there’s number two. My first pick is up next, it also has music and is going to surprise all you guys!!

Darcy