Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

First of all, the title probably wasn't the best, but what would have been a better title? Maybe they should have cut the number of brothers and given it a different title. "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" and "The Magnificent Seven" are rather famous titles in the history of Western cinema, but younger people in 1982-1983 weren't familiar with them. The seven orphan brothers run a ranch in California. They are rather hard up for money. They had an old International pickup and a late-model Jeep. There was one episode where they broke into a bankrupt grain warehouse to get some feed they owned in there but weren't allowed to get. This was obviously based on the Wayne Cryts soybean incident in southeastern Missouri. In another episode there were cattle rustlers and they had to chase a potload of stolen cattle in the Jeep and shoot out a front tire. There was another episode with a blizzard.

Seven brides For Seven Brothers was a great family show. It starred many of today's favorite actors including: Richard Dean Anderson, Drake Hogstyn, Peter Horton, Terri Treas, Roger Wilson, and River Phoenix. It had wonderful music written by Jimmy Webb especially for the show. If it had been allowed to continue, I think that it would have done very well in the ratings. The story lines were about how a family of seven brothers (with the eldest brother's wife) tried to make a living on their ranch after being orphaned ten years earlier. it would have been interesting to find out more about the family's past, but the show was cancelled before we really got to know them better.

I admit, I loved this show because I loved the original musical, but I was sad to see it go away to be kept in some dust-covered bin in a Hollywood storage vault! Regardless of all my friends teasing me because they thought it was a "corny show", I couldn't wait to see each episode! (I was raised by my grandparents so perhaps that's why I've always been drawn to the more reserved, wholesome, and yes, sometimes "corny" stuff.) I wish some studio exec would recognize that there are plenty of networks out there now (ie: Hallmark, ABC Family, Nic....) that have the perfect format for shows like this. If there had been more than just the "Big three" networks around when the show was produced, it would have had a better chance. But it's sad to think of it wasting away when it could be entertaining and influencing a new (and not-so-new) audience.