Yours, Mine and Ours 1968

Frank Beardsley is assigned as meatball project officer at NAS Alameda

Frank Beardsley, a Navy Chief Warrant Officer recently detached from the USS Enterprise, is assigned as project officer for the Fresnel lens glide-slope indicator, the meatball. He brings his years of naval experience to NAS Alameda, California, where the system will become standard equipment on carriers. This assignment introduces him to the base environment and the duties that will shape his professional and personal life.

Frank meets Helen North in the base commissary

Frank meets Helen North by chance in the base commissary on NAS Alameda; she is a civilian nurse working at the dispensary there. They sense an instant connection and soon begin to see each other again. Their conversation hints at values they share and a potential future together.

Frank brings his daughter to the dispensary; they discuss family life

Frank brings his distraught teenage daughter for treatment at the dispensary; Helen uses her professional insight to acknowledge the girl's struggles and the crowded home she comes from. She notes that the girl is growing up without a mother's guidance, which resonates with Frank. The meeting paves the way for a first date.

Frank and Helen begin dating but keep their large-family secret

Although attracted, Frank and Helen resist due to their respective secrets and pasts. They learn each other's secret: Frank has ten children and Helen has eight. Their relationship begins to deepen as they continue dating, despite misgivings.

Darrell Harrison engineers blind dates to bring them together

Chief Warrant Officer Darrell Harrison, determined to bring them together, arranges a pair of blind dates for both of them. The final touch has both dates meet in the same Japanese restaurant, ensuring they encounter each other. The plan works, and Frank and Helen leave the restaurant together in Frank's car, still connected.

The restaurant reunion solidifies their connection

That evening, the attraction is undeniable as Frank and Helen leave the restaurant together. The sharing of the ride cements a renewed interest and signals a potential future. The moment marks a turning point in their relationship.

Helen is invited to dinner at the Beardsley home

Helen accepts an invitation to dinner at Frank's home, where the extended Beardsley family dynamic is on full display. The evening tests her patience and warmth as she interacts with his children. While the evening is fraught with hesitations, it begins to break down barriers between them.

The gin incident and the court of inquiry

During the dinner, Frank's three sons spike Helen's drink with gin, scotch and vodka, causing her behavior to turn wild. Frank confronts the chaos and calls a faux court of inquiry, forcing his sons to own up and apologize. The incident reveals both the kids' mischief and the seriousness of his intention to marry Helen.

Frank proclaims marriage; children resist at first

After the incident, Frank announces his intention to marry Helen. Most of the Beardsley children oppose the union at first, wary of the blended family and the changes to their lives. Yet the idea slowly starts to form a more united family rather than two separate households.

The blended family grows; Helen becomes pregnant

Over time the Beardsleys bond into a single blended family of 18. Helen becomes pregnant, adding to the growing family. The household begins to look toward a future with two families joined as one.

Frank leaves for a shakedown cruise

Frank leaves for several weeks on a shakedown cruise, temporarily separating from Helen and the family. During his absence, the dynamics of the household are tested and the couple's commitment is reinforced in different forms. The separation underscores the realities of naval life in a large blended family.

Philip North’s legal name issue sparks cross-adoption talks

Philip North insists on using his legal name North, creating tension with his mother and stepfather. The issue prompts Frank and Helen to discuss cross-adopting each other's children and the delicate matter of reburying their deceased parents. These conversations lay groundwork for a deeper blending of families.

Joseph John Beardsley is born; adoption plan forms

Joseph John Beardsley is born, a moment that finally unites the children under a common Beardsley surname. The siblings unanimously agree to adoption and to take on the Beardsley name. The birth symbolizes the new family order that has formed.