414 The Strauss Family

First  viewed  : Uncertain

This  period  drama  about  the  Austrian  composer  family  was  first  broadcast  on  ITV  in  1972. I'm  absolutely  certain  I  didn't  see it  first  time  round  as  I  would  have  had  no  conception  of the  Austro-Hungarian  Empire  or  familiarity  with  The  Blue  Danube  as  reference  points  at  that time. I  think  instead  I  saw  a  repeat  of  the  series  on  Sunday  afternoons  sometime  in  the  late seventies  although  I  can't  be  more  precise  than  that.

Mum  would  be  watching  it  for  Stuart  Wilson  as  Johann  Strauss  the  Younger  but  my sympathies  went  towards  youngest  son  Eddy.  The  first  Johann  had  a  very  colourful  private life,  having  more  bastards  than  legitimate  children,  and  didn't  want  any  of  his  sons  to  follow in  his  footsteps  so  the  potential  for  a  spicy  family  drama  was  obvious. Though  I  can't find any  common  personnel,  the  series  had  a  very  Upstairs  Downstairs  feel  to  it  from  the   opening titles  onwards .