To Grandmother's House We Go

To Grandmother's House We Go is a 1992 made-for-television Christmas film directed by Jeff Franklin and starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The film's title is one of the first lines of Lydia Maria Child's Thanksgiving song "Over the River and Through the Wood". It debuted on ABC as a star vehicle for the Olsens, who were starring in Franklin's Full House at the time, and marked their first appearance as separate characters.

To Grandmother's House We Go
DVD cover
GenreAdventure
Comedy
Family
Written byJeff Franklin
Boyd Hale
Directed byJeff Franklin
StarringMary-Kate Olsen
Ashley Olsen
Composer(s)Richard Bellis
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
Production
Executive producer(s)Allen S. Epstein
Jeff Franklin
Jim Green
Producer(s)Mark Bacino
Boyd Hale (co-producer)
Adria Later (associate producer)
Matthew O'Connor (supervising producer)
Michael E. Steele (supervising producer)
Production location(s)Vancouver
CinematographyRichard Leiterman
Editor(s)Bill Petty
Running time96 min.
Production company(s)Jeff Franklin Productions
Green/Epstein Productions
Lorimar Television
DistributorWarner Bros. Television
Release
Original networkABC
Picture formatColor
Audio formatStereo
Original release
  • December 6, 1992 (1992-12-06)

Plot

Twin sisters Sarah and Julie (Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen) are two naughty but sweet children who are the bane of their work-obsessed divorced mother, Rhonda (Cynthia Geary). They overhear her saying that they are a "handful" and she needs a "vacation". The girls decide to give Rhonda what she wants. They pack up their bags, and hop on their bicycles, determined to make it to their grandmother's house for Christmas. However, they are not allowed to cross the street on their own. A city bus pulls up and they sneak on through the back door. During their bus ride, an elderly lady informs them that the bus only goes from uptown to downtown and back, and that Edgemont (where their grandmother lives) is several hours away.

After getting off the bus downtown, Sarah and Julie spot Eddie (J. Eddie Peck), a delivery man who has a crush on their mom, and his truck. They sneak into the back of the truck thinking that he will lead them to their great-grandmother's, only to reveal themselves to him because Sarah desperately has to go to the bathroom. Although Eddie does not like kids, he eventually starts to enjoy the girls' company, in part due to noticing he gets large tips when they deliver packages with him. He buys a lottery ticket and decides to play the numbers of the girls' birth date (6-13-19-8-7). Meanwhile, their babysitter has noticed the girls are missing and informs Rhonda. Rhonda frantically closes her convenience store, and rushes home to inspect the place and calls the police. During her attempt to file a police report, Eddie calls, telling her he has the girls and explaining how they got to be where they are. Rhonda announces she intends to come pick them up, but Eddie says he will watch over them, promising to bring them back at the end of the day when he finishes his delivery route. However, he tells the girls he will take them to Grandma's if they help out.

After the day's deliveries are finished, Eddie brings Sarah and Julie home, even letting slip his feelings that adults will say anything to get kids to go along with them. He manages to return the girls home, telling them to go to the back to get their suitcases and meet him at the entrance to the house. He manages to step out of his truck, only to be attacked by two robbers who steal it with the girls still inside. When the robbers, Harvey and Shirley (Jerry Van Dyke and Rhea Perlman), discover them and why they are there, they decide they can make some money by holding them for ransom. Shirley makes a phone call to Rhonda, asking for a ransom (which she calls a "reward") of $10,000 in cash, threatening to disappear forever with the girls if the police are told. She says they will make the trade at the ice rink in Edgemont, and that Rhonda is to wear a red hat.

Meanwhile, Harvey has begun to like the girls, and when he asks Shirley why they never had kids, she replies that it is because they are too busy being criminals, though rather than agreeing with her philosophy that it is their mission, he says he sees it as a job. Eddie and Rhonda reluctantly decide to raise the ransom money by opening and selling packages which Eddie is supposed to be delivering. However, they succeed as planned and manage to make it close to the threshold of the ransom amount. Eddie even gives Rhonda a red cowgirl hat from his stack of cowboy mementos. However, the pawnshops start noticing the stolen merchandise and report to Detective Gremp (Stuart Margolin) and his officials, who write out a warrant for their arrest, believing them to be Harvey and Shirley.

Everyone makes it to the skating rink in Edgemont. Eddie and Rhonda argue, as do Harvey and Shirley. When Harvey reveals what he and Shirley intend to do with Sarah and Julie, the twins run off again. They visit with Santa Claus; the latter is sitting in a carriage disguised as a sleigh and accompanied by horses disguised as reindeer. Fed up with Harvey and Shirley pestering them, the twins take control of the carriage, hoping the reindeer will take them to Grandma's. Midway through their ride, they discover that the reindeer are actually horses and begin to realize the danger they are in when they are unable to stop them; unaware that they are also fast approaching the edge of a steep ravine. Eddie seizes another horse and pursues them, his love of all things cowboy motivating him to pull off a rescue. He manages to stop them in time, inches from the edge of the ravine and leads them to safety, unaware that they have come to a stop outside the home of Rhonda's Grandma Mimi.

Just as everything settles down, and Eddie and Rhonda share a hug, Detective Gremp and one of his officials burst in and handcuff them. They try to tell Gremp their side of the story and what Eddie had planned to do to set things right, but Gremp still assumes that they are the real bandits because they agreed to the ransom exchange. Harvey is sympathetic to the pair, while Shirley is trying to force them to get away while they have the chance. Harvey's conscience kicks in and he tells the truth. He and Shirley get handcuffed and sent away, with Harvey telling Shirley that if they ever get out of prison, he promises to make her proud by being the worst convict possible.

Through enough persuasion, Gremp agrees to let Eddie, Rhonda and the girls go all the back to the city with him, so Eddie can be back in time to be able to have a chance at winning the lottery of 1.3 million dollars on a TV show. He promises to split what he wins between Rhonda and the girls, and has the girls spin the prize wheel for him. Through pure luck, he wins the jackpot. Afterwards, they give all the people their parcels back, and everybody is happy spending Christmas together.

Cast

Release

To Grandmother's House We Go was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It debuted in the United States on December 6, 1992.

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References
  1. Kent, Chloe. "33 Famous Actors Who You Probably Forgot Once Starred In Mary-Kate & Ashley Movies". Bustle.
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