Disney Buys "The Family Band"

Laura Bower Van Nuys was well into her seventies when she sat down to write the story of the family band. As a child in the 1880s she lived with her parents and seven siblings on the Dakota frontier. For holidays or political rallies, the family made extra money by performing for the assembled crowd. Laura played the drums and later the alto horn.

When she was done writing, she sent her manuscript to the University of Nebraska Press in 1961. The press sent her a rejection slip, but two years later a different editor read the manuscript and decided to publish it. At the age of 83, she seemed to have a new career ahead of her.

Then Hollywood came calling. Walt Disney Productions bought the movie rights to The Family Band in 1965.

Van Nuys visited the set in 1967 with an entourage of 17 friends and relatives. They met the cast including stars Janet Blair, Walter Brennan and Lesley Ann Warren. “They’re doing a good job and all these people are so friendly and nice, just as common as an old shoe,” she told a reporter from the Los Angeles Times.

Asked if the movie would make her rich, Van Nuys said no. She might get some money from a re-publication of the book and record sales. “But what have I got to splurge on,” she said. Her house was paid off. “And I’ve already traveled,” she answered. She was just anxious to get home to her little white cottage in Rapid City with the snapdragons growing out front.

See a picture of Van Nuys' family published in the Argus Leader.