Pollyanna

Let's play the Glad Game! Just think of something that makes you glad in every situation. It could be the warmth from drinking hot chocolate when frost bite nibbled at your toes or watching rainbows dance through prisms after a storm and the sun peak through the clouds. One thing that makes me glad is Walt Disney's next film, Pollyanna. This lovely story by Eleanor Porter tells of a little girl who comes to live with her stern aunt. With a chipper attitude, Pollyanna shows a town full of Gloomy Guses that life is more enjoyable if you are positive, appreciative, and show a little bit of kindness to one another.

     

Written in 1913, Pollyanna became an instant best seller, ranking 8th when released and continued to gain popularity ranking 2nd in 1914 and 4th in 1915. Pollyanna was in high demand with 47 reprints from 1915-1920. Eleanor Porter continued Pollyanna's story with a second novel Pollyanna Grows Up in 1915. This Glad Girl with her Glad Game became gold with merchandise, even Parker Brothers got in on the action and created a Parcheesi like style board game called The Glad Game ( 1915-1967).

Several adaptations of Pollyanna were created a Broadway play starring Helen Hayes and a silent film produced by and starring the famous Mary Pickford. She loved the story so much she paid $115,000 to bring it to the screen. In Eleanor's hometown of Littleton, New Hampshire every year they honor the author by having an official Pollyanna Glad Day on June 8th. Of course even with its popularity there is still criticism (these people are not playing the Glad Game very well). Some feel Pollyanna's character is too optimistic and naive. So if someone calls you a Pollyanna, it's not meant as a compliment, which in my opinion is sad and wrong. Eleanor Porter felt disheartened by this, stating "You know I have been made to suffer from the Pollyanna books. I have been placed often in false light. People have thought that Pollyanna chirped that she was 'glad' at everything. I have never believed that we ought to deny discomfort and pain and evil; I have merely thought that it is far better to 'greet the unknown with a cheer."

There is several differences from the novel and Disney's version as is the custom it seems when Disney or Hollywood creates their own adaptations. Some would say Disney's Pollyanna was a little more believable than in the book. She saw the nicer side of life, but showed other emotions like sticking out her tongue when angry. The biggest difference is the ending to the film and how Pollyanna hurts her legs. In the film she falls from a tree after returning home from sneaking out to go to the town's bazaar. In the book she is hit by a car. They both have the whole town coming to Pollyanna's aid when she becomes depressed about her paralysis, encouraging her to look for the silver lining just as she had taught them to do.

To direct, Walt picked David Swift, whose background actually started as an office boy for Disney studios. He then worked his way up to the animation department working on films like Snow White and Peter Pan. "He had a certain joie de vivre, a kind man whose enthusiasm was infectious," recalled actress Nancy Olson. Not only did David direct the film but he wrote the screenplay and made illustrations of what he thought Aunt Polly's house should look like. Filming took place in Santa Rosa, California. They looked high and low for a three story Victorian mansion that could pass as being in the state of Maryland. They were unsuccessful with finding a three story mansion, but found the Mableton (McDonald) Mansion that fit the time period , being built in the late 1870's. David Swift would use some Disney magic and overlaid a matte painting in post adding the needed look to the house.

Pollyanna is full of stars. You may recognize a few if you had the pleasure of watching classic movies and TV shows like Sunset Boulevard (Nancy Olson), Bewitched (Agnes Moorehead), The Yearling (Jane Wyman), Toby Tyler (Kevin Corcoran), Patton (Karl Malden), Paths of Glory( Adolphe Menjou), How Green was My Valley (Donald Crisp), Love Me Tender (Richard Egan), Green Acres (Mary Grace Canfield), and about every TV western (James Drury). Then the leading role star Miss Hayley Mills who would go onto appear in six Disney films during her adolescence. The cast had nothing but compliments about each other and working for Mr. Disney. Nancy Olson was taking a break from Hollywood when Walt Disney asked for her to audition for the role of Nancy. She noticed a great difference between the Hollywood Studios and Walt Disney Studios, saying Disney Studios were much cleaner, an outgoing and friendly atmosphere, and had a sense of family. Hayley reminisced about her cast mate Karl Malden (Reverend Paul Ford);  "Karl Malden used to make me laugh a lot. He always said, when we did a scene together, the scene was about our two noses, because I have and still have not the most aristocratic nose in the business, and neither did Karl."

