the year: 1963
the genre: musical
the cast: Hayley Mills (Nancy Carey); Burl Ives (Ossium “Osh” Popham); Dorothy McGuire (Margaret Carey); Deborah Walley (Julia Carey); Una Merkel (Mariah Popham); Eddie Hodges (Gilly Carey); Peter Brown (Tom Hamilton)
the plot: Beulah, Maine postmaster Osh Popham helps widow Mrs. Carey and her three children move from Boston into a local, run-down, old house – and fixes it up for them. It's not entirely uninhabited, though; the owner, a Mr. Hamilton, is a mysterious character away in Europe, but Osh assures them he won't mind their living there, since he won't be coming home for a long time yet. The children and a cousin who comes to live with them have various adventures before an unexpected visitor shows up.
count: how many insects RSVP for the Ugly Bug Ball.
don’t miss: how Mrs. Popham likes her clouds.
check out: the portrait(s) of Mrs. Hamilton.
listen for: “Wonderful folks, even if they ain't got the rickets.”
also listen for: “Mariah, your pot's boilin' over.”
did you know: this movie was originally planned as a vehicle for Annette Funicello.
