Coming up next we have 1961's "The Parent Trap", a film about twin sisters separated at an early age when their parents divorce. Meeting at a summer camp, the two hatch a plot to get their parents back together.
The film's cast includes Hayley Mills, Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Charles Ruggles, Una Merkel, Leo G. Carroll, Joanna Barnes, Cathleen Nesbitt, Ruth McDevitt, Linda Watkins, Nancy Kulp, and Frank De Vol.
At Camp Inch, a girls' summer camp, lookalikes Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick see each other for the first time. They instantly dislike one another.
They pull one practical joke after another on each other. Eventually, they cause quite a ruckus at the camp dance.
The camp headmistress decides to put them in a cabin together. Though they initially hate the idea, the girls eventually warm up to each other.
They also discover that they are sisters who were separated at a very early age when their parents divorced. One moved to Boston, the other to California.
So, what else is there to do but switch places in an effort to get their parents back together?
Susan flies to Boston and becomes "Sharon". She meets her grandparents and is reunited with her very lovely mother.
Susan really enjoys spending time with her mother, and she even finds out about the early days of her parents' romance.
Sharon, on the other hand, has flown to California and has become "Susan". She meets her father and faithful housekeeper Verbena, who has been like a second mother to Susan. Sharon gets a taste of California ranch-style living.
Sharon finds out from Verbena (who minds her own business and never says anything about anyone...yeah right) that her father is engaged to a woman. "I'll give you a million reasons, and he's got 'em right in the bank," she tells Sharon.
Meet Vicky Robinson. The woman that Sharon's father is so enamored with. Sharon can see right through her.
And Vicky wants nothing to do with Sharon, vowing to send her off to a boarding school in Switzerland as the first change she makes in the household.
Vicky tells Sharon that she's going to marry her father, so she better get used to it. "You wanna bet?" asks Sharon. "Oh, honey," says Vicky, "don't you play with the big girls. You'll be way in over your head."
Sharon sends out an SOS message to Susan, who reveals everything to her surprised mother and grandparents. Margaret immediately makes arrangements to join Sharon in California.
Margaret's surprise arrival in California shocks her ex-husband Mitch, who promptly falls into the lake when he sees her.
He still can't quite believe it's her when he goes into the house to investigate who this oddly familiar woman is.
Having been kept in the dark about all the twin switching, Mitch is delighted to finally see his two daughters together after so many years.
It's hilarious when Margaret meets with Vicky and her mother for the first time. She walks straight up to Vicky's mother and says, "And this must be Vicky. Oh, you are adorable. I'd know you anywhere from Mitch's description." An unamused pair of eyes coldly stares back and says, "I'm Mrs. Robinson." "Oops, sorry, Mitch," says Margaret with a smile.
Vicky is positively seething over Margaret's arrival. Mitch portrayed her as a matronly woman. The vibrant, vivacious woman before her is anything but.
The girls don't pay much attention to Vicky, and they focus on getting their parents back together. They even recreate their first date and sing a spirited song called "Let's Get Together". (yeah, yeah, yeah)
They get Vicky to go on a camping trip with their father and them. Vicky lets her true colors show. She's completely out of her element in the great outdoors.
But they've got a few tricks up their sleeves that are designed to send Vicky packing and out of their lives forever.
With Vicky out of the picture, the way is clear for Mitch and Margaret to rekindle their romance.
And a happy ending is had by all as Mitch and Margaret tie the knot once more at the California ranch.
Frank De Vol......................................Mr. Eaglewood
And that's it for The Parent Trap. In 1998, a remake was made starring Lindsay Lohan. Joanna Barnes was the only member of the original cast to make an appearance in that film. In 1945, MGM released a film called "Twice Blessed", starring Preston Foster, Gail Patrick, and Lee and Lyn Wilde. The premise of the film is basically the same as The Parent Trap, however Twice Blessed was quickly forgotten after its release.
In 1965, Hayley Mills was a guest on the show What's My Line?. She was there to promote her new film "That Darn Cat". Among the panelists was Joanna Barnes, who was unable to guess Mills' identity, but gave her a big hug and peck on the cheek when she departed.
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