tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49472691139798709142024-03-17T23:03:38.075-04:00The Disney FilmsHistory, fun facts and reviews of every theatrical Disney film in chronological order. Follow along as I review over 70 years of Disney movies.Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-27406296674509661442015-04-18T06:00:00.000-04:002015-04-18T06:00:00.902-04:00Napoleon and Samantha - 1972<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cute kids and animals were a hallmark of live-action Disney films and at first glance <i>Napoleon and Samantha</i> looks like just another in a long list. However, Disney was prepared to break a few conventions with this latest endeavor. Rather than a cute comedy, this film is far more serious and deals with heavier themes.<br />
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Johnny Whitaker returned as the lead for his second Disney film, the first one being <i>The Biscuit Eater</i>. Jodi Foster makes her feature film debut here, a freckle-faced 9-year old who'd been working on TV since she was 4. This was her first of four Disney films that she would make in the 70's. Michael Douglas (son of Kirk Douglas from <i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i>) became a household name this same year on the TV series <i>The Streets of San Francisco</i>. He plays a hippie in this, his only Disney film. However he did return to the studio for 2015's Marvel film <i>Ant-Man</i>. The lion was a star in his own-right. Zamba was 16-years old and 500 pounds when he made this film, but he'd been working in Hollywood since 1955 and appeared in a slew of <i>Tarzan </i>films and on many major TV shows, such as <i>I Dream of Jeannie </i>and <i>Gilligan's Island</i>. Mary Wickes also has a bit part in this. She was the live-action reference for Cruella DeVille in <i>One Hundred and One Dalmatians</i> and two of her most iconic roles would come later in Touchstone's <i>Sister Act</i> and Disney's animated version of <i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i>. John Lupton also returned for the first time since 1956's <i>The Great Locomotive Chase</i>.<br />
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Producer Winston Hibler, who worked on the <i>True-Life Adventure</i> films and most of Disney's animal films, scouted the perfect filming locations in Oregon. The towns of John Day and Canyon City served as the civilized locations, with unsettled land serving as the wilderness the children trek through with their lion. TV director Bernard McEveety was assigned to this, his first of several Disney films and TV movies.<br />
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The film opens with a stylized credit sequence with moments from the film depicted in felt cutouts. Napoleon and Samantha are kids in a small town who make money selling bottles they find. When Napoleon and his grandpa, his caregiver, happen upon a retired circus clown they agree to take his tame lion Major into their care. When his grandpa passes away, Napoleon keeps his death a secret out of fear of ending up in an orphanage. He hires an out-of-work young man named Danny to help him with a secret burial. When his only living relative, an uncle in New York, doesn't respond to the letter he sends, Napoleon and Major decide to embark on a multi-day hike to Danny's cabin with Samantha and her chicken along for the journey. Their adventure pits them against a mountain lion and a wild bear. Meanwhile, Samantha's babysitter discovers that she is missing and alerts the police, who discover Napoleon's grandfather's grave and begin a search for the missing children. They find Danny who returns to town to tell Samantha's sitter that she's alright, but she calls the cops and has Danny arrested for kidnapping. When the police refuse to go to his cabin to prove the kids are alright, Danny discovers that the man he left the kids with is a wanted man and breaks free, stealing a motorcycle and leading a chase to his cabin. Danny is cleared of the charges when the wanted man is caught and he convinces Danny to give foster care a try, guaranteeing that Major can stay with him. The film ends with Danny and Napoleon going off on an adventure with Major to find Indians.<br />
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<i>Napoleon and Samantha</i> was released on July 5th, 1972, and received mostly favorable reviews, but it wasn't a box office success. It was released internationally as a double feature with a re-release of <i>Dumbo</i>. Buddy Baker's score was nominated for an Academy Award. It premiered on <i>The Wonderful World of Color </i>in 1975 and<i> </i>made its home video debut in 1986.<br />
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Disney strayed from their typical formula with this film, but not too far. It features kids and animals, but the plot is much deeper than usual. While not a comedy, the film does feature the now-cliche chase sequence as its climax. Overall it's enjoyable, but the film suffers from pacing issues and is very slow to start. Michael Douglas and Jodi Foster both give wonderful performances. The clown in the film plays a flittering song on his flute, which is a modified version of "You Can Fly" from <i>Peter Pan</i> which can be heard at the end of the Disney Parks attraction Peter Pan's Flight. Jodi Foster recalled a terrifying experience during this film in an interview on the <i>Freaky Friday</i> DVD. The lion picked her up and shook her like a rag doll during a take, leaving Foster with permanent scars on her stomach and back, plus a lifelong fear of cats. Foster and Johnny Whitaker costarred in MGM's musical version of <i>Tom Sawyer</i> the following year, which was co-written and featured music by the Sherman Brothers.<br />
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<i>Napoleon and Samantha</i> is currently available on DVD, which features a restored print done in 2004 and is presented in widescreen (1.85:1 instead of the theatrical ratio of 1.75:1). There are no bonus features on the disc. This restoration looked amazing in 2004 compared to the way the other live-action catalogue films from Disney looked. This same restoration is available in HD through iTunes, which exhibits more detail than the DVD version. But in comparison to the newer HD remasters that are available digitally, this one exhibits many more white specks and dust.<br />
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</iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/napoleon-samantha/id281683746?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-59890341677309248302015-04-11T06:00:00.000-04:002015-04-11T06:00:02.014-04:00The Biscuit Eater - 1972<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxHOILvfIrk_H7rmw0u64rmnj3sJJAPG9fXy0KTDOyzbdDAukro9GNuxPXPg8F0y83SBJ3df5KCEENERMt3yOhZDOXJB_BKH2XfW8Fu2JIYqj2XrEsoHYgxPDvdgNlNt7p3kNcv9CB44/s1600/Biscuit+Eater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxHOILvfIrk_H7rmw0u64rmnj3sJJAPG9fXy0KTDOyzbdDAukro9GNuxPXPg8F0y83SBJ3df5KCEENERMt3yOhZDOXJB_BKH2XfW8Fu2JIYqj2XrEsoHYgxPDvdgNlNt7p3kNcv9CB44/s1600/Biscuit+Eater.jpg" height="533" width="352" /></a></div>
Walt Disney Productions had adapted many great novels to the screen that had been previously made by other studios. In that respect, you could say that when Walt made his version of <i>Treasure Island</i>, <i>Robin Hood</i>, or <i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i> they were all remakes. However, the first all-out remake the studio ever did was in 1972 with <i>The Biscuit Eater</i>. It was a short story by Bill Street that published in 1939 in <i>The Saturday Evening Post</i>. Paramount made a feature-length film version in 1940, which is considered the first "sleeper hit" because it cost little to make, had no big stars, but was a big success at the box office. While it was made thirty years earlier, the original was frequently shown on television. So modern audiences in the early 70's would have been familiar with the story.<br />
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Disney's screenplay was written by Lawrence Edward Watkin, who retired shortly after. His other Disney writing credits include <i>Treasure Island</i> and <i>Darby O'Gill and the Little People</i>. Director Vincent McEveety took on a more serious endeavor than <i>Million Dollar Duck </i>with this film. Johnny Witaker was a familiar face from TV's <i>Family Affair</i> when he was cast in his first of three Disney films. He is the only actor in this film that would become a familiar Disney face, although audiences would have also been impressed by Lew Ayres, star of the famous <i>Doctor Kildare </i>series at MGM. He fell out of favor in Hollywood after being vocal about his displeasure in being drafter for World War II.<br />
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1972 was an interesting time for the Walt Disney Company. Roy O. Disney passed away at the end of 1971, just months after Walt Disney World opened. His second in command, Donn Tatum, took over as chairman and CEO of the company while his son Roy E. Disney remained an executive. The Sherman Brothers steared clear of the studio after <i>Bedknobs and Broomsticks </i>because it had become a much different environment than they experienced when Walt was alive. They didn't have to look far for the next studio songwriter, Shane Tatum (Donn's son) wrote his first song "Moreover and Me" for this film and sings it as well.<br />
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The film begins with footage of Lonnie and his dog playing while the theme song plays. Lonnie's been trying to teach his dog how to point to help him hunt, but the dog is too smart and spoiled to do it. Lonnie's dad forces him to give the dog to the local gas station owner. Behind his dad's back, Lonnie convinces his best friend Text to take the dog and they name him Moreover. The boys train him well, but the dog's desire to eat eggs gets him into trouble when he sneaks into a neighbor's yard and almost gets shot. They enter Moreover into a competition where he competes against the dog Lonnie's dad trained. Moreover would have won, but Lonnie called him the name he hates ("biscuit eater") to make the dog run off fearing his dad would lose his job as a dog trainer if he lost. The boys lose the dog and their mean neighbor poisons him, but thankfully he survives and the film ends with a promise to enter him in next years' competition.<br />
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<i>The Biscuit Eater</i> was released on March 22nd, 1972. Unlike the 1940 version, critics downgraded it to just another film about a boy and his dog and didn't see much heart in it. Audiences, perhaps because the original was available on TV in reruns, didn't flock to the theater to see it. It made its <i>Wonderful World of Color</i> debut in 1976 and surprisingly wasn't released on home video until 2002, when it was released simultaneously on VHS and DVD.<br />
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While mostly entertaining, the biggest problem with <i>The Biscuit Eater</i> is that it's not very memorable. It never tugs at your heartstrings, but it has good pacing and an appealing cast. It also deserves to be applauded for having a racially diverse cast, something that was fairly rare for Disney films. It's the second Disney film to have an African American lead actor (the first was <i>Song of the South</i> way back in 1946). It's never stated and isn't immediately obvious, but the film is supposed to take place in the 1930's. You can tell if you pay close attention to the appliances, automobiles and the fact that nobody has a television set. This is definitely a film from a different time where the boys have a rifle and use it while hunting unsupervised. However, gun safety is at least brought up in a scene soon after the boys acquire the rifle. While the dog is often called a "biscuit eater" as an insult, he never once eats a biscuit in the film (only eggs). The dog who plays Moreover was a German wire-haired pointer named Ralph Von Wolfgang. He belonged to a tree trimmer who worked at Disney's Golden Oak Ranch, where most of the movie was filmed.<br />
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<i>The Biscuit Eater</i> is currently available on DVD where it is presented in fullscreen with occasional dust and excess grain in the print. A more recent restoration was done and is available digitally on iTunes. The film looks much better now, but still has some imperfections.<br />
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</iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-biscuit-eater/id296608954?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-43658008739821394602015-04-04T07:00:00.000-04:002015-04-04T07:00:00.403-04:00Bedknobs and Broomsticks - 1971<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When <i>Mary Poppins</i> was in preproduction, Walt Disney put everything on hold while he waited for P.L. Travers to finalize the film rights. Fearing that they wouldn't get the rights, Walt had a backup plan. <i>Bedknobs and Broomsticks </i>was a book by Mary Norton he purchased in case Travers held out. He assigned the same story team and the Sherman Brothers to adapt it into a film. However, they didn't get too far before finding themselves back to work on <i>Poppins</i>.<br />
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After Walt passed away, the studio began to work on many projects that Walt either didn't get to or had passed up. Yearning to recapture the success of <i>Mary Poppins</i>, the Sherman Brothers found themselves back at the studio to finish <i>Bedknobs and Broomsticks</i>. One of the new songs written was "The Age of Not Believing," which was inspired by the brothers' doubtful feelings of pulling off the picture without Walt. In addition to the songs written specifically for this film, they also recycled a deleted song from <i>Mary Poppins</i> called "The Beautiful Briny Sea<i>." </i>The same story team from <i>Poppins</i> returned to finish the script, Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi. However, the studio forced an animated soccer match into the script that they objected to, which was written by Ralph Wright and Ted Berman.<br />
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Robert Stevenson, who directed <i>Mary Poppins</i>, directed this film as well. Ward Kimball directed the animated sequences. Julie Andrews was the first choice to play the lead, but she turned it down. Angela Lansbury, who was originally considered to play <i>Poppins</i>, was cast instead. David Tomlinson from <i>Mary Poppins</i> was cast opposite her. Roddy McDowell is another familiar Disney face, having appeared in <i>That Darn Cat</i> and <i>The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin</i>. Production took place mostly at the Disney Studio in Burbank. Exterior sets were built on the backlot while the sound stages were filled with the massive Portobello Road set. A few shots required a second unit to travel to England. When production wrapped, the film was over two hours long, which caused most movie theaters to refuse to show it. Roadshow musicals were quickly falling out of favor by 1971 and Radio City Music Hall wanted to book the film, but needed it shortened to include their Christmas stage show on the same program. Twenty-five minutes of the film were cut for its original theatrical release.<br />
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The film opens with a tapestry-inspired credit sequence. Eglantine Price is an apprentice witch who is forced to take three children into her care during World War II. After the kids see her flying on a broomstick at night, they threaten to reveal her secret to improve their living conditions. Instead she compromises, enchanting a bedknob to take them wherever they want. Their first stop is to find Professor Brown in an attempt to get the final spell from her correspondence course. It turns out the professor only had half of the book. They track down the other half in Portobello Road, but find that the most important page is missing. In a daring escape from a thug, they flee to the island of Naboombu, which is inhabited entirely by animals bewitched to behave like humans. King Leo on the island has the final spell Eglantine has been waiting for, which she uses to enchant an army of empty armor to scare the nazis out of England.<br />
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<i>Bedknobs and Broomsticks</i> had its world premier on October 7th, 1971 in London. It debuted in theaters on December 13th, 1971. Critics were mixed on it, most comparing it to <i>Poppins</i>. It made $17 million at the box office, but cost an estimated $20 million to make. However, the studio decided to rerelease it in 1979, although they edited it further to just 98 minutes. It made its home video debut in 1980. In 1996, the studio attempted to restore the film to its original length. The footage for one musical number ("A Step in the Right Direction") couldn't be found and some audio elements had to redubbed because the original audio elements were destroyed.<br />
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It would be impossible to top <i>Mary Poppins</i> and Disney learned this the hard way with <i>Bedknobs and Broomsticks</i>. However, it's still a very enjoyable film. The Sherman songs are mostly great, but none of them tug at the heart the same way "Feed the Birds" does. Angela Lansbury is marvelous here as well and was nominated at the Golden Globes for her performance. Like <i>Poppins</i> before it, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences nominated the film for a slew of awards, including Best Song ("The Age of Not Believing"), Best Costume Design, Best Score and Best Art Direction. It took home the award for Best Visual Effects. Comparing the theatrical cut to the extended version, I actually feel the theatrical cut makes for a better film. It has much better pacing and doesn't lose any major plot elements.<br />
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<i>Bedknobs and Broomsticks</i> is currently available on Blu-Ray in widescreen (1.66:1 instead of the correct 1.75:1). The film looks amazing in high definition and is presented in its original theatrical cut (117 minutes). The deleted scenes and songs are available as bonus features. However, if you want to see the extended version that was restored in 1996, you'll have to buy the "Enchanted Musical Edition" DVD (the DVD included with the Blu-Ray is the theatrical cut and loses most bonus features). The same restoration found on the Blu-Ray is available digitally on iTunes, which also includes all of the bonus features.<br />
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</iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/bedknobs-and-broomsticks/id900833649?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-8756114239456738402015-03-28T06:00:00.000-04:002015-03-28T06:00:04.327-04:00Million Dollar Duck - 1971<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWO45Eaqil1WBNmhOGAfasxNF_D4Uan46fjyIGIipHThAXkI4X8MTJvKPd5To9qpJLBeopt-9NSJbMT8A7CU8dRUdJPoygCje_5hoaJws603EmcqhYBA2cUJTJNfwBD5VPLG24raUFkwo/s1600/million+dollar+duck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWO45Eaqil1WBNmhOGAfasxNF_D4Uan46fjyIGIipHThAXkI4X8MTJvKPd5To9qpJLBeopt-9NSJbMT8A7CU8dRUdJPoygCje_5hoaJws603EmcqhYBA2cUJTJNfwBD5VPLG24raUFkwo/s1600/million+dollar+duck.jpg" height="533" width="352" /></a></div>
Walt Disney Productions' zany comedy for 1971 drew inspiration from Aesop's Fables. <i>The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs </i>inspired <i>Million Dollar Duck</i>. Using a familiar formula and familiar faces, Disney seemed to be playing it safe with this film.<br />
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Director Vincent McEveety made his Disney film debut with this film, although he had previously directed three TV movies for the studio (<i>The Ballad of Hector the Stowaway Dog, Smoke</i> and <i>Menace on the Mountain</i>). The story was created by Ted Key, who would go on to write other Disney films including <i>The Cat From Outer Space</i>, with a screenplay by Roswell Rogers. Dean Jones was cast in the lead role, his first Disney project since <i>The Love Bug</i> three years prior. Sandy Duncan was not yet a household name when she was cast as his wife (she went on to have her own TV special filmed in Disneyland). Other familiar Disney faces include Joe Flynn (<i>The Love Bug, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes</i>) and Atrhur Hunnicutt (<i>A Tiger Walks</i>).<br />
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An open casting call was held for the duck, with Webfoot Waddle winning the role. He enjoyed weekends off floating in the studio pond during production. Most of the film was shot on the Disney lot, with residential street as the main backlot setting for exterior shoots. The farm set appears to be Disney's Golden Oak Ranch and there is also quite a bit of shooting around the greater L.A. area.<br />
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The film begins with an animated title sequence where the duck keeps bringing eggs to the bottom of the screen. Albert Dooley is a scientist with money problems. When his boss decides to get rid of a lab duck, Albert takes it home. But after the duck ate his wife's weird apple sauce and was exposed to radiation, the duck begins laying eggs with a golden yolk. When Katie begins to spend the eggs, the government gets on their trail and spies on them. When Albert's son runs away with the duck, it becomes a race against the feds to get them back.<br />
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<i>Million Dollar Duck</i> was released on June 30th, 1971. Critics bashed the film, which was reportedly one of only three movies that Gene Siskel ever walked out on. It didn't cause much of a sensation at the box office. It debuted on <i>The Wonderful World of Disney</i> in 1974 and was released on home video in 1986.<br />
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I've read several reviews of this film from various blogs and they all unanimously hate it, but I can't understand why it deserves such scathing reviews. Dean Jones and Sandy Duncan are delightful in this. Sandy Duncan was even nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in this film. Is it dated? Very much so. Duncan's character is a dumb-as-rocks housewife stereotype and there are a few racist elements to the film as well, although nowhere near as bas as in <i>The Boatniks</i>. But when viewed through a nostalgic lens as a reflection of the time in which it was created, <i>Million Dollar Duck</i> is fairly enjoyable. It has a heartfelt message about not letting money destroy relationships and the formulaic chase is fun with the addition of Dean Jones (and a mannequin stand-in) riding through L.A. on a raised cherry picker.<br />
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<i>Million Dollar Duck</i> is currently available on DVD, where it is presented in fullscreen. The presentation is an open matte VHS master that features dust, scratches and excess grain. A more recent restoration was done that is available digitally in HD on iTunes. That version is in widescreen 1.66:1 (correct aspect ratio would 1.75:1). Scratches and dust have been removed from this version and the film looks much better in HD.<br />
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</iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-million-dollar-duck/id280053046?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-2921705855335978362015-02-14T03:00:00.000-05:002015-02-14T03:00:05.580-05:00Scandalous John - 1971<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While Disney films from the 1970's are typically defined by goofball comedies that weren't particularly funny or memorable, there are a few exceptions. Producer Bill Walsh chose to adapt a book called <i>Scandalous John</i> by Richard Gardner that was a Western retelling of the classic <i>Don Quixote</i>. The screenplay was written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi (the duo behind <i>Mary Poppins</i> and <i>The Love Bug</i>).<br />
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Robert Butler returned to direct his third film, a big departure from his other Disney work (<i>The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes</i> and <i>The Barefoot Executive</i>). Brian Keith returned to the studio after 6 years away. This is his final Disney film, although he did return for a TV movie in 1986 called <i>The B.R.A.T. Patrol</i>. His sidekick Paco is played by Alfonso Arau, his first of two Disney films. The rest of the cast are mostly unknown actors, but Harry Morgan (<i>The Barefoot Executive</i>) is in this and would become one of the most frequently used character actors at Disney for the rest of the decade. John Ritter appears in his second and final Disney film (<i>The Barefoot Executive</i>) before becoming a household name on <i>Three's Company</i>. Famous songwriter Rod McKuen wrote the score and song "Pastures Green" for the film. Filming took place from September to December of 1970. Most of the filming was on location in Alamogordo, New Mexico, with interior scenes shot in Arizona's Old Tucson Studio. They also travelled to South Dakota to shoot the railroad scenes.<br />
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John McCanless was once a great rancher, a hero in his Western town. But after the loss of his wife, he began to lose his mind with delusions of grandeur. He hires an illegal immigrant named Paco to be his ranch hand and their adventures include trying to block a plan for a dam that would flood his property (real), fighting off an indian attack (delusional), leading a cattle drive (real... but with only one cow) and finding the legendary golden city of Quivera (delusional). They are followed by John's granddaughter Amanda, who is worried about her grandfather's health, and Barton Whitaker, the man trying to stop him from getting the money to save his ranch. In an accidental shoot out, John is fatally wounded and by poetic happenstance, it happens under a sign that reads "Quivera."<br />
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<i>Scandalous John</i> was released on June 22nd, 1971 in a limited release. It is unknown why the studio would want to limit the exposure of this obviously expensive film (shot on location in multiple states in Cinemascope). Even more curious for a Disney film that didn't make money in its theatrical release, <i>Scandalous John</i> never aired on <i>The Wonderful World of Disney</i>. It wasn't seen again until 1986 when it was released on home video to rental stores.<br />
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Was Disney trying to hide <i>Scandalous John</i>? And if so, why? It was made at a time when the story of <i>Don Quixote</i> had renewed interest thanks to a Broadway musical that opened in 1965 called <i>The Man of La Mancha</i>. By 1971, United Artists was working on a film version, so perhaps there was some agreement that Disney would limit the exposure of <i>Scandalous John</i> so that audiences wouldn't be tired of the story. This is all speculation on my part because I can't see a reason why Disney would make a high quality film like this and then not give it a proper release. If they were concerned about the brief racial undertones (there's a scene where Paco is almost deported), they could have easily edited those out.<br />
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Brian Keith gives his finest performance of any of his Disney work in this film. John McCanless is quite a character and his performance is consistent throughout. With his beard, accent and gruff voice, he's actually hard to recognize as the dad from <i>The Parent Trap</i>. The film has a slow pace, but the cast is so likable that it's easy to forgive as the story unfolds. There are also some genuinely funny moments, such as John and Paco riding horses through a Main Street full of cars and riding them into stores to shop. It's a rare gem in a decade full of mediocre and forgettable films.<br />
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<i>Scandalous John</i> is available on DVD as a Disney Movie Club Exclusive where it is presented in its Cinemascope widescreen ratio of 2.35:1. It was released in 2009 and received a gentle restoration then, but has excessive grain. That same restoration is used for digital HD versions of the film, but for some odd reason Disney chose to crop it to a standard widescreen ratio, meaning you are missing lots of picture on the sides. It's a confusing choice that I can't understand and as a result, the DVD is the version I recommend.<br />
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</iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/scandalous-john/id429168082?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-85466754915771768552015-02-07T03:00:00.000-05:002015-02-07T03:00:02.433-05:00The Barefoot Executive - 1971<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In a very short time, Kurt Russell went from being a supporting actor at Disney to being a leading man. His first headlining role was in 1969 with the first Dexter Riley film, <i>The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes</i>. It was so successful that it quickly made him the studio's most bankable star. They were quick to find him another project before returning to the Dexter Riley formula. 1971's <i>The Barefoot Executive </i>was in the same spirit as <i>The Misadventures of Merlin Jones</i> and <i>The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes </i>and must have seemed like a guaranteed hit at the time.<br />
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Drawing even more similarities to <i>The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes</i>, both films share the same director (Robert Butler), writer (Joseph L. McEveety) and producer (Bill Anderson). The two even share a few supporting cast members, including Joe Flynn and Alan Hewitt. And the theme song, "He's Gonna Make It," was written by the same team that wrote the song for <i>Computer</i> (Bruce Belland and Robert F. Brunner). Heather North plays Kurt Russell's girlfriend and if her voice sounds familiar, it's because she's the voice of Daphne in Hannah Barbara's <i>Scooby-Doo</i> series. This is also the film debut of John Ritter, five years before becoming a household name on <i>Three's Company</i>. The film was mostly shot on the Disney Studio lot, with one week of location shooting in Long Beach, CA.<br />
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Steve is a mailroom clerk at UBC trying to move up, but nobody will listen to his TV ideas. When he comes to the realization that his girlfriend' Jennifer's chimp always watches the highest rated TV programs, he uses his uncanny knack for picking hit shows to climb the corporate ladder behind her back. When a jealous coworker discovers his secret and reveals it to his bosses, the network execs try to steal the chimp to edge him out. Their attempts are foiled, but when they offer Steve money to buy the chimp, he has to choose between wealth or doing what's right.<br />
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<i>The Barefoot Executive</i> was released on March 17th, 1971. It received mixed reviews and wasn't successful on the same level as <i>The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes</i>, despite all of the similarities. It made its <i>Wonderful World of Disney</i> TV debut in 1972 and was released on home video for the first time in 1985.<br />
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The best word to describe this film is "cute." All of the actors are likable and if you've seen a lot of Disney movies from the 60's and 70's, this one is full of familiar character actors. The premise is clever and fun, but isn't quite enough to fill a feature film. There's a lot of obvious filler with jokes that never really pay off. The funniest moment is a running joke about how the chimp likes to grab a beer during commercial breaks. But with so much done right, it's hard not to enjoy <i>The Barefoot Executive</i>. Among the programs Steve shows the chimp is a clip from <i>Babes in Toyland.</i> The film grew in popularity over the years thanks to Kurt Russell's star power and multiple TV airings. In 1995, Disney did a TV remake for Disney Channel.<br />
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<i>The Barefoot Executive</i> is currently available on DVD. It is presented in open matte fullscreen, which looks like a VHS master. The colors are over saturated and there is a lot of dust in the print. It was recently restored in HD and its available digitally through all major providers. The colors seem more natural, dust has been removed and it is presented in widescreen (1.66:1, although the correct aspect ratio would be 1.75:1).<br />
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</iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-barefoot-executive/id280049024?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-61927967043488938652015-01-31T03:00:00.000-05:002015-01-31T03:00:00.367-05:00The Wild Country - 1971<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It may be surprising to modern audiences that Disney produced many Westerns throughout the 50's, 60's and 70's. They were sometimes more family friendly and silly like <i>The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin</i>, but could also be quite serious and mature like <i>Smith!</i>. However, for all of their efforts their only true success with the genre was on television and neither Walt, nor the studio that he left behind, ever came close to matching the success of <i>Davy Crockett</i>. <i>The Wild Country</i> falls in the more serious category.<br />
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The film is based on a book called <i>Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers </i>by Ralph Moody, which was an autobiographical tale from when he was eight and was the first in a popular series. The screenplay was written by TV writers Calvin Clements and Paul Savage. Director Robert Totten was hired to direct, who was also specialized in TV and had done a few TV movies for <i>The Wonderful World of Disney</i>. Steve Forrest took top billing, who also played the dad in <i>Rascal</i>. But the most recognizable Disney star of the era was Vera Miles (<i>Those Calloways, Follow Me Boys</i>). Ron Howard, still known here as Ronny Howard, plays their eldest son and his brother Clint Howard plays the youngest. Their father Rance Howard has a cameo in this film, making it the first theatrical film they all appeared in together.<br />
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Filming took place entirely on location in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which is also the setting of the story. Filming took place in the summer of 1970 over a seven week span. Seven wind machines were brought there from Walt Disney Studios and were used in combination with three snowplanes to create the tornado that appears on screen. 80 acres of greens had to be painted tan to give the illusion of drought.<br />
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The film begins with a stagecoach traveling through the country as the credits play. The Tanner family have moved from Philadelphia to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to start a new life for themselves. However, they quickly find that their new home is broken down. They make the best of their situation, but things get even more complicated when they find out their neighbor, Ab Cross, has cut off the water supply to their farm. Jim, the father, attempts to establish rules in lawless Jackson Hole, a struggle that proves harder to do than it seems. They reach yet another setback when their home is damaged by a tornado. Just as they are about to give up, a court order arrives to legally settle the dispute with Ab Cross. In retaliation, he has their barn set on fire and when the family tries to put it out, Ab tries to shoot them. Eldest son Virgil steps in at the last second with a rifle to save the family. After his death, Ab's men step up to help the family rebuild their barn, feeling guilty for the part they played and the story ends on an optimistic tone for the future.<br />
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<i>The Wild Country</i> was released on January 20, 1971. The movie poster advertised that Walt Disney World would be opening that October. Critics were generally positive, praising the pacing and chemistry between the family actors. However, it was not a big draw and didn't do much at the box office. It made its TV debut on <i>The Wonderful World of Disney</i> in 1975 and was released on home video in 1986.<br />
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For a Disney film, <i>The Wild Country</i> is surprisingly violent and intense. But perhaps an even bigger surprise, it's a really great film. There are several scenes of hand-to-hand fighting with a bit of blood and the tension between the Tanner's and Ab Cross is much greater than your average Disney film. There are a few moments reminiscent of <i>Old Yeller</i>, particularly Clint Howard's character who is basically Arliss (always trying to catch animals, desperate to get a dog). There are also plenty of scenes of the family interacting with wildlife, including the birth of a filly. While this was Ron Howard's only on-screen role for Disney, he would have a great impact on the company with his directorial debut <i>Splash</i> in 1984, which launched Disney's less-family oriented division Touchstone Pictures.<br />
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<i>The Wild Country</i> is currently available on DVD as a Disney Movie Club Exclusive. The film is presented in full screen and is believed to be the original VHS master. The print has quite a few scratches and dust artifacts and the colors seem faded. There aren't any bonus features. This same version is available digitally from all major digital providers. It is one of the few Disney films that hasn't received a more recent HD restoration.<br />
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</iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-wild-country/id430519533?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-86346121368785727972015-01-24T03:00:00.000-05:002015-01-24T03:00:06.090-05:00The Aristocats - 1970<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Although well established as a live-action film studio by 1970, animation had always been, and would continue to be, the hallmark of Walt Disney Productions. Walt Disney passed away at the end of 1966, a year before his final animated masterpiece, <i>The Jungle Book</i>. But before he passed, he had already greenlit the next animated film... <i>The Aristocats</i>.<br />
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The origin of <i>The Aristocats</i> dates back to a decade prior when <i>Mr. Ed</i> was groundbreaking TV. Walt tasked producer Harry Tytle with finding an animal story that would make a good two-part movie for <i>The Wonderful World of Color.</i> Tytle and director Tom McGowan brainstormed and drew inspiration from a story about a mother cat and her kittens lost in New York City paired with the success of <i>One Hundred and One Dalmatians</i> and conceived of a similar story set in Paris. The original treatment featured a butler and a maid as villains and while hiding from them on the streets of Paris, the mother cat would hide each kitten in a foster home that could nurture their talents. McGowan hired Tom Rowe to write the script, paying for it out of his own pocket. However, the story got shelved at the studio and Tytle proposed that they retool it as an animated feature in 1963. Walt loved the idea, but story development kept getting sidetracked by other projects (World's Fair, <i>Mary Poppins</i>, <i>The Jungle Book</i>) until the story men were left to deal with it without Walt's supervision.<br />
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The end result of <i>The Aristocats</i> would be a team of artists who spent their careers up until then under a leader who always had final say. They were thirsty to prove themselves, so many changes were made to the film that ultimately wound up on screen. Woolie Reitherman took sole directorial duties again, having directed both <i>The Sword in the Stone</i> and <i>The Jungle Book</i>. The casting team hired mostly Disney regulars. Phil Harris (Balloo in <i>The Jungle Book</i>) returned for his second of three animated films at Disney to play Thomas O'Malley. Eva Gabor makes her first Disney appearance as Duchess (she would go on to voice Bianca in both <i>The Rescuers</i> and its sequel). Other recognizable Disney voices include Sterling Holloway (Winnie the Pooh), Paul Winchell (Tigger) and Thurl Ravenscroft (singing bust in The Haunted Mansion). This was the last Disney film for Hermoine Baddeley who voiced Madame and played the maid in <i>Mary Poppins</i>. It was the final film for Bill Thompson who plays Uncle Waldo and passed away in 1971. His memorable Disney voice work includes Smee in <i>Peter Pan, </i>Jock in <i>Lady and the Tramp</i> and the White Rabbit in <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>. Outside of Disney, he was most famous for being the voice of Snoopy.<br />
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Because the music was in development at the same time as <i>The Jungle Book, </i>it shares many of the same songwriters. Terry Gilkyson, who wrote the Oscar nominated "The Bear Necessities," wrote "Thomas O'Malley Cat." The Sherman Brothers wrote a complete score of songs for the film as well, but only three would wind up in the final film: "The Aristocats," "Scales and Arpeggios" and "She Never Felt Alone." After Walt passed, the executive committee that approved all studio decisions edged the Sherman's out and they left in 1968 to pursue freelance careers. When the story team decided to introduce a jazz band of cats to the story, they called upon jazz writer Al Rinker and a new studio songwriter, Floyd Huddlestone, to write "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat." The character of Scat Cat was based on Louis Armstrong, who was meant to voice the character. However, he was too sick to do the role by this time and Scatman Crothers was hired. While a famous jazz singer in his own right, Crothers was instructed to do his best Armstrong impression.<br />
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The film's opening credits features line art of the characters from various scenes over brightly colored textured backgrounds as the song "The Aristocats" plays. While Madame is making her will, her butler Edgar overhears that all of her wealth is willed to her cats first, then to her butler. Duchess and her three kittens (Berlioze, Toulouse and Marie) live in a grand mansion in Paris and spend their time practicing the arts. Edgar drugs the cats and takes them away at night on his motorbike with plans to drown them in the river. However, two farm dogs charge the bike and he loses the kittens in a ditch in his attempt to escape. Duchess and her kittens are unable to fend for themselves, but find help in an alley cat named Thomas O'Malley, a loner who cant resist Duchess' charm. On their journey, they meet a gaggle of catty geese and a jazz band of alley cats. Meanwhile, Edgar realizes he left evidence at the crime scene and returns to clean it up. The dogs cause him more trouble and he arrives back at the mansion at the same time as the kittens. The alley cats help them trap Edgar in a shipping container bound for Timbuktu. Madame adopts Thomas O'Malley and uses her money to start a home for alley cats.<br />
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<i>The Aristocats</i> had its world premier in L.A. on December 11th and was released to theaters on December 24th, 1970. It was not critically acclaimed and most reviewers agreed that it was a big decline in quality for Disney. However, audiences loved it and made it a big box office hit. It was rereleased in 1980 and 1987 and was released on home video for the first time in 1996.<br />
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My first exposure to <i>The Aristocats</i> was in 1996 when it came out on VHS. I remember being extremely excited to see a Disney animated classic that I had never seen before. And I remember loving it to the extent that we had plushes of the five main cats from Disney Store. Because I grew up with it, it's hard to see why critics were so harsh. But in their defense, they were comparing it to the Disney animated films that came before it and it does rank towards the bottom of that list. It fascinates me that the animation team was trying to spread their wings and do their own thing on this film, yet the final product has so much in common with both <i>One Hundred and One Dalmatians</i> and <i>The Jungle Book</i>. Both <i>Dalmatians</i> and this film are about household pets on the run from a villain. This film even ends with its own version of the Dalmatian Plantation. <i>The Jungle Book</i> is a string of chance encounters with interesting characters, which is basically how the cats spend their time on the run. It's completely unoriginal in its attempts to be different. The bottom line is if you don't love these characters, you won't love the film. Parts of George Bruns' score for this film sound surprisingly similar to another Disney cat movie, <i>That Darn Cat</i>, which was composed by Robert Brunner. Disney fans with a keen eye may spot Lady's hat box from <i>Lady and the Tramp</i> in the attic during "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat." When the film was new, the Scat Cat band were regular walkaround characters at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Each cat was a bright neon color instead of their natural fur colors. There used to be a shop in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom called The Aristocats (it is now Sir Mickey's) and there is currently a lounge at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort called Scat Cat's Lounge.<br />
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For the past decade, <i>The Aristocats</i> has grown exponentially in popularity. It has nothing to do with the story, the music, or the animation. Instead, it has everything to do with little girls obsessed with a white kitty wearing a big pink bow... Marie. The Marie craze started in Japan, where merchandise sold like Hello Kitty and the character began greeting guests at Tokyo Disneyland. Upon releasing similar merchandise here in the states, Disney quickly realized that American girls love Marie too. It is now common to see her at Magic Kingdom, Disneyland and Epcot. The character became so popular that a direct-to-video sequel was in the works in 2005 that would have featured Marie lost on her own in Paris. That sequel was shut down when John Lasseter took over Disney Animation, but I wouldn't be surprised if that idea resurfaces again someday.<br />
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<i>The Aristocats</i> is currently available on Blu-Ray, where it has been lovingly restored and is presented in widescreen 1.66:1 (although the original theatrical ratio was 1.75:1). This combo pack features a number of bonus features between the Blu-Ray and DVD, including deleted songs, an interview with the Sherman Brothers, an excerpt from a <i>Disneyland</i> episode called "The Great Cat Family," and a scrapbook. Because the film was created in fullscreen with the intention of being cropped in widescreen, some may prefer to view the full animated image. The only fullscreen DVD release was the Gold Collection DVD from 2000. However, the restoration is the same one done in 1996, which features dulled colors and scratches in the film.<br />
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-63267974970391026392015-01-17T03:00:00.000-05:002015-01-17T03:00:03.531-05:00The Boatniks - 1970<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Walt Disney Productions started the 1970's focused mostly on getting Walt Disney World ready than anything else. With construction in full swing on the opposite side of the country, the studio continued to make films the way they thought Walt would have. <i>The Beatniks</i> seemed dated before it even came out and one has to wonder if the script had been conceived a decade prior (the term "beatnik" was no longer popular by the early 1960's).<br />
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<i>The Boatniks</i> has its roots in TV, with a story by Marty Roth and screenplay by Arthur Julian, both writers almost exclusively for sitcoms of the 60's and 70's. Director Norman Tokar, who had been one of Disney's top film directors since 1962, was also a TV veteran with nearly 100 episodes of <i>Leave It to Beaver</i> under his belt. Walt's son-in-law Ron Miller produced the film.<br />
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Robert morse was cast to headline the film, his only starring role at Disney. He is best known for starring in <i>How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying </i>and was recently a series regular on AMC's <i>Mad Men</i>. Stefanie Powers plays his love interest, her first of two roles for Disney. Other notable actors include Phil Silvers, Norman Fell, Mickey Shaughnessy, Walley Cox and Don Ameche. While none of these names are familiar Disney faces, they would have been very familiar to audiences in 1970.<br />
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The film begins on the water where the coast guard is responding to the calls from pleasure cruisers who are having trouble with their boats, mostly caused by their own stupidity. As the previous skipper steps down, Ensign Garland relocates to take the job. At the same time, three jewel thieves are passing through his Southern California jurisdiction on their way to Mexico. In a coast full of beautiful women, Ensign becomes attracted to Kate, who teaches at a boating school. The two become close when Ensigns boat stalls and Kate rescues him. When the thieves lose their jewels at the bottom of the ocean, Kate is the first one to notice something suspicious with the trio. Unable to obtain the jewels themselves, the thieves fly in a Japanese pearl diver. Ensign and Kate spy on them as the confused diver brings up various items before finding the basket. Upon discovering that she learned English, the diver takes some of the jewels as payment for her silence. When Ensign sees her leave their hotel with a diamond bracelet, he is sure that these men are the jewel thieves he's heard about on the news. During a boat chase, the thieves steal a small submarine to get to their water plane to Mexico. Too heavy to take off, the thieves have to throw the jewels out of the plane to take off in time. Ensign recovers the basket of jewels and the Mexican authorities are notified to catch the crooks when they land.<br />
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<i>The Boatniks</i> sailed in to theaters on July 1, 1970. Critics bashed it, but audiences made it a financial success. It reappeared in theaters in 1972 as a double feature with <i>Song of the South</i> and had a standalone rerelease in 1977. It made its TV debut on <i>The Wonderful World of Disney</i> a year later in 1978 and debuted on home video in 1984.<br />
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For a zany Disney comedy, <i>The Boatniks</i> has few jokes that actually work. The side characters are all morons and the stupidity depicted is more annoying than humorous. Add to that an ending that literally stalls for ten minutes with nothing happening and you have a truly lackluster film. So much of the film was shot on noisy boats and docks that most of the audio was rerecorded in post production and the dialogue doesn't always align with the lip movements. The film carries a G rating, although if it were resubmitted today it would be PG for the amount of bikini-clad ladies and the way the men objectify them. There are jokes that today are considered racist towards Japanese and Mexicans and there is even a gay joke. For those who didn't grow up with this film, <i>The Boatniks</i> offers little more than a lot of nice looking boats.<br />
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<i>The Boatniks</i> was released on DVD in 2005 with a fullscreen presentation. Surprisingly, the disc featured bonus features in the form of the theatrical trailer and an outtake reel. The DVD used the previous VHS master, but a more recent restoration has been done. The film is available in HD widescreen (1.66:1) digitally from all major providers. The color palette feels muted, but it presents more detail than the DVD and is at least in widescreen, although the original theatrical ratio was 1.85:1.<br />
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</iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-boatniks/id352162528?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-78142661224355660442015-01-10T03:00:00.000-05:002015-01-10T03:00:07.683-05:00King of the Grizzlies - 1970<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While Disney rarely had success with narrated live action movies starring animals, that didn't stop them from continuously making them. The tradition that started in the late 40's with the <i>True-Life Adventures</i> series morphed into story-driven films starring animals, such as <i>The Incredible Journey</i> and <i>The Legend of Lobo</i>. In these films, animals were the true stars with human actors taking a back seat, requiring a narrator to explain the thoughts and emotions of the animal actors.<br />
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Jack Spiers (<i>Charlie the Lonesome Cougar</i>) wrote the screenplay based on a book called <i>The Biography of a Grizzly</i> by Ernest Thompson Seton. Ron Kelly directs his only Disney film. Familiar voice Winston Hibler narrates and produced this film. The animal production crew spent two years filming Big Ted, a 7-year old bear who was rewarded with marshmallows for performing tricks. Like most Disney animal films, the cast featured unknown actors. Filming took place on location in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia.<br />
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In traditional Disney fashion, this film opens with a book, albeit a journal. The story starts with a young bear cub named Wahb and follows him as he grows up. A Cree Indian named Moki discovers Wahb one day while mapping the boarders of his ranch. Wahb gets himself into trouble on numerous occasions, such as stealing food from a black bear, an encounter with wolverines, and hunting Moki's cattle. Moki begins to set traps to stop Wahb, but the smart grizzly succeeds in destroying each of them. Because a bear is Moki's totem, when the two meet again they acknowledge each other as brothers. Wahb eventually becomes the biggest bear on the mountain, earning the title "Grizzly King." When the Colonel decides to hunt Wahb, he soon finds himself being hunted by the Grizzly King instead. It's up to Moki to save the Colonel by convincing his brother bear to step down.<br />
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<i>King of the Grizzlies</i> was released on February 7th, 1970. It didn't impress critics and didn't do particularly well at the box office. It made its TV debut on <i>The Wonderful World of Disney</i> in 1973 and was first released on home video in 1986.<br />
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As far as Disney animal films go, <i>King of the Grizzlies</i> is pretty mediocre. There are plenty of cute bear scenes in the beginning when Wahb is a cub, but the repetitive nature of the story gets tiring fast. It probably would have made a better episode of <i>The Wonderful World of Disney</i>. Similar themes from this film were better executed many years later in <i>Brother Bear. </i><br />
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<i>King of the Grizzlies</i> was released on DVD in 2002 in fullscreen without any bonus features. The film quality was full of excess grain, colors were dull while scratches and artifacts plagued the print. Disney restored the film more recently and it is available in HD widescreen (1.77:1) through most digital media providers. This version still has scratches and artifacts, but grain has been reduced and colors are more stable.<br />
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<i><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=bialsdibl-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00006675U&asins=B00006675U&linkId=TMMBYE2D3PDB5DCE&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></i><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/king-of-the-grizzlies/id437422882?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-36521174721659768852014-02-19T08:00:00.000-05:002015-01-12T23:40:06.302-05:00The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes - 1969<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Disney was known for zany comedies, but it seemed that all of their college-based films were guaranteed hits. <i>The Absent-Minded Professor</i>, <i>Son of Flubber</i>, <i>The Misadventures of Merlin Jones</i>, and <i>The Monkey's Uncle</i> made a ton of money for the studio. So it's hard to believe that almost five years passed before they would make another similar film. The reason may be that they were waiting for a star at the studio to reach the right age.<br />
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With three Disney films under his belt, plus three TV movies for <i>The Wonderful World of Color</i>, Kurt Russell's star was on the rise and Disney was eager to test his marketability as a leading actor. A lesser-known talent at the studio, Joe McEveety, started as an assistant director in 1958 on <i>Zorro</i> and carried the same title on the Merlin Jones films. He began his writing career with this original story, written with Russell in mind to play Medfield College (of <i>Absent-Minded Professor</i> fame) student Dexter Riley. This production may have started with TV as the end goal, evidenced perhaps by TV director Robert Butler, who had never directed a feature film before. Joe Flynn from <i>The Love Bug </i>plays Dean Higgins. Other familiar faces include Richard Bakalyan (<i>Never a Dull Moment</i>), Cesar Romero (<i>Zorro</i>) and John Provost (Timmy on <i>Lassie </i>- non-Disney). Famous voice actor Frank Welker, most famous as the voice of Fred from Scooby-Doo, also stars in this and its sequels.<br />
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Filming took place almost entirely on the Disney Studio lot. Interiors were built on the sound stages. The studio buildings, which Walt had designed to look like a college campus, doubled as Medfield College. The same backdrop used in Walt's tapings of the <i>Disneyland</i> series in out of his office window is used in Medfield's interior shots. Theses buildings represented college campuses before in the Merlin Jones series. Robert Brunner and Bruce Belland wrote the title song for the opening credits. A technical engineer who was working on building Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL named Ko Suzuki was brought in to create digital graphs and equipment used in the computer scenes.<br />
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The film begins with an animated opening credits featuring computer bleeps and tennis shoes to the song "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes." Dean Higgins of Medfield College can't afford to buy a computer for the school, to the detestation of Dexter Riley and his fellow students. Dexter is able to convince his old employer A. J. Arno to donate an old computer to the college, however Arnold is a crook who had his staff developing a computer to predict gambling outcomes. During a storm, Dexter sneaks into the computer lab to use the computer to help him cheat on a test and ends up getting an electric shock through the computer. During his test, Dexter discovers that he can dish out all of the answers at an extremely high rate, like a computer would. Dean Higgins has him checked out by a doctor who determines that he has become a human computer. Higgins forces him to compete on a game show to gain attention for the school. Dexter wins and becomes highly celebrated, catching the attention of A. J. Arno, who uses the old code in him to predict gambling bets. Dexter eventually gets kidnapped by one of Arnold's cronies and it's up to his friends to rescue him in the nick of time before a big game show that could win Medfeild $100,000. However during the rescue chase, Dexter bumped his head and in the middle of the competition, he begins to lose the computer's information and becomes normal Dexter Riley again. However, one of Dexter's friends on the team knows the final answer and wins the money for the school.<br />
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<i>The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes</i> was released on December 31st, 1969, making it the last film of the decade by a single day. It was critically bashed for being predictable and inaccessible to adults. But it was a huge box office success, leading Disney to produce two sequels (the first Disney trilogy). It premiered on <i>The Wonderful World of Disney</i> in 1972 prior to the sequel's theatrical release (<i>Now You See Him, Now You Don't</i>) and it was released on home video in 1985.<br />
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I grew up in a world where owning a personal computer was normal, but my parents and educators always told stories of how they grew up knowing of a computer as a giant machine that filled a whole room. <i>The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes</i> must have a lot of sentimental value for people who grew up during the 60's and 70's. I was first exposed to the story in 1995 with the Kirk Cameron remake on Disney Channel and didn't see the original until I was in high school. The film is your typical fun Disney comedy, with less laughable moments than classics like <i>The Absent-Minded Professor</i>, but enough charm to hold its own. It is clear that much of the films' success can be attributed to Kurt Russell, who is so charming and likable as Dexter Riley that makes that character so memorable. Fans of <i>Summer Magic</i> may recognize the old yellow house with a bright 70's paint job during the rescue scenes towards the end of the film. There are a few references to this film at Walt Disney World in the Journey into Imagination attraction. There's a door in the queue with Dean Higgins' name on it and in the ride, there's a computer room with a sign that says "No Tennis Shoes." There's also a Medfield jacket on a char in the room.<br />
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<i>The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes</i> is currently available on Blu-Ray as a Disney Movie Club Exclusive. This disc features a recent restoration that is well done, exhibiting great detail and accurate colors. The alternative is the DVD release, which features the VHS master in fullscreen with excess grain and scratches in the print. The high definition restoration is also available digitally from all major providers.<br />
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</iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/computer-wore-tennis-shoes/id296586137?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-82160200082336460102014-02-07T09:00:00.000-05:002014-02-07T09:00:03.766-05:00Rascal - 1969<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Walt Disney Productions continued operating without Walt in much the same fashion as it did when he was alive, sticking to a formula that worked. Based on the book <i>Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era</i> by famed newspaper editor Sterling North in 1963, the studio was inspired to adapt it into an uplifting animal film. An who better to make it than the same team behind the other great Disney films of it's ilk.<br />
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Norman Tokar, who started his Disney career directing another animal movie called <i>Big Red, </i>was chosen to direct. Harold Swanton adapted the screenplay after doing <i>Willie the Yank</i> for <i>The Wonderful World of Color</i>. Bill Mumy was cast as Sterling, having previously stared in Disney's TV movie <i>Sammy, the Way Out Seal.</i> John Fiedler, voice of Piglet, plays their gardening neighbor in his first on-screen role for Disney. Steve Forrest plays his father in his first of two Disney roles. Jonathan Daly also begins his Disney career here as Reverend Griffith. Character actress Elsa Lanchester plays a picky housekeeper in her final disney role (most memorable as Katie Nanna in <i>Mary Poppins</i>). Famous actor Walter Pidgeon narrates as sixty-year-old Sterling Holloway. The film was shot on soundstages and the backlot at the Disney Studios in Burbank, as well as nearby Golden Oak for outside shots. Matte paintings help convince that audience that this is Wisconsin at the turn of the century.<br />
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The film begins with young Sterling North walking with his dog and a raccoon as the narrator recalls back to his boyhood and the most unique friend he ever made. A series of vignettes are depicted during the credits of the boy and his raccoon riding bikes, eating ice cream, etc... The film then flashes back to before Sterling met his funny friend on the last day of school. When his dad picks him up from school, they have a heart-to-heart about the recent death of Sterling's mother. When their dog Wowser chases a raccoon away from her home, her babies follow... except for one. Feeling sorry for the little fellow, Sterling's dad takes him in and they name him Rascal. When his father and sister leave Sterling home with a housekeeper who abandons him, he fends for himself and lives happily with Wowser and Rascal. He occupies his summer building a canoe while his teacher and reverend express their concerns about how much time the boy spends without adult supervision. Summer ends with a race between a horse-drawn carriage and a motor car. The story flashes to Thanksgiving when Sterling's sister comes home for a visit with her fiance. When she finds out that Sterling spent most of the summer alone, she gets furious and resumes household duties and cancels the marriage. Her dad is able to convince her that he will stop being an absent father and stay home. When Rascal fights to get out of the house and Sterling tries to stop him, Rascal bites him. He realizes that he can't keep him forever. Sterling takes Rascal out in his finished canoe and sets him free in the forrest, where he meets a girl raccoon. They are quickly chased by a bobcat, but Sterling witnesses Rascal defeating the beast and knows he will be fine. The film ends with Sterling sailing away and giving his dear friend a goodbye wave.<br />
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<i>Rascal</i> was released on June 11th, 1969. It got mixed reviews, praised for the performances but bashed for being overly sentimental. It wasn't much of a box office draw and debuted on TV a short time later in 1973. It didn't make its home video debut until 2002, when it arrived simultaneously on DVD and VHS.<br />
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I first enjoyed <i>Rascal</i> during it's home video release. Growing up in Wisconsin and being a fan of period films at the turn of the century, I really connected to <i>Rascal</i>. To me, it feels like the first scene of Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress expanded into a film. Bill Muny is so likable and the animal actors are so appealing that it's hard to not enjoy it. When Sterling and Rascal say goodbye at the end, you get the same sense of melancholy cultivated at the end of <i>The Fox and the Hound</i>. There's also a lot of hidden gems to make Disney fans keep their eyes peeled. The neighborhood the Holloway's live in is the same Residential Street used in the filming of classics like <i>The Absent-Minded Professor</i> and <i>That Darn Cat</i>. It was common practice for studios to reuse props and set pieces in other productions. Viewers with a keen eye will notice some items in the Holloway home from <i>Pollyanna</i>. <i>Rascal</i> was the first film professionally reviewed by Gene Siskel, who gave it a thumb down.<br />
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<i>Rascal</i> is still available on DVD, with a transfer that was marginally restored, but with room for improvement. The film was presented there in pan & scan fullscreen, but the film was theatrically release with a widescreen aspect ratio 1.78:1. There aren't any bonus features on the DVD. The film is now available on iTunes, where it can be purchased in widescreen (1.66:1, gaining some image on the top and bottom that wouldn't have been seen in theaters). The HD restoration is flawless, making the film look like it could have been produced today.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bialsdibl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00006675W" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/rascal/id443644444?uo=4" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-55958297613230614552014-02-02T22:00:00.000-05:002014-02-03T01:07:49.486-05:00Smith! - 1969<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Walt Disney had a lot of success with Westerns on TV, but his theatrical efforts had previously disappointed. Films like <i>Westward Ho, the Wagons</i> and <i>Ten Who Dared</i> were critical and box office failures. But with the studio still making films the way Walt would have, under the leadership of his brother Roy O. Disney, it was inevitable that the genre would be revisited. The source material was a book called <i>Breaking Smith's Quarter Horse</i> by Paul St. Pierre.<br />
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Michael O'Herlihy directs his third and final Disney film. Louis Pelletier adapted the screenplay, his final theatrical film for Disney. Iconic film star Glenn Ford was signed on for his only Disney film to play the lead role. Nancy Olson returns to the studio, after memorable roles in <i>Pollyanna </i>and <i>The Absent-Minded Professor</i>. Her costar from <i>Professor</i>, Keenan Wynn (son of Ed Wynn) also returns for this film. Two songs in the film are written and performed by Bobby Russell.<br />
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The film begins with a song about Smith set to Native American drawings on a wooden board depicting the story. Smith arrives at his farm after a disappointing hunt for meat. His wife tells him that she suspects the murderer Jimmy Boy is living with their Native American friend Antoine in his shack nearby. His wife is upset that Smith gives so much of their stuff to their neighbors, but Smith says if he doesn't nobody else will. Antoine is hiding Jimmy Boy and asks Smith to sneak him to Canada, but Smith convinces him to stay and wait for a trial. When a reward of $500 is offered for Jimmy Boy's capture, Antoine turns him in and collects the cash, since Jimmy Boy was going to willingly go to trial anyway. He buys a car with the money, but the breaks are shot and he quickly gets in a wreck. He is thrown in jail after accidentally pleading guilty to being drunk, meaning he won't be able to testify for Jimmy Boy. Smith has to borrow money from his wife to pay the $10 bail. A translator is present at Jimmy Boy's trial, but Antoine is uncomfortable and Smith ends up substituting midway through the prosecution. Following the trial, Smith is placed in jail for thirty days for getting into a fight with the sheriff. When Antoine reveals to the judge that he can speak English, he is able to convince the judge to let Smith go free. The film ends with Smith's friends arriving to help him cut his hay crop, a gesture of true kindness and friendship.<br />
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<i>Smith! </i>was released on March 21st, 1969. Released during a time when Native American rights were a hot button issue and shortly after congress passed the Indian Civil Rights Act, Disney was quiet with their marketing efforts. Critics ignored the film and so did audiences, making it a box office failure. Surprisingly, Disney chose not to air it on their weekly series and it wasn't made available again until 1987 when it made its home video debut.<br />
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This film breaks Disney traditions in many ways. It's a story about racism and one man passionate enough to speak out in favor of freedom for all. It's about corruption in a small town where those in power refuse to recognize new laws. It's a much better film than the title would suggest and holds up as a unique entry in the catalogue of Disney films. Producer Bill Anderson was striving to attract a more adult audience with this film, recognizing the importance of appealing to more than just kids or families. This was years before the studio would add a division for that very purpose with the creation of Touchstone in 1984. The original working title was <i>A Man Called Smith</i>.<br />
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<i>Smith!</i> is currently available on DVD as a Disney Movie Club exclusive. A nice restoration was done and the film is presented in widescreen, but there aren't any bonus features. It is also available digitally exclusively on amazon, where it can be purchased in HD on select devices (amazon does not allow HD on iOS devices).<br />
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-49353417134829297032013-11-14T08:00:00.000-05:002015-01-12T23:42:52.958-05:00The Love Bug - 1969<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When Dean Jones brought Walt Disney a script in the mid-1960's about the first sports car in America that he was interested in making, Walt told him he had a better car story for him. The story that Walt had in mind was <i>Boy/Car/Girl</i> by Gordon Bufford. After Walt's passing, a committee was formed that would pick projects based on what Walt might have done. Bill Walsh adapted <i>Boy/Car/Girl</i> into the classic film we know today as <i>The Love Bug</i>.<br />
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Disney's top director, Robert Stevenson, was assigned as director. Dean Jones was attached to the film from its inception, but the toughest casting choice was the car itself. They had a casting call that included a Toyota, Fiat, Volvo, MG, and a Volkswagen. The VW Beetle got the role because studio employees that passed by it would pet it. Buddy Hacket was cast when Bill Walsh saw him performing in Las Vegas. In that same act, Buddy had a story about a French ski instructor named Herbie, which inspired the name of the car. David Tomlinson returns to the studio as the villain after his memorable role as Mr. Banks in <i>Mary Poppins</i>. Joe Flynn makes his Disney debut, best remembered for his role as Snoops in <i>The Rescuers</i> and Dean Higgins in the Dexter Riley series. Iris Adrian has a small role as the carhop, who would become one of the most memorable side character actresses at Disney in the 1970's.<br />
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The movie begins with a drag race as the credits play. One of the losers, Jim Douglas, heads home defeated to find his eccentric roommate Tennessee making a sculpture out of his wrecked car parts. While shopping for a new car, he sees a pretty girl named Carole and walks into the upscale dealership, owned by Peter Thorndyke. About to be shown the door, a Volkswagen Beetle rolls in from the back and bumps him in the leg. The little car follows him home, causing him to get in trouble for allegedly stealing the car. If Jim will pay for the car, Thorndyke won't press any charges. On his drive home, the car forces him off the freeway and hides under a bridge. He takes it back to return it and Carole joins him for a drive to validate that the car works properly. When they start to argue, the car starts driving itself and takes them to a drive-in, where it locks them in the car and forces them on a date. When Carole offers to refund him for the car, he decides to keep it after seeing how fast it can go. Tennessee believes the car has a spirit and is alive, but Jim dismisses it and does some maintenance to race it. After winning his first race, Thorndyke offers to buy it back. Carole suggests a deal where Thorndyke will bet the remaining payments Jim owes against Jim's shares of the car. Whichever driver wins gets to keep it. Meanwhile, Tennessee has named the car Herbie as Jim goes on believing that his driving is what is winning the races. After buying a real race car with the winnings from the races, Jim agrees to sell Herbie to Thorndyke, causing the depressed car to run away and attempt suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge. Jim tries to stop him and almost falls, causing Herbie to backup and save him. On the drive, Herbie destroyed a Chinese restaurant and the owner wants the car as payment. Jim makes a deal where the car belongs to him, but Jim gets to drive him in the next race. If Jim wins, the man gets the money and has to sell Herbie back for a $1. During the race, Thorndyke tries to sabotage Jim by replacing their gas with water and spraying oil on the road. Herbie is able to overcome these hurdles with some amazing tricks, including tearing himself apart to win the race and stay with Jim. The owner of the Chinese Restaurant had made a deal with Thorndyke to get the car from him if Jim lost the race, but in the fine print of the contract Thorndyke had to hand over his dealership if they lost. The film ends with Carole and Jim getting in a restored Herbie for their honeymoon.<br />
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<i>The Love Bug </i>premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater on March 13th, 1969, where valet parking was exclusive to attendees in Volkswagens. The studio wasn't expecting the massive success of the film, which went on to become the highest grossing film of 1969, and the second highest grossing film in Disney history at the time, second to <i>Mary Poppins</i>. It made $17 million in its initial release. It was rereleased in 1979 and premiered on home video in 1980.<br />
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Herbie has an undeniable charm and it's easy to see why this was such a big hit. It follows the basic Disney formula for successful comedies, but has a freshness that makes it feel new. Of the Disney films made in the 1960's, this one represents the unique qualities of the era the best. Optional titles included ThunderBug, The Magic Volksy, and Beetlebomb before they decided on <i>The Love Bug</i>. Dean Jones plays another character in the film, the memorable hippy at the drive-in. Eight different bugs were used to play Herbie, each built to perform different tricks. In pre-production, Herbie was going to be red, but was switched to pearl white. The iconic scene with Herbie skipping across the pond was shot at Disney's Golden Oak Ranch. To promote the film, Disneyland had a Love Bug day, where guests would bring their Beetles to the park dressed up for a parade. Dean Jones presenting the winner with an award. The number 53 came from Bill Walsh's favorite baseball player, Don Drysdale of the LA Dodgers.<br />
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<i>The Love Bug</i> has inspired more follow-up projects than any other live-action Disney film property. Four direct sequels were made: <i>Herbie Rides Again</i> in 1974, <i>Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo</i> in 1977, <i>Herbie Goes Bananas</i> in 1980, and <i>Herbie Fully Loaded</i> in 2005. In 1982, Disney attempted a TV series starring Dean Jones that only laster 5 episode on CBS called <i>Herbie: The Love Bug</i>. In 1997 Disney made a TV movie also called <i>The Love Bug</i>, a modern take on the story loosly inspired by the original film that also had a Dean Jones cameo. In 1999, Walt Disney World opened the All Star Movies resort, which features a Love Bug wing.<br />
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<i>The Love Bug</i> is currently available on Blu-Ray as a Disney Movie Club Exclusive. This version has a wonderful new restoration, but loses all of the bonus features from the 2-disc DVD set, which includes a making-of feature, commentary, and vintage promotional material. The film is presented in widescreen with a decent restoration. The film is also available in a 4-movie collection paired with the first 3 sequels, but you lose the second disc and therefore most of the bonus features. The new restoration is also available digitally from all major providers.<br />
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<br />Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-16871506265084205482013-11-07T08:00:00.000-05:002013-11-07T08:00:02.348-05:00The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit - 1968<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After Walt Disney's death in 1966, the studio still had a few films in production and pre-production to get them through the next couple of years. These films would still be marketed the same as when he was alive, with "Walt Disney Presents" above the title. The first film marketed a different way, with "Walt Disney Productions Presents" was <i>The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit</i>, based on the book <i>The Year of the Horse</i> by Eric Hatch.<br />
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With the studios' biggest star Dean Jones attached, they assigned Norman Tokar to direct. The two worked together on <i>The Ugly Dachshund. </i>The screenplay was adapted by Louis Pelletier, who did several Disney films before it including <i>Follow Me, Boys!</i>. Winston Hibler, famous as an animation writer and animal film producer, filled producer duties. Disney's rising star Kurt Russell appears here in his third Disney film, shortly before taking Dean Jones' title as the biggest star at the studio. Alan Hewitt returns to the studio, having appeared in both <i>Absent-Minded Professor</i> films, who would be paired with Russell in the upcoming Dexter Riley film series. Character actor Norman Grabowski makes his final Disney appearance here, best known as the dumb jock in the Merlin Jones series.<br />
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After an animated credit sequence, we are introduced to advertising agent Fred Bolton, who is working on marketing a digestive pill called Aspercel. While at work, he receives a big bill for his daughter's horse riding lessons that makes his head spin. After the boss is unimpressed with their campaign, he gives the team 24 hours to create a new one. When Fred picks up his daughter Helen from her lessons, he settles the bill with her pretty riding instructor, who had suggested to Helen that if she had her own horse, her riding would improve and she could compete in big races. In a stroke of insanity, he pitches the idea to his boss of having a show horse named Aspercel to subliminally bring the product to a higher class market, which gets him promoted to vice president. After Helen loses the first competition, Fred takes advice from Ronnie, the brother of another competitor. He has Helen's instructor increase training to every day because if Helen and Aspercel don't make it to the finals in Washington, he will be fired. After hearing her father argue with his boss before a show, she gets under a lot of pressure even though she is consistently winning. When Aspercel runs away and Fred chases after him, Helen reports the horse stolen. Their ride turns into a police chase and Fred gets locked up in jail, but the story gets media attention which pleases his boss. When Ronnie arrives to take Helen on a date, she stands him up to practice and has an emotional breakdown under the pressure of competing. After finding out that Aspercel jumped a 7 foot wall during the chase, the trainer decides to enter the horse in the open jumper championship, which could land them bigger media attention. With the trainer riding, the pressure is off Helen. When Aspercel wins, Fred realizes he is in love with Helen's instructor and they get engaged.<br />
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<i>The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit</i> was released on December 20th, 1968, paired with the second Pooh short, <i>Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day</i>. It earned $3.3 million during its box office run, about half of what <i>Dachshund</i> earned and not quite a success. It premiered on TV in 1971 and was first released on home video in 1986.<br />
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While the title and marketing suggest this is a zany Disney comedy, it actually has a lot more heart than what appears on the surface. There are also a lot of deeper themes, such as gender inequalities of the 1960's, the importance of family over careers, and the psychological trauma of children who support their family. The film offers fun, classic Disney charm with great performances from all of the actors. The only faults I can give it are inconsistent pace. It starts out fast paced and exciting, but quickly becomes slow paced once Aspercel starts competing. Many of the outdoor scenes were shot at Disney's Golden Oak Ranch. The title is a joke on a popular novel and film from the 50's called <i>The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit</i>. Fred's dog is named Herbie, possibly an intentional nod to the next Dean Jones Disney comedy, <i>The Love Bug</i>.<br />
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<i>The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit</i> is currently available on DVD, where it is presented in fullscreen. The original theatrical ratio was 1.75:1 widescreen. They used the VHS master from the 1998 release to make the DVD and there aren't any bonus features. The film is also available in a 4-movie collection of Kurt Russell films where it is paired with <i>Now You See Him, Now You Don't</i>, <i>The Strongest Man in the World</i>, and <i>The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes</i>.<br />
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-981384940817725722013-10-31T08:00:00.000-04:002013-11-02T19:13:28.971-04:00Never a Dull Moment - 1968<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When Walt Disney was alive, he had formed a friendship with Dick Van Dyke, a comedic actor who believed in clean family entertainment. He signed him to a film contract and was looking for another project for him before passing away. That project would be a book called <i>Never a Dull Moment</i> by John Godey.<br />
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Jerry Paris was hired to direct his only Disney film because he was a leading director (and costar) of <i>The Dick Van Dyke </i>show. The production team felt that he would be capable of bringing out the best performance from Van Dyke. AJ Carothers adapted the screenplay, his last for Disney. For Van Dyke, this would be his final Disney branded film (although he was in Touchstone's <i>Dick Tracy</i> in 1990). Gangster film icon Edward G. Robinson plays the head of the mob. Dorothy Provine returns to the studio one final time after a memorable role in <i>That Darn Cat</i>. Slim Pickens also returns to the studio after <i>Savage Sam</i> and Disney TV westerns. Walt's son-in-law Ron Miller produced this, his first film with full producer credit (he co-produced several films including <i>Summer Magic</i>).<br />
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The film begins with two crooks and a hostage in a surrounded building when the one crook kills the other. It turns out these are actors in a TV show and the killed crook is a bit-part actor named Jack Albany. While still in costume on his way home, he gets mixed up with a mob who think he's Ace Williams, one of the leading gangsters in the world. When he meets the head of the mob Joe Smooth, he is receiving art lessons from a pretty girl who recognizes him from TV. The crime he is to assist in performing is to steal a 40 foot famous painting from the Manhattan art museum. When Sally the art instructor stumbles into the meeting, she is forced to stay the night along with the rest of the mob involved in the heist. That night, the real Ace shows up. Unsure who is the real one, Joe Smooth locks them both in a room alone and decides that whoever comes out alive must be the real Ace. It just so happens that Sally was hiding in the same room and she knocks the real Ace out. After a short discussion, Sally convinces Jack that the best way to save their lives is for him to keep pretending to be Ace and hope to break free at the museum. When he is discovered as a phony at the museum, a mad cap chase includes with a climax on a giant spinning mobile. After setting off the fire alarm, their plan is foiled and the gangsters are arrested. Jack and Sally get their happy ending, with Jack leaving to call his agent as he is about to make headlines for his good deed.<br />
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<i>Never a Dull Moment</i> was released on June 26th, 1968. In its original release, it was paired with the classic short <i>The Three Little Pigs</i>. Critics bashed the over-the-top acting and noted the lack of comedic moments in this Disney comedy. It made $4 million in its initial release. It was rereleased in 1977 packaged with <i>The Three Caballeros</i> and made its TV debut in 1979. It was first released on video in 1985.<br />
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If you're a Dick Van Dyke fan and enjoyed <i>Lt. Robin Crusoe</i>, then I recommend <i>Never a Dull Moment</i> as a follow up. While there are a few highlights in the film and I enjoy the performances, especially Dorothy Provine, this film doesn't measure up to the more well known Disney comedies of its era. Also for a film called <i>Never a Dull Moment</i>, there sure is an awful lot of sitting around and talking with long breaks between key action sequences. In the early scenes where Jack is acting on TV, you can see the interior walls of the Disney soundstage where the scene was filmed. This film features some amazing matte paintings to double local LA and the Disney Studio for New York City. Director Jerry Paris from <i>The Dick Van Dyke Show</i> makes a brief cameo as a police officer towards the end of the film.<br />
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<i>Never a Dull Moment</i> is currently available on DVD where it is presented in widescreen. The original theatrical trailer is included as a bonus feature. It is also available on iTunes, where it is offered in HD.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bialsdibl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0001I55Q0" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/never-a-dull-moment-1968/id437183238?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-36914032582928284932013-10-24T08:00:00.000-04:002013-10-26T00:44:15.116-04:00The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band - 1968<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The Happiest Millionaire</i> was a big budget live action musical flop that struggled to get released, not playing to general audiences until the end of 1967. However it was Walt's belief that Leslie Ann Warren and John Davidson were the next big onscreen couple, so before his death he had found another project for them.. It would be their last film together. Originally intended as a two-part TV special, the studio developed the autobiography of Laura Bower Van Nuys called <i>The Family Band </i>into the much longer titled film, <i>The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band</i>.<br />
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The book was adapted by Lowell S. Hawley and was his final screenplay (other works include <i>Swiss Family Robinson</i> and <i>Babes in Toyland</i>). TV director Michael O'Herlihy directs his only Disney film. Walter Brennan makes his final Disney appearance as Granda Bower. Disney Legend Buddy Ebson also returns to the studio for the last time. Kurt Russell (<i>Follow Me, Boys!</i>) has a small roll in this film, shortly before his rise to fame at Disney. One of the children, John Walmsley, was also the voice of Christopher Robin in the short <i>Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day</i>. The Sherman Brothers wrote ten original songs for the film, eight of which made it into the film.<br />
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The film begins in 1888 with the Bower family rehearsing a song in their barn. A man arrives from the Democratic National Committee to ask Grandpa Bower to have the family perform their campaign song at the St. Louis Convention. They give him a demonstration performance and get an invitation to perform at the reelection campaign for Grover Cleveland. While the family is dancing and celebrating, the man the eldest daughter Alice has been writing to arrives and she gets embarrassed, but he finds it charming. He's in town to find fellow Republicans to move to the Black Hills of Dakota, which causes a fight with Democratic grandfather. The family decides to move, with Alice becoming the town's school teacher. After the family sings their Grover Cleveland song in public, the family becomes outcasts and school is canceled on Alice's first day. Joe sings to her about his love for her to cheer her up. Meanwhile grandpa went to tell the kids to go home but unintentionally gave the kids a history lesson. This causes a bigger fight in the family and grandpa decides to leave. Shortly after, grandpa returns to find that the family hasn't been practicing for their big performance. They beg him to come back and lead them. When Cleveland loses to Benjamin Harrison, the whole town is reunited when Cleveland announces he will make the Dakota's states before he leaves office. The film ends with closing credits as the town celebrates with a parade.<br />
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<i>The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band</i> premiered on March 21st, 1968 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Like <i>Millionaire</i> before it, it was a critical and commercial failure. It made it's TV debut in 1972 and the title was shortened to just <i>The Family Band</i>. It was one of the first Disney films released for video rental in 1981 and was released for sale in 1985.<br />
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I really enjoyed <i>The Happiest Millionaire</i>, but find <i>Family Band</i> to be a fairly weak follow up. It has a few highlight moments, mostly when the Sherman songs liven things up. I tend to really enjoy films set in the Victorian era with a slow pace, but this film is a little bit too slow. When the decision was made to make it a feature film instead of a two-part TV special, the Sherman Brothers were resistant because they didn't feel the story was strong enough to warrant more songs or a theatrical release. Two songs were cut from the film and Richard Sherman claims the original runtime was 156 minutes (the only version ever released is 110 minutes long). Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russel's life partner, makes her feature film debut as a dancer in this film. It was their first meeting, but sparks didn't fly between the two until more than a decade later.<br />
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<i>The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band </i>is currently available on DVD, where it is presented in pan & scan fullscreen. The original theatrical release was widescreen 1.75:1. This presentation has some excess grain and artifacts. The DVD release surprisingly has bonus features, which include an audio commentary and a retrospective featurette with the cast. A newer restoration was done and is available on iTunes in widescreen and HD, but without any bonus features.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bialsdibl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0001I55QU" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/one-only-genuine-original/id432812956?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(http://development-linkmaker.itunes.awcloud.net//htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(http://development-linkmaker.itunes.awcloud.net//htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-66178793256117801562013-10-17T08:00:00.000-04:002013-10-26T00:44:02.802-04:00Blackbeard's Ghost - 1968<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Walt Disney passed away in late 1966 and his older brother Roy O. Disney took over as the leader of Walt Disney Productions. While Walt may have been gone, all of the people that had worked with him for many years were still there. They continued doing their jobs the way they had before, the only difference being that Walt wasn't there to lend his uncanny expertise for what audiences would want to see. Sometimes the team was right on the money, which thankfully is the case with their first film without Walt's guidance.<br />
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Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, who wrote the screenplay for <i>Mary Poppins</i>, adapted a book by Ben Stahl about two teenagers who set the ghost of the famed pirate Blackbeard free into a Disney-style comedy. The most prolific director at the studio, Robert Stevenson, took on directorial duties. Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette were reunited to star in it after winning over audiences together in <i>The Ugly Dachshund</i>. Dean Jones was by now one of the biggest names with a contract at Disney. Academy Award winner Peter Ustinov was cast as the titular drunken pirate, his first of several Disney films. Elsa Lancaster is another staple Disney actress playing the head of Blackbeard's Inn.<br />
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The film begins with a prologue about the death of the feared pirate Blackbeard, followed by credits set against footage of rolling waves along the shore. Steve Walker drives into the town of Godolphin where he checks in to Blackbeard's Inn. He just took a job as track coach for Godolphin's lackluster college team. When he arrives, the ladies who run the Inn are having a Bazaar to raise money to save the Inn from a buyout. In an effort to outdo the competitive football coach, Steve buys a bedwarmer that belonged to Blackbeard's 10th wife. As gratitude, the women who run the Inn put Steve in Blackbeard's old room and explain that his last wife was a witch and had cursed him to be a ghost until he could show a sign of "human goodness." When Steve accidentally breaks open the bedwarmer, he finds a spell book. After reciting a spell, Steve is able to see and hear the ghost of Blackbeard. The two are about as incompatible as possible, Steve being a mild-mannered man who doesn't drink, Blackbeard being a selfish pirate who can't stand being sober. While taking a drive to clear his head, Blackbeard gets him pulled over and due to the open bottle of rum in the car and Blackbeard's antics, he gets arrested. Steve begs him to give the ladies at the Inn his treasure to save it, but he is reluctant. After being set free, he meets his hopeless track team and Blackbeard offers to help train them, since he has experience training a crew and he thinks their success can somehow help the Inn. While on a date with Jo Anne, who is helping the ladies fundraise, Steve tells her what happened. Meanwhile Blackbeard steals her fundraising money and bets it on Godalphin winning the track meet. During the meet, Blackbeard helps the team and hinders their competitors, despite Steve begging him to stop. When the issuer of the bet cancels, he offers to let them play roulette with their original money instead. With Blackbeard's assistance, they win enough to save the Inn and fight off the casino goons. At the party to burn the mortgage papers, Steve has everyone recite the incantation so they can see and thank Blackbeard. Having proved that he can do a selfless deed, Blackbeard is free to sail into the next world.<br />
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<i>Blackbeard's Ghost </i>premiered on February 8th, 1968. It was a critical and box office smash, ranking in $21 million in it's initial theatrical run. Its initial success earned it a theatrical rerelease in 1976. It made its TV debut in 1982 and was released on video for the first time that same year.<br />
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Despite the initial success of <i>Blackbeard's Ghost</i>, it has faded into obscurity over time. It is a thoroughly enjoyable film with top notch performances, interesting characters, cool special effects, and some genuinely funny moments. The problem is that its best moments can be found in better films. The zany track meet feels directly inspired by <i>The Absent-Minded Professor</i>. Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette have wonderful chemistry, which can also be seen in the more original <i>The Ugly Dachshund</i>. And the special effects that make this film standout were recreated to better affect years later in <i>Pete's Dragon</i>. None of this detracts from the entertainment value of the film itself, but seem to be the cause for why this film isn't widely known today.<br />
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<i>Blackbeard's Ghost </i>is currently available on DVD, where it is presented in pan & scan fullscreen. The film was originally released in a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.75:1. The DVD also shows a lot of dust on the film. There aren't any bonus features. A more recent restoration was done and that version can be found on iTunes in widescreen, where it is also available in HD.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bialsdibl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00006472U" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/blackbeards-ghost/id297544955?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(http://development-linkmaker.itunes.awcloud.net//htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(http://development-linkmaker.itunes.awcloud.net//htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-73363376883446595742013-10-10T08:00:00.000-04:002013-10-26T00:59:13.690-04:00Charlie the Lonesome Cougar - 1967<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Walt Disney's love of animals and nature leant itself to many films during his career. Outside of animal characters in animated shorts and films, he started a series of live action nature documentaries with a series called <i>True-Life Adventures. </i>These films lead to story-based animal films. While <i>Charlie the Lonesome Cougar</i> was greenlit by Walt, filming didn't begin until after his death. Therefore, this is the first film made by Disney without his involvement.<br />
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The project was written and directed by Winston Hibler, who worked on some of Disney's most classic animated films as well as his nature documentaries. Rex Allen narrates his last Disney film, after narrating other story-based animal films like <i>The Incredible Journey</i> and <i>The Legend of Lobo</i>. The task of filming was outsourced to Cangary Limited. The human cast is entirely made up of unknowns, most of whom were natives of Washington near the Columbia River Gorge, where the film was shot on location. Jack Spiers and Franklyn Marks wrote the main credit song "Talkin' About Charlie."<br />
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The film begins with a fun animated credit sequence to an upbeat song written about Charlie. After the credits we are introduced to orphan baby Charlie, who is adopted by a man named Jess who is a logger. When Charlie grows big, he begins to cause a lot of mischief and trouble for Jess. He creates a log jam in the river that they use to transport logs and causes Jess' boat to catch fire. Charlie gets himself in a pinch after stealing from a farm, causing the farmer and his dogs to chase after him with guns. He then gets the whole town mad at him, and a chase ensues between the loggers he used to be friends with, resulting in Charlie getting trapped in an elevator shaft. Jess steps in at the last second and is able to calm Charlie down. In the end, Jess takes Charlie to a protected reserve where he will be free.<br />
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<i>Charlie the Lonesome Cougar</i> was released on October 18th, 1967. It was part of a double-bill with <i>The Jungle Book</i>, which was released on the same day. <i>The Jungle Book </i>earned $13 million in its original release and was a huge hit, but it is hard to determine what percentage of the audience stayed for Charlie. The studio didn't have enough faith in it to release it separately and it feels more like the type of film that would have been made for TV by Disney in this era rather than theatrically released. It is not surprising that it made its TV debut in 1969. It's first home video release was in 1985.<br />
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Compared to Disney's other live action animal films from this era, Charlie is able to hold its own. But modern audiences have come to expect animals to talk in this type of film and I imagine most modern kids would have a hard time sitting through the whole film. I think the main audience for this film nowadays are adults who were delighted by the story as a child. The narrative gets dry several times where it is easy to lose the audience, but there are a few moments worth waiting for. The highlight of the film is a scene where Charlie rides a log down a log flume. And the early scenes of young Charlie bonding with Jess are truly adorable.<br />
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<i>Charlie the Lonesome Cougar</i> is currently available on DVD, where it is presented in fullscreen. The theatrical release would have most likely been widescreen, but the fullscreen presentation feels correctly framed. The opening credits are even set in a little so overscan doesn't cut them off and the ratio of that image is 1.33:1. The film does have some visual flaws, with dust and white specs not fully removed during the restoration. There aren't any bonus features. It is also available on iTunes, where it can be purchased in HD.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bialsdibl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0001I55P6" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/charlie-the-lonesome-cougar/id281372590?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(http://development-linkmaker.itunes.awcloud.net//htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(http://development-linkmaker.itunes.awcloud.net//htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-87178771852576655222013-10-03T08:00:00.001-04:002015-04-06T19:13:02.621-04:00The Jungle Book - 1967<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Walt Disney was fascinated with Rudyard Kipling's <i>The Jungle Book</i>, but the novel lacked a plot that would lend itself well to a feature film. After years of development and not being satisfied, Walt told his story department to throw the book away, which is how they ended up with this uniquely Disney telling of the story.. It was unintentionally the last animated film made under Walt's guidance and he passed away before it was completed.<br />
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While Disney had previously used some recognizable celebrity voices in previous animated films, this was the exception, not the rule. This concept was turned around for <i>The Jungle Book</i>, where celebrity voices were cast and their characters were based around them. Singer, actor, and comedian Phil Harris was given top billing as Baloo in his first of several iconic Disney roles. Sebastian Cabot voices Bagheera, having previously voiced Sir Ector in <i>The Sword in the Stone</i> and narrating the <i>Winnie the Pooh</i> shorts. Jazz singer Louis Prima was cast as the swingin' King Louie. George Sanders voices Shere Khan, having previously stared in <i>In Search of the Castaways</i>. Sterling Holloway, who voiced more Disney characters than any other actor, plays Kaa. Clint Howard voices Colonel Hathi's son while Verna Felton, most famous as the Fairy Godmother in <i>Cinderella</i> and Queen of Hearts in <i>Alice in Wonderland,</i> voices his wife in her final Disney role. Colonel Hathi was also voiced by a recognizable Disney voice, J. Pat O'Maley, most famous for playing Tweedle Dee/Dum in <i>Alice</i>. Mowgli is voiced by Bruce Reitherman.<br />
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One of Walt's legendary Nine Old Men, Woolie Reitherman, who previously directed <i>101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone,</i> and the <i>Winnie the Pooh</i> shorts. The film was in development for a while with Terry Gilkyson as the songwriter. When that darker draft of the film was revised into what was eventually made, the Sherman Brothers replaced him as songwriters. The only Gilkyson song that remains in the film is "The Bare Necessities." The retooling of the film also caused story man Bill Peet to quit his job with Disney. The vultures were created for The Beetles, but after the characters were designed John Lennon decided the band should not participate. The same song is in the final film ("What Friends Are For"), but the tone was changed to a barbershop quartet. King Louie was originally created for Louie Armstrong, but was recast with Prima. For this reason, some scholars claim the character is an offensive African American stereotype, but Prima is speaking in his normal voice and not doing an impression of anybody else.<br />
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<i>The Jungle Book </i>was released on October 18th, 1967, paired with another Disney film, <i>Charlie the Lonesome Cougar</i>. It was a huge success, earning $13 million in it's original release. Critics agreed that the film was far removed from the novel, to the benefit of the film. Those that were harsh on the film claimed it was too easy going and didn't offer enough story. "The Bare Necessities" was nominated for Best Song at the Academy Awards. According to Gregory Peck, the Academy also debated about nominating the film for Best Picture, although it ultimately wasn't part of that category. The film was rereleased in theaters three times in 1978, 1984, and 1990. It made its home video debut in 1991 and was considered so prestigious that it wasn't aired on TV until 2011.<br />
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I had the privilege of experiencing <i>The Jungle Book</i> for the first time in theaters during its last theatrical release. King Louis and the "I Wanna Be Like You" sequence had a big impact on me. Watching it today, it's still easy to get wrapped up in the characters. <i>Jungle Book</i> is light on plot, but heavy on fun and entertainment and that's why it has remained one of Disney's most beloved classics all these years. There are a lot of pop culture jokes that aren't relevant to modern audiences, but most modern audiences will miss the 1960's-specific references.<br />
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This film has had a lucrative legacy for the Walt Disney Company. A television series based on the characters as pilots debuted in 1990 called <i>Tale Spin </i>that ran until 1994. In 1994, Disney made a live action version of the story that sees Mowgli become a man, plus a direct to video spin-off called <i>Mowgli's Story</i>. When Disney's Animal Kingdom opened in 1998, one of the original attractions was a show called "Journey into the Jungle Book" that lasted a year. In 2003, Disney Toon Studios made <i>The Jungle Book 2</i>, made by the same team that handled direct-to-video sequels. A stage musical based on the Disney film premiered in Chicago in 2013.<br />
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<i>The Jungle Book</i> is currently available on Blu-Ray as a Diamond Edition. The film was fully restored and presented in widescreen aspect ratio of 1.77:1. The film was originally animated in fullscreen with the intention of being matted into widescreen in theaters. A Limited Issue DVD release from 1999 presented the film in fullscreen if you prefer the full animated picture. That release doesn't have any bonus features. The Blu-Ray features most of the bonus features from the 2007 Platinum Edition DVD (contains a making-of documentary, deleted scenes and songs, audio commentary, art galleries, and featurettes). But the new single-disc DVD is missing many bonus features, I recommend the Platinum Edition if you're looking for the film on DVD.<br />
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-44589792807327042572013-09-26T08:00:00.001-04:002015-01-11T12:10:22.765-05:00The Gnome Mobile - 1967<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Of all of the film genres that Walt Disney's studio regularly produced, the one that is best associated with the studio are the fantasy films. It had been three years since the last fantasy film, <i>Mary Poppins</i>. Based on the book <i>The Gnomobile</i> by Upton Sinclair from 1936, <i>The Gnome-Mobile</i> is the first fantasy film made at the studio since the juggernaut success of Poppins, and is sadly the last one made while Walt was alive.<br />
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Disney Legend Robert Stevenson was assigned to direct while Disney Legend James Algar took producing responsibilities on this film. Walter Brenan from <i>Those Calloways</i> plays dual lead roles as D.J. Mulroony and Knobby the gnome. Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber, most famous as the Banks children in <i>Mary Poppins</i>, play his grandkids in their final Disney roles. Other familiar Disney faces include Tom Lowell (<i>That Darn Cat</i>) and Ed Wynn in his final film role. He passed away before it's release on June 19th, 1966.<br />
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Disney park designer Sam McKim was a production designer for this film. Lots of location shooting was required in Big Basin, California. "The Gnome-Mobile Song" was written by The Sherman Brothers. Disney used the same special effects techniques used in <i>Darby O'Gil and the Little People</i> to make the gnomes small in this film by Eustace Lycett and Robert A. Mattey. Audio Animatronic were used to make forrest animals speak.<br />
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The film begins with an old car driving through the Red Woods. D. J. Mulroony is the wealthy owner of a lumber company in San Francisco. After picking up his grandchildren from the airport, he takes them on a picnic in a section of the Red Woods forrest that his company owns. When his granddaughter Elizabeth meets a gnome named Jasper while exploring the forest, she introduces them to D. J. and her brother. Jasper needs help because his grandpa Knobby is beginning to disappear, having lost the will to live because they believe they are the last of the gnomes. D.J. has a business trip to Seattle and agrees to let the gnomes come with them so they can look for other gnomes, renaming his car "the gnome-mobile." On their journey, Knobby reveals that the other gnomes ran away because the trees were being cut down. They stop for the night at a motel, where a man named Quaxton is staying, who owns a traveling freak show. When Knobby finds out it was D.J.'s company that knocked down the trees, they get in a big fight and Quaxton overhears. Quaxton kidnaps Jasper and Knobby, while D.J. gets put into a mental institution when he tells his employees about the gnomes. The grandkids work together to drive the car and break him out. After rescuing the gnomes, a chase ensues between the mental institution's goons chase after them. After some evasive maneuvers, their pursuers total their car and D.J. is able to reunite the gnomes with the rest of their kind, where there are many girl gnomes that want to become Jasper's wife. According the gnome customs, the girl picks the guy and a ceremony begins where Jasper is greased and the girl who is able to catch and hold him for seven seconds gets to marry him. Jasper marries the winner, a shy gnome named Violet, and they are immediately married. D.J. deeds 50,000 acres of the Red Woods to them as a gift and offers for any of the other gnomes to be transported with him in his gnome mobile.<br />
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<i>The Gnome-Mobile</i> premiered on July 12th, 1968, and was released on July 19th, 1968. It was a moderate success, making $4 million in its original theatrical release. Critics were mixed on it, praising the effects and performances, but overall felt the storytelling missed its mark. It was theatrically rereleased in 1976 and debuted on TV in 1978. It made its home video debut in 1985.<br />
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I didn't discover <i>The Gnome-Mobile</i> until I was an adult. It grows on me with every viewing, but it's biggest weakness is that the characters are unmemorable. The highlight of the film for me is the gnome chase with the girls trying to win Jasper's hand. The car chase is fun, but is outdone in later films like <i>The Love Bug</i> and <i>Freaky Friday</i>. The visual effects are very well done, especially a shot at the end with all of the gnomes riding in the car. For those that have seen <i>Darby O'Gil and the Little People</i>, it's hard to not compare the two. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but the fact that the earlier film became a St. Patrick's Day tradition for many families and TV stations, it is easy to see why this film has faded into obscurity. If you're a Disney fan and haven't seen it, it's a fun little film and you won't regret watching it, but I wouldn't expect it to become an instant favorite. The car and oversized interior set still exist and can be visited at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI. Walt Disney was friends with the owner and donated the set to him when filming was complete.<br />
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<i>The Gnome-Mobile</i> is currently available on DVD, where it is presented in fullscreen with no bonus features. The original theatrical release was in widescreen 1.75:1 aspect ratio. It is also available in a 4-movie collection where it is paired with <i>Darby O'Gil and the Little People, The Happiest Millionaire, </i>and <i>The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band</i>. The film is available in widescreen and in HD on iTunes. It is unlikely to get another physical release (DVD or Blu-Ray), so this may be the only way to get it in widescreen.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bialsdibl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0000DZTIP" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bialsdibl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B008H6GHJM" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-gnome-mobile/id297811810?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(http://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(http://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-61226328240199754152013-09-19T08:00:00.001-04:002013-10-26T00:58:23.500-04:00The Happiest Millionaire - 1967<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After the monumental success of <i>Mary Poppins</i>, Walt Disney was on a mission to make another blockbuster film musical that could follow it up. He believed he had found the source material in a play based on a book about the life of Cordelia Drexel Biddle called <i>The Happiest Millionaire</i>. Rather than being a fantasy musical like <i>Poppins</i>, <i>Millionaire</i> attempts to be a true life musical. It was the last production started while the studios' visionary leader was still alive.<br />
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The songwriting team behind <i>Poppins, </i>the Sherman Brothers, were involved from the beginning. They contributed 13 original songs for the film. AJ Carothers adapted the screenplay, having previously done <i>Miracle of the White Stallions </i>and <i>Emil and the Detectives</i>. Norman Tokar was assigned as director, who was one of Walt's go-to directors by this point (<i>Follow Me Boys</i>, <i>The Ugly Dachshund</i>). Fred MacMurray was the only choice to play the lead role and was given star billing, having become a fixture of the Disney Studio for films like <i>The Absent-Minded Professor</i> and <i>The Shaggy Dog</i>. Oscar nominated Greer Garson plays his wife in her only Disney role after a successful career at MGM. Lesley Ann Warren makes her feature film debut as their lovestruck daughter. Her love interest, John Davidson, also makes his film debut here. Walt was priming them to be the next Annette/Tommy Kirk style couple. British pop star Tommy Steele plays John Lawless, their butler and the fourth-wall breaking narrator. Geraldine Page, who would later voice Madame Medusa in <i>The Rescuers</i>, plays Mrs. Duke. Hermione Baddeley appears in her final on-screen Disney role (she voices Madame in 1970's <i>The Aristocats</i>). Eddie Hodges plays one of MacMurray's sons, after costarring in <i>Summer Magic.</i><br />
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After the standard Buena Vista logo comes an overture followed by credits set to paintings of high society life. We are introduced to John Lawless, who just arrived in Philadelphia from Ireland, who sings about his "fortuosity" with his upcoming interview by the millionaire Biddle family to be a butler. When he meets his prospective employer, he has just been bit by one of his pet alligators. John gets caught up in a lot of commotion on his first day, including Biddle's sons knocking out a suitor for his daughter Cordelia, who gets furious and contemplates where she belongs. Aunt Mary arrives furious about reading that Cordelia has been boxing in the paper and requests that she go to boarding school. Against her fathers wishes, Cordie wants to go. While there, Aunt Mary takes Cordie to a dance. Attempts at setting her up fail, but she catches the eye of a handsome man named Angier Duke (nickname: Angie). They are instantly smitten and Angie's enthusiasm for cars cause them to begin dating. When she returns from boarding school, she is engaged and her parents haven't met Angie yet, which causes another fight. The story continues after a brief intermission with Cordie's parents meeting Angie. They adjust to him quickly, but the in-laws end up causing a big fight and when Cordie finds ou that Angie will take over the family business instead of following his automobile passions, calling off the wedding. Angie runs off and John chases after him to a bar where Angie gets in a fight and thrown in jail. When they rescue him from jail, the couple makes up and decide to elope to Detroit where Angie is going to get into the car business. Anthony and his wife realize how empty the house feels without Cordie. His wife insists that they let the kids be their own people, but Anthony gets a happy ending when the Navy requests him to become a trainer for the war. The film ends with ending credits and exit music.<br />
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<i>The Happiest Millionaire</i> premiered on June 23rd, 1967 in Hollywood. This was the full 172 minute cut of the film, which included an overture, intermission, and exit music. After having a hard time booking theaters for such a long film, Disney was able to get Radio City Music Hall in New York City to add it to their holiday bill on November 30th, but they mandated that the film be shortened to 159 minutes so they could also run a holiday stage show before the film. This version lost the song "It Won't Be Long 'Til Christmas." After mixed critical reviews, Disney decided to scrap plans for a special Roadshow release and released a further edited version to theaters at 144 minutes. During this run, they decided to release an even shorter cut that ran 118 minutes. It was a critical and box office disappointment, grossing $5 million which would be fine for most live action Disney film of the 60's, but this one cost a considerable amount to make. Possibly due to its length, was one of the few films from this era never to air on Disney's TV series. It remained out of public view until 1984 when Disney Channel was able to restore the original cut (except for a few lost lines of dialogue), and that same year Disney released the film on VHS.<br />
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Watching <i>Millionaire</i> today, it's hard to see why critics were so harsh on it. This film features some of the finest songs the Sherman Brothers ever wrote (my favorite is "Detroit"). While the runtime is long, the characters are fun and engaging and the pace only gets slow a few times. Lesley Ann Warren and John Davidson steal the show. I think this film simply had the misfortunate of being released after films like <i>Mary Poppins</i> and <i>My Fair Lady</i>, to which it would have inevitably been compared at the time. The film has some great choreography by Marc Beaux and Dee Dee Wood, who also choreographed <i>Poppins</i>. Pieces of the sets can be found at Disneyland. The Biddle's phone booth was installed in the exclusive Club 33 and pieces of the bar set are in Cafe Orleans. "Fortuosity" and "Let's Have a Drink on It" can also be heard on Main Street USA at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. To date, this was the last reserved-seat experience Disney has attempted (the only other one was <i>Fantasia</i>). It's interesting that Walt chose this as his follow up to <i>Poppins</i> because while both films are about turn-of-the-century families, the major themes are at opposite ends of the parental spectrum. <i>Mary Poppins</i> is truly a story about an absent father learning that his children are the most important thing in his life. <i>The Happiest Millionaire</i> is about an involved father learning to let go as his children grow up. Perhaps this theme hit close to home since Walt's daughters were grown and married by this time. The film may be too happy-go-lucky for the average viewer, but should be required viewing for any Disney fan.<br />
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<i>The Happiest Millionaire</i> is currently available on DVD, where its original Roadshow length has been restored, intermission and all. The film is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen (1.66:1). While a restoration was done, this release does have some issues where the image is routinely blurred. There aren't any bonus features. It is also available on iTunes, where the run time is 5 minutes shorter than the DVD (presumably losing the overture, intermission, and exit), but iTunes has the film in HD.<br />
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While I wouldn't recommend the shortened version because it goes against the original filmmakers intentions, the 144 minute version was released on DVD by Anchor Bay in 1999 and can be found on the second hand market.<br />
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-16586077411934137432013-09-12T08:00:00.000-04:002013-09-17T23:15:47.685-04:00The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin - 1967<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBZdJLEVLoEDSeMktMk0vW-SnGayicZIn6dKARolqlXD26FORGjZKd10uhskfiY6FWUemy7lTdA1lbrL0OTUJJj9juOgsU9S_38fP9G3IRg6lNfHvM6raeuD4TOWxcGnofYX-kSfsdD0/s1600/BullwhipGriffin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="533" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBZdJLEVLoEDSeMktMk0vW-SnGayicZIn6dKARolqlXD26FORGjZKd10uhskfiY6FWUemy7lTdA1lbrL0OTUJJj9juOgsU9S_38fP9G3IRg6lNfHvM6raeuD4TOWxcGnofYX-kSfsdD0/s400/BullwhipGriffin.jpg" width="352" /></a></div>
Walt Disney had made several Western Films, most of which failed to find mass appeal. But this never stopped him from trying. Of the Westerns made during Walt's era, <i>The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin</i> rises to the top for it's appealing cast and humor. This is not your typical cowboy vs. indians film, but focuses on the gold rush as the setting for a comedic adventure about an out-of-place butler. The source material is a book called <i>By the Great Horn Spoon</i> by Sid Fleischman. Walt Disney wasn't alive at the time of it's release, but it was nearly completed when he passed away the previous December and the marketing for the film says "Walt Disney's."<br />
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<i>Bullwhip Griffin</i> was the last Disney film directed by James Neilson, whose other Disney work included <i>Zorro, Summer Magic, Bon Voyage, </i>and <i>The Moon-Spinners</i>. Lowell S. Hawley adapted the screenplay, having previously done <i>Swiss Family Robinson</i> and <i>Babes in Toyland</i> for Disney. Roddy McDowall returned to the studio after a small role in <i>That Darn Cat</i>, but this time in the lead role of Bullwhip Griffin. Suzanne Pleshette also returns to the studio following her role in <i>The Ugly Dachshund. </i>Her younger brother is played by Bryan Russell, who was Emil in <i>Emil and the Detectives. </i>And Disney character actress Hermione Baddley, most famous for her role as Katy Nana <i>Mary Poppins</i>, also makes an appearance.<br />
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Most of the animated visual effects were done by animation legend Ward Kimball. The role of Quentin Bartlett was originally played by Tony Hancock, who was recast with Richard Hayden (voice of the caterpillar in <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>) due to behavior problems on set. All of the interior sets were built on the studio lot and the exterior town was custom built on the backlot. A lot of location shooting was also done around California and at Golden Oak. Matte paintings were made by Peter Ellenshaw and the Sherman Brothers wrote the theme song.<br />
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The film begins with animated credits and a themed Buena Vista logo. Eric Griffin is a butler for the Flagg family in Boston. After the passing of the master of the house, the family learns that they are penniless which causes grandson Jack to run away to California to join the gold rush. Eric follows after him and gets wrapped up in the adventure, sailing with the boy to San Francisco. On their voyage, Jack meets a man with a map to a secret gold site, but he is being followed by a charlatan intent on stealing the map. Shortly after arriving in California without any money, Griffin sets up a hair cut business and gets into a fight with a thug named Mountain Ox. After knocking him out with a glove full of gold nuggets, he becomes a local legend known as Bullwhip Griffin. The owner of the local saloon offers him $2,000 to hold a rematch at his saloon, which Griffin turns down to head to the gold field. When the crooked man steals the map, Griffin and Jack have to save him from execution to get it back. When Jack's sister Arabella finds out what happened, she too sets out for California. She ends up working as a saloon singer and the boys meet up with her after being robbed. To get some money back, Griffin agrees to the match with Mountain Ox. With a strategy to dodge his blows and tire Ox out, Griffin ends up winning the match through luck and also wins the hand of Arabella. The film ends with the continuation of the ballad explaining how Bullwhip Griffin built the city of San Francisco with the money he made from the fight.<br />
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<i>The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin </i>premiered on March 3, 1967, and was released on March 8, 1967. Critics were mixed on it. Those that disliked it claimed the plot was slow and too drawn out. Those that praised it cited great performances, comedy and effects. It was a box office failure and debuted on TV in 1971. It's home video debut was in 1986.<br />
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This is one of my favorite Disney films from the 1960's. The lovable characters, tall-tale ballad narrative, and unique comedy is outstanding. On top of Ward Kimball's zany animated interludes, there's a great recurring gag in the first quarter of the film involving a portrait of Jack and Arabella's grandfather. The portrait has a stern face at times, but when something happens that he would find humorous, the portrait has a huge grin. It hasn't achieved the fan base that it deserves, but hopefully this post will encourage others to give it a viewing.<br />
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<i>The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin </i>is currently available on DVD. The film is presented in widescreen 1.66:1. This may be the original theatrical ratio, but the standard for Disney during this era was 1.75:1 which is most likely the correct ratio. There aren't any bonus features on this release. The film is also available on iTunes in widescreen in HD and standard definition. It is unlikely to get a Blu-Ray release, so this is one of the few ways to get it in HD.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bialsdibl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00077BPFA" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/adventures-bullwhip-griffin/id296008166?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(http://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(http://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-16308368089312125612011-11-10T22:30:00.010-05:002013-09-17T23:19:38.898-04:00Monkeys, Go Home - 1967<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Walt Disney died on December 15th, 1966 and left behind a studio of talented people to carry on his legacy. However, it would take more than a year for audiences to stop seeing his direct influence.<i> Monkeys, Go Home</i> was the first film released after his death, but production had been fully wrapped before his death. It's based on a book called <i>The Monkeys</i> by G.K. Wilinson, and since monkeys were featured in Disney films almost as much as dogs its no wonder that it was selected for adaptation. And with Dean Jones quickly becoming the studios biggest star, Walt was looking for other projects for him.<br />
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Andrew V. McLaglen was chosen to direct his only Disney film after much success directing for TV. Maurice Tombragel adapted the screenplay after writing a Disney film that featured a chimp called <i>Moon Pilot</i>. Maurice Chevalier costars with Dean Jones in his final film performance. He previously starred in <i>In Search of the Castaways</i> and had an album of Disney songs on Disneyland Records. French actress Yvette Mimieux stars as Jones' love interest. She would return to the studio years later in <i>The Black Hole.</i> The rest of the cast was filled with French actors who were flown to California for the shoot. Most of the film was shot at the Disney Studio and on location nearby. Many of the <i>Zorro</i> sets were redressed to be an Italian village. The Sherman Brothers wrote a song for the film called "Joie De Vivre."<br />
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The film begins with footage of a car driving through the Italian countryside as the credits play. A man named Hank gets out of the car in the village to pick up the deed to an olive farm he inherited. Father Sylvain arrives to welcome him and tells him it will be impossible for him to harvest the olives himself without a large family. Father Sylvain sends a pretty girl named Maria to help Hank get settled, meanwhile he sends for four girl monkeys he worked with in the US Air Force. Maria helps Hank train them to pick olives. When a greedy man who wants Hank's land finds out, he convinces the village to protest against the monkeys, viewing them as a threat for their jobs. Hank brings the monkeys to the village and they melt the hearts of the locals, who give up their protest. However, he then finds out that the olive buyers won't buy olives picked by monkeys. To convince someone to buy his olives, he offers them rights to all of the olives in the village by having his monkeys pick the other farmer's olives free of charge. Maria falls for Hank who doesn't return the favor and they have a fight, just as a woman arrives claiming to be Hank's cousin and co-owner of the olive farm. Maria uses the monkeys to scare her away and Hank realizes he loves her. When the wind comes to blow the olives down, the town is overjoyed to have the help of Hank's monkeys. However, Maria buys a male monkey to add to the family and it distracts the girls, who stop picking olives and try to get his attention. Father Sylvain gives a speech to the village about helping your neighbors and the village helps hank pick the rest of the olives. The film ends with Hank proposing to Maria.<br />
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<i>Monkeys, Go Home</i> premiered on February 2nd, 1967 and was released on February 8th. Critics agreed that it was full of monkey humor, but claimed that viewers who don't enjoy monkey antics would find it unenjoyable. It didn't do well at the box office and premiered on <i>The Wonderful World of Color</i> in 1970. It was released on home video in 1987. <br />
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Critics may have been too harsh on the film in 1967 because the monkeys don't receive as much screen time as they claimed. The film is really about Hank's struggles to succeed as an olive farmer. However, compared to other Dean Jones Disney comedies, it clearly isn't as good and it's easy to see why audiences weren't as receptive to it as <i>The Ugly Dachshund</i>. But if you enjoy Disney animal comedies, you will find yourself amused by <i>Monkey's, Go Home</i>. A field of olive trees were planted next to the animation building at the Walt Disney Studios, which remained there for years until a parking structure was built over the land.<br />
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<i>Monkeys, Go Home</i> is currently available on DVD. The film is presented in fullscreen, although it was originally released in widescreen 1.75:1. A minor restoration has been done, but the picture does suffer from white artifacts. There aren't any bonus features. The film is available on iTunes in widescreen, where it is also available in HD. This film is unlikely to get another physical release on DVD or Blu-Ray, so this may be the only way to own the film in widescreen.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bialsdibl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00006675V" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/monkeys-go-home!/id299437664?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(http://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(http://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4947269113979870914.post-30297065006828168402011-11-03T07:00:00.105-04:002013-09-17T23:22:17.606-04:00Follow Me, Boys - 1966<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Walt Disney was a true American and did many things during his career to help the nation, including handing over his studio during World War II as an army base and making short propaganda films to help the effort. <i>Follow Me, Boys</i> is dedicated to the Boy Scouts of America, an institution that close to Walt's heart. The film is based on a novel by MacKinlay Kantor from 1954 called <i>God and My Country</i>. In 1965 Walt Disney released a sentimental film about small town life called <i>Those Calloways</i> that was a box office failure, and in many ways <i>Follow Me, Boys</i> seems like an attempt to correct what went wrong with that film.<br />
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Louis Pelletier adapted the screenplay and Norman Tokar directs, the same screenwriter and director from <i>Those Calloways</i>. Fred MacMurray stars alongside some other famous Disney actors. Vera Miles plays his wife after starring in <i>Those Calloways</i>. Luana Patten returned to the studio for the final time after starting her career as a child actor in <i>Song of the South</i>. It was also the film debut of young Kurt Russell, who would become the studio's biggest star for the next decade. Other familiar faces include Elliott Reid (<i>The Absent-Minded Professor), </i>Donald May (<i>A Tiger Walks)</i> and Parley Baer (<i>The Ugly Dachshund). </i>This was the last film for Charles Ruggles, most recognizable as the grandpa in <i>The Parent Trap</i>. Exterior filming was done on Disney's Golden Oak Ranch, with interior sets filmed on the Disney Studio lot. The original working title throughout production was <i>On My Honor</i>. The title was changed when the Sherman Brothers wrote a song for the film called "Follow Me, Boys."<br />
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The film opens with footage of a bus driving through the country as the credits roll and title song plays. Inside the bus is a traveling band. After an emergency stop in a small town called Hickory, one of the band members named Lem meets a bank teller named Vida and falls for her. He decides to stay there and gets a job in the general store. He wins Vida over by volunteering to be scout master for to start a local boy scouts troop. He meets her again later while out on a walk with his troop. Her car breaks down and the troop pushes her back. On their first date, they see a boy named Whitey stealing from the store. He hurts his ankle and Lem helps bind it and doesn't turn him in. Whitey has an alcoholic father and is the only boy in town who hasn't joined the troop. After Lem and Vida get married, he catches Whitey spying on his troop and he gets in a fight with one of the boys. When Lem steps in, he gets Whitey to join the troop. Shortly after, Vida discovers that she is incapable of having kids. At parents night for the troop. Whitey's father embarrasses him when he shows up drunk. Later that night, his father dies of a heart disorder and Lem and Vida take him in. Several years later with a new troop, Lem is kicked off the land he's been using for the scouts all these years. The owner, Mrs. Seibert, is fighting her greedy nephew who claims she is mentally unfit and is now in control of the land. Lem helps prove that she is sane in court. Whitey returns from war with his new wife and when the store owner dies, he leaves it to Lem. As Lem gets older and his health starts to turn, Whitey convinces the scouts to stop letting him be their leader since he won't step down willingly. However, they make him "scout master emeritus" and hold a big parade for him, during which every boy from every troop he ever lead shows up to congratulate him. He is also presented with an honorary law degree, which is what he would have done with his life if he hadn't been a scout master. <br />
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<i>Follow Me, Boys</i> premiered on August 1st, 1966 and opened in theaters on December 1st. Critics were hard on the film claiming it was full of cliches and that it was too saccharine. However, audiences disagreed wholeheartedly and the film was a success, grossing almost $6 million. It was rereleased in 1976 edited down from 131 minutes to 107 minutes. It made its TV debut in 1981 and was released on home video in 1984.<br />
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I'm not a big fan of <i>Those Calloways</i>, but I think <i>Follow Me, Boys</i> achieves the same desired results in a more successful way. It's a truly heartfelt film that will make you feel good and it has some of the trademark Disney fun along the way. I think critics in 1966 were overly harsh on it. While the runtime is a little long and the film allows the audience to get bored a few times, the payoff at the end is worth the wait. Kurt Russell gives an amazing performance to a role that could have been very unlikeable in lesser hands. And the adult cast rise to the challenge of playing characters at two very different ages because the film takes place over the course of twenty-some years. Some of the opening credits are jokes, including crediting the town of Hickory and listing its population (the film was made entirely in California near the studio). <br />
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The last time Walt Disney appeared on film was for an introduction to a special engagement screening of <i>Follow Me, Boys</i> during which he advertised some of his upcoming projects, including <i>Blackbeard's Ghost</i>, <i>The Happiest Millionaire </i>and <i>The Gnome Mobile</i>. D23 has made this video available to the general public as part of an episode of their Armchair Archivists series, which is presented below:<br />
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<i>Follow Me, Boys</i> is currently available on DVD. The film is presented in fullscreen, although its original theatrical presentation was widescreen 1.75:1. There doesn't appear to have been a restoration. The film flickers and is plagued with white specks and discoloration. The first four minutes also feature a bright yellow boarder surrounding the picture. Bonus features include interviews with several of the boys that played the boy scouts and a photo gallery of publicity material. The film is available on iTunes in widescreen and in HD, but the digital copy does not come with any of the bonus features.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bialsdibl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0000DZ3EG" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/follow-me-boys!/id436103548?uo=4&at=10la2q" style="background-image: url(http://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.svg); background: url(http://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/htmlResources/assets/en_us//images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.png) no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 40px; overflow: hidden; width: 110px;" target="itunes_store"></a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03033241445675180480noreply@blogger.com4