Hayley Mills was one lucky girl when it came to being cast as Pollyanna. Over 300 girls auditioned for the role and another girl was about to be signed when Hayley was brought in at the very last second after Disney had seen her first film Tiger Bay, which also starred her famous father, John Mills, but Hayley stole the show, even winning a BAFTA ( Most Promising Newcomer). "Making Pollyanna was a wonderful experience. I'd made one movie before in England and we shot a lot of it on location in Whales, and it was terribly cold.... And suddenly I find myself for the first time in my life in not just California, but Hollywood and that was a huge impact," recalls Hayley. On the first day of shooting Hayley performed the scene with Karl Malden on the hill where the Reverend is practicing his fire and brimstone sermon. It was terribly hot and Pollyanna's costume was quite itchy and all together uncomfortable. Mills said she was distracted the whole time, just wanting to go to the catering truck where there was so much American food she had never seen and tasted before. The cameraman didn't get a single take in the can that morning. Even with this set back Hayley was seen as a professional, Nancy Olson remembers the young Miss Mills coaching her little brother before an audition. " Look straight at the camera and mean what you say." "It was simple and yet profound advice from such a young actress," said Olson.

Not only did cast mates and crew like Hayley Mills, but audiences and the Academy, too. She would be nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress, win a Golden Globe for Most Potential Newcomer and then win the last special Juvenile Academy Award. Unfortunately for Miss Mills she had no clue about the Academy Awards and did not attend. Her parents made sure to keep her grounded and did not tell her. Instead she was stuck at Boarding School. In one interview you can tell she holds a slight grudge, missing out on meeting Shirley Temple, who presented the award. Annette Funicello accepted the Oscar on her behalf.

When asked in a later interview where she keeps her Oscar, she sheepishly admits that the statue was lost after coming back home from working on Good Morning, Miss Bliss. There must be a curse regarding juvenile Oscars because not only did Hayley's go missing but also Judy Garland' s and Margaret O'Brien's.

Pollyanna was released on May 19, 1960. Disney had a budget of 2.5 million to make the film and came back with 3.75 million back from the Box Office. Walt was disappointed, hoping for better results. "I think the picture would of done better with a different title. Girls and women went to it, but men tended to stay away because it sounded sweet and sticky." Director David Swift says he thought the film was too long and wanted to edit some scenes down, but Walt loved every minute and refused to let them cut anything. I bet after the box office results Walt would have been happy to listen to Swift. Disney just had to play the Glad Game and be happy with his new favorite star, Hayley Mills, who would be gold in her next film, The Parent Trap. There was so much positive that came from the film, showing audiences the power of love. Hayley Mills herself was struck by the power of positivity,  saying " There's an awful lot about Pollyanna that stuck with me, that positive thinking creates good things in your life, it creates health in your body. It attracts life!"

So Readers, I hope you can all be a little like Pollyanna and find something about everything to be glad about. 

Kidnapped

While Robert Stevenson was directing Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Walt Disney visited the set and suggested that the next project they tackle should be Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped. Disney had already adapted another Robert Louis Stevenson book, Treasure Island, in 1950 and the film had done very well for the company. Disney was hoping the same would be true for the novel about a young boy who has been sold into indentured servitude by his miserly uncle, but escapes into the Scotland with the help of a unlikely ally. Stevenson re-read the novel and was enthused about the project. He ended up writing the a treatment for the film while visiting the Scottish highlands after Darby wrapped. Stevenson would turn the treatment into a full screenplay within a few months. Incidentally he is of no relation to the famous author. 

For casting, James MacArthur was the obvious choice to play the young David Balfour. MacArthur was Disney's current young star, as he had leading roles in The Light in the Forest, and Third Man on the Mountain. Top billing, however, went to British/Australian actor Peter Finch who portrayed the Jacobite Allan Breck Stewart. Finch already had history with Disney because he played the Sheriff of Nottingham in The Story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men (1952). After that Finch starred in movies  like The Elephant Walk (1954) where he played opposite to Elizabeth Taylor and The Dark Avenger (1955) opposite Errol Flynn but it wasn't until he starred opposite of Audrey Hepburn in The Nun's Story (1959) that he reached international acclaim. Unfortunately, Finch is probably more well known today to general audiences for being a piece of trivia. He was posthumously awarded the Oscar for Best Actor for Network (1976) after dying from a heart attack at the age of 60 before the Oscars took place in 1977. He was the only actor to win an Oscar posthumously until Heath Ledger in 2009. The most well-known actor of the film, however, is Peter O'Toole. This would be his first released film role and the most notable thing he does is have a bagpipe duel with Finch's Stewart. Though O'Toole only had a bit part in the film, Stevenson and the cast realized that O'Toole was destined for greater things. Stevenson himself said that O'Toole "will make a very important mark within five years." Stevenson didn't realize how right he was. O'Toole would shoot to super stardom two years later when he landed the starring role as T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Rounding out the cast was Bernard Lee as Captain Hoseason, who is most well known for portraying M for the first eleven James Bond films, and John Laurie as Ebenezer Balfour, whom he had already played in Ebenezer in a TV version a few years earlier. Laurie had also starred in Disney's version of Treasure Island (1950).

