Lady Bird Johnson Home Movie #25, HM25: The Johnson Family at the LBJ Ranch, Fall-Christmas 1953

Lady Bird Johnson Home Movies, Home Movie #25: Fall-Winter 1953. Footage of the Johnsons and friends spending time together at the LBJ Ranch. This is a silent, color film with retrospective narration by Mrs. Johnson. Following is a scene by scene description, courtesy of the Audio Visual Archives at the LBJ Library.
This film opens with a view of the ranch house from across the river. Lyndon B. Johnson poses with a Hereford bull in the pasture. This same bull grazes in the field. Mrs. Johnson pets the bull.
Sisters Lynda Bird and Luci Baines Johnson sit on hay bales in the pasture. We see various pasture scenes and hay bales in the fields. Luci pets dogs Beagle and Laddie(?) (Luci's dog). LBJ rides on horseback herding cattle into pens near the house. Scenes play of cattle in the pens. LBJ and A.W. Moursand look at the cattle. The foreman of the ranch and a Lindig(?) boy doctor a calf. Ernest Stubbs, a banker from Johnson City, observes the cattle. We see scenes of the cattle in the pens. LBJ stands next to a horse and talks to Melvin Winters, whose ranch the Johnsons used while theirs was being built. LBJ relaxes and plays with the Beagle near the house. LBJ and Congressman Homer Thornberry ride horses near the house. Ernest Thompson (of the Texas Railroad Commission), Gene Lasseter, and Mary Rather talk and sit under trees. LBJ and Homer Thornberry join the above people. LBJ talks and smokes. Herman Brown relaxes and talks. Mary Rather sits in a chair under a tree. LBJ relaxes in a chair. We see views of various flowers on the fence. Mary Rather, Marjorie Jenkins, and Eloise Thornberry examine flowers. Now we see the old part of the ranch house. LBJ and others sit under the trees near the house. Gene Lasseter sits by a hitching post, which was a gift from Warren Woodward and the staff. The camera shows us views of flowers on the fence, and then scenes of the valley and pastures near Pedernales River. LBJ and Homer Thornberry stand in a field.
The next scenes capture LBJ talking to his district men in a meeting on the front lawn of the ranch. LBJ talks to the group of men, inlcuding: Jay Taylor of Amarillo, Adrian Spears, Bob Clark, Milton Potts(?), Mack McGeary(?), Sherman Birdwell, Jake Pickle, Blake Gillian(?), Elmer Parrish (Wichita Falls), Earl Rudder, Fenner Roth, Doug Singleton, Hunter McLean (Ft. Worth), Cecil Burney(?) (Corpus Christi), and Lynda Bird Johnson, George Reedy. The group listens, including Sam Houston, Doug Singleton. Chilton O'Brien(?) and his wife and unidentified couple stand with Luci by the house.
Next we see Lynda and Luci playing around the ranch. Luci plays with Beagle in a pasture. Lynda, Luci, Ricky, and his brother from East Texas sit on a fence. Lynda, Luci, Ricky play with Beagle in the back of a pickup truck.
The following section features the Johnson and Taylor families celebrating Thanksgiving at the ranch. Sarah and Matianna decorate a table arrangement. Lady Bird's "Daddy" (Thomas Jefferson Taylor) and his wife Ruth stand by the house. Tommy Taylor and Tony Taylor pose with two dead deer (8 point bucks) hanging from a tree; Luci watches them. LBJ, Thomas Jefferson Taylor, Tommy Taylor, and Luci stand next to the dead deer. Tony Taylor, Thomas Jefferson Taylor, LBJ, and Tommy pose.
The next scenes are of the Johnson family around the ranch and nearby land. LBJ stands with Luci and Mollie Thornberry in the pasture. We see scenes of the white-faced Hereford cattle grazing, and then LBJ with the Hereford cattle. Lady Bird poses with the Herefords in the pasture in the background. Lynda sits on a horse (Peach Beauty) in a cowboy outfit in front of the ranch house. LBJ and Lynda both ride on horses in front of the house.
The next section of the film features the Johnson family celebrating Christmas in 1953. LBJ, Lynda, and Luci stand by the front door with a Christmas wreath. We see the Christmas tree and gifts, including doll beds. Lynda and Luci play with their presents. LBJ watches and talks to Luci and Lynda. Aunt Frank and Aunt Kitty (Uncle Tom's widow) are there. Sam Houston Johnson, sister Rebekah and her husband Babbitt talk on the couch. Rebekah Baines Johnson (LBJ's mother) and Oriole(?) pose. Rebekah Baines Johnson poses with her grandchildren: Lynda, Becky Alexander, Philip, and Rodney. The ranch foreman's wife and baby, Cousin Corky Cox, and Sarah pose. Aunt Kitty, sister Rebekah and Babbitt pose. LBJ talks with and kisses Rebekah Baines Johnson. Sister Lucia joins LBJ and Rebekah Baines Johnson. LBJ, Rebekah Baines Johnson, and sister Rebekah pose. They pose for a family portrait: LBJ, Lady Bird, Rebekah Baines Johnson, Sam Houston Johnson, sister Rebekah, and Lucia. Luci poses with Ava Johnson Cox, who taught both Lynda and Luci at Johnson City, and Corky Cox. The whole family poses for a portrait. LBJ and family eat Christmas dinner.
**end of film**

[@meboneme1]

I LOVE how she describe the kids as "plump" in all the videos, IF they are plump at the time! I LOVE LADYBIRD!!!!

[@joelangford7601]

This is a delight. I could listen to Lady Bird talk for hours. Her interest in nature came through clearly, in her talk about the various grasses, working with a tree surgeon, the zinnias and morning glories, and planting bluebonnets. Lady Bird looks a lot like her daddy. Her concern with Lynda's plumpness and Lucy's slimness was interesting. People probably wouldn't say that today. Hereford cattle barely exist anymore. How different from today's herds. It's cool that the kids went to Johnson City Elementary instead of some private school in Austin or somewhere.

[@joelangford7601]

Interesting that the children were called by both names, "Lynda Bird" and "Lucy Baines." That is the old Southern way. Today they would probably just be called Lynda and Lucy.

[@joelangford7601]

I want to read the new book, "Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight." It is supposed to reveal what a central role Lady Bird played in her and LBJ's partnership and what brilliant political instincts she had.

[@user-iw4gz7vh4w]

Look how small livestock used to be. Incredible

[@nadiazahroon6573]

30 years ago we as a family four needed two chickens to feed us, not one that is full of hormones.

[@conniethomas6674]

Secret lovely family :-)

[@ghamfam]

CatPerez - She was my teacher in 5th grade S.A. TX. 1970-71. She was a great teacher.

[@wendyjones6077]

Absolutely beautiful accent. It is music to the ears. Compare this to today's Kardashian type accent.

[@nadiazahroon6573]

Love her accent. Did she call her daughter plump? ❤️❤️

[@libertyann439]

Bet Lynda wished her mother hadn't mentioned her "plumpness."

[@CARTER.J]

sounds like all my relatives

[@meboneme1]

I wish ALL the videos had sound. Some of them do not. Sad for me.

[@acajudi100]

❤️💕😊🇺🇸💯

[@CatPerez2012]

Ava Johnson Cox...great teacher 10:07

[@califdad4]

wasn't it, Lady Birds money, that bought this ranch and really paid for their nice lifestyle?

[@Grit489]

yes she inherited a fortune and with the help of LBJ and his connections bought a TV station and made millions, around 90 million!

[@nadiazahroon6573]

She came for a well to do family. It was LBJ who didn’t.

[@meboneme1]

This ranch had been in LBJ's family for years before "they" bought it from an LBJ family member.

[@UAL320]

They were basically hillbillies…..but very rich hillbillies….

[@toddbonin6926]

How very condescending of you.