The Almost Royal Family

The Almost Royal Family
Genre	Comedy
Based on	Meanwhile, Back at the Castle by Hope Campbell
Written by	Jeffrey Kindley
Directed by	Claude Kerven
Starring	Sarah Jessica Parker; Christine Langner; John Femia; Mary Elaine Monti
Music by	Bruce Coughlin
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Terry Benes; Jane Startz
Editor(s)	Pamela Scott Arnold
Running time	60 minutes
Distributor	ABC
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	October 24, 1984;

The Almost Royal Family is an American television teen comedy that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on October 24, 1984. The program was based on the 1973 novel Meanwhile, Back At the Castle, by Hope Campbell.[1]

Premise

When the Henderson family learn that they had inherit a small island located in the middle of the St. Lawrence Seaway, this does not please some of the younger members of this New York City family, especially the eldest daughter Suzanne, who would rather enjoy another fun "Summer in the city". She idolizes Diana, Princess of Wales and wishes for a life of royalty. That wish is about to come true when, while attempting to buy supplies at a US general store, they learn that the island is the subject of a border dispute between the United States and Canada. Suzanne, miffed that the family just became part of a political issue between the two countries, decide to solve the problem: by suggesting that the family declare their independence... from both the US and Canada! The implications causes the family to face a lot more than just their nationality.

Production notes

Although the novel was set in the 1960s and had a satirical tone, it was modified to match the present day (Princess Diana at the time) and most of the political views were kept to a minimum.
In some scenes, the island described in the TV adaptation is actually located in the Thousand Islands region that borders the New York and Ontario, but used fake maps to fictionalize the dispute.
After its initial airing on ABC, it had multiple showings on HBO, Showtime and the Disney Channel.

Cast

Sarah Jessica Parker as Suzanne Henderson
Christine Langner as Natalie Johnson
John Femia as Sam Henderson
Mary Elaine Monti as Helen Henderson
Garrett M. Brown as John Henderson
Frederick Koehler as Jimmy Henderson
Christopher Curry as Surveyor
David Babcock as Jim Ross
Freda Foh Shen as Lynn Watson
Dan Crane as Russell Jensen
Daniel Lambert as Lucien Dore

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References

"Meanwhile, Back at the Castle" from Goodreads

External links

The Almost Royal Family on IMDb

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[1] "Meanwhile, Back at the Castle" from Goodreads