The story takes place in 18th century Scotland, where young David Balfour is taking a letter of introduction from his recently deceased father to the House of Shaw, which is his uncle's house. While trying to find the house, he meets some of his uncle's neighbors who all seem to loathe the man. His uncle on his father's side, Ebenezer does not give him a warm welcome. David is curious about a few things and starts to asks questions about his family. Ebenezer attempts to have David killed by sending him up to the upper part of the house that has fallen into disrepair, hoping that he will fall to his death. Ebenezer claims he didn't know about the decrepit situation and David lets it go. Though David is suspicious of his uncle, he trusts him enough to meet with a Captain Hoseason, an individual who does business with Ebenezer, who wants to show him his ship. Hoeseason gains David's trust by telling him that Ebenezer means him harm but he can't tell him any more until they are alone on his ship. David goes with Hoseason and it's not until he's on the ship that the crew capture him. David realizes too late that this has all been a ploy by his uncle and he is going to be sold into indentured servitude. 

Hoseason's boat runs into a smaller boat while stuck in fog and they rescue the only survivor, Alan Breck Stewart. Alan pays for his passage. Little does Alan know that Hoseason means to kill him for the rest of his money. David hears of the plot and warns Alan, who both fight and overcome the crew. Alan is able to negotiate with Hoseason to drop them off at the next port but the boat runs into some rocks and sinks. David washes up on shore and finds himself on a smaller island off the mainland. He finds from speaking to locals that Alan has already been this way and has instructed him to meet him further inland. David runs into soldiers who happen to be part of the Campbell clan, who are the rivals of Alan and the Stewart Clan. Out of nowhere, the King's Regent, Colin Roy Campbell, who was questioning David is shot and killed and the soldiers accuse David of setting them up. David is saved by Alan who had been fishing nearby. David is suspicious of Alan and thinks he was the one who murdered the King's Regent. Alan convinces David to trust him and that they have to go to someplace safe to avoid more soldiers. David learns that Alan is a Catholic Jacobite, someone who supports the exiled royal Stuart family. This puts David and Alan at odds since David is a Protestant Whig. They are able to get over those differences, however, and begin to trust each other. Alan takes them to James of the Glen, who gives them supplies, but tells them that he must pin the murder on them or else he will be blamed. Alan understands this as James is an important part of the Stewart clan. The two battle their way back to the lowlands, where Alan can confront his uncle. They are able to make it back and they meet with David's family lawyer, who luckily believes the tale of his uncle's deception. It turns out that David's father and his uncle had a disagreement over a woman. They finally came to an agreement that David's father would be able to marry the woman, while Ebenezer would claim the House of Shaws and all its money, though Ebenezer is not the eldest. This finally explains to David why Ebenezer wanted him gone so badly. Since the agreement between his father and uncle is not legally binding, the House of Shaw rightfully belongs to David. The trouble is, they have to have proof that Ebenezer tried to sell his nephew, so the group come up with a plan. Alan goes to the House of Shaws and pretends to be a Highlander who found David and wants to sell him back to Ebenezer. Ebenezer at first says he doesn't want the boy, but Alan tells him that they will kill the boy if Ebenezer does not pay them. Now not wanting the boy to be killed, Ebenezer haggles with Alan over the price, but in the process reveals what he had done to the boy before with Captain Hoseason. David and his lawyer reveal themselves and David is able to regain his inheritance. 

Disney decided to film in Scotland with some interior shots done at a studio in England. Since this film was not relying on any fancy camera tricks like Darby, they didn't feel the need to keep the production local and rely on matte paintings. Since parts of the story were based on historical fact, mostly having to do with Alan Breck Stewart and the murder of Colin Roy Campbell, the King's Regent, Stevenson attempted to film in the same exact locations where the events took place. While he was able to in most cases, he couldn't use the spot where Campbell was murdered, as that spot was now home to a forest of Norwegian pines. The film premiered on February 24th, 1960 and unfortunately was met with tepid reviews. One notable review, from New York Times reviewer Eugene Archer, claimed that "Either Mr. Disney, who made a vigorous Treasure Island ten years ago, has lost his touch in the intervening decade, or the kids have been spoiled by Gunsmoke and Peter Gunn." Critics couldn't argue with the beauty of the locale or the faithfulness to the novel, but they could complain that the movie just wasn't that exciting for a Robert Louis Stevenson novel. I personally don't really like either the book or the movie. They're both fine, but I find Treasure Island to be superior in almost every way. The whole Jacobite and Whig thing is honestly hard to follow for those not versed in European history. That's just me, so I'm sure there are plenty of people who enjoy this story a lot. This is yet another film that if you want to watch it, you'll have to rent it since it's not on Disney Plus.

Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus

Have you ever wanted to run away to the circus? Well here's your chance! Come join Colonel Sam Castle's Great American Circus! You could delight in seeing great circus legends like The Flying Viennas, Jungleland Elephants, and The Marquis Family featuring the one and only Mr. Stubbs! So come join Toby Tyler on a Big Top adventure.

This magical circus was created by author
James Otis Kaler. Born March 19, 1848 in Whiteport, Maine. At a very young age James started working for the Boston Journal as a reporter ( some say at 13 years old and others say at 17). Three years later he provided coverage of the American Civil War. James continued his writing journey moving onto Frank Leslie's Boy's and Girl's Weekly. Then in 1877 he connected with the publisher Harper and Brothers and had Toby Tyler appear in Harper's Young People Magazine. Finally in 1881 Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus was published it into a book.

James Otis Kaler was a natural writer. He followed the advice of "writing what you know". Throughout his life he would write over 150 novels, mainly historical adventure stories geared towards boys. Kaler once said, "Anybody can write a book, who will apply himself to it." To find all his books though you will have to look under a few penned names like: Walter Morris, Lt. James K. Orton, Harry Prentice, or even Amy Prentice (a few scholars believe though some of his later work written for a even younger audience was actually penned by his wife Amy L. Scamman). His idea for Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus came from his days as a publicity man for the Phineas T. Barnum Circus. With this first hand knowledge he was able to bring the behind the scene details of what circus life was really like; the difference between the outside viewers romance of the circus and the insiders reality of it.

Famous writers Carl Sandburg, William S. Burroughs, and Harlan Ellison adored Toby Tyler. Ellison even said that Toby Tyler influenced his decision to run off and join the circus.

There was one other adaptation of Toby Tyler before Disney's version, a 1923 silent film starring Jackie Coogan called Circus Days. This film was assumed lost but a copy emerged just years ago in Russia and now can be found in the Library of Congress (you can find a few short clips of it on YouTube- It's cute).
Walt Disney was drawn to Toby Tyler's tale, remembering the time the circus came to his hometown of Marceline, Missouri. It inspired him so much that he went home and created his own circus. Dressing up the family's barn cats in his little sister Ruth's baby doll clothes. At age fifteen, Walt took a job working on a train selling newspapers and other goodies like peanuts, popcorn, fruit, and drinks for Noyes Interstate News. Carrying them around in a shoulder strap snack box just as the character of Toby Tyler did concessioneering at the circus.

"Everyone loves a Circus and I'm no exception. I've been fascinated by clowns and the animals, the music and the excitement ever since I worked in one of these wonderful shows for a few days as a youngster," wrote Walt in the intro to "Mickey Mouse Club Circus" at Disneyland in 1955.

What was great about Disney's film was all its hidden gems. Disney and the production crew went all out making sure the film was authentic with actual circus props. The beautiful wagons and calliope were bought from Bradley and Kaye Amusement Park. The magnificent 1907 twenty pipe Dragon Calliope was in terrible shape when Walt first purchased it, but with $50,000 he transformed it into a glorious masterpiece. You can now find it at Disney World's Fort Wilderness Tri-Circle-D Ranch. If you're lucky you may even see the Dragon Calliope pulled by 6-8 horses down Main Street for a special parade.

Performers were borrowed from Ringling Bros. and other specialty groups to add some flare. The Flying Viennas show off their aerialist skills lead by Del Graham. Performing elephants were supplied by Jungleland in Thousand Oaks California. The Ringling Brother clowns Eddie "Spaghetti" Emerson (75), "Duke" Johnson (63) and Abe " Korkey" Goldstein made audiences laugh. Goldstein (64) also known as Korkey the Komic Cop performed with several dogs that pretended to fall down dead after Goldstein emptied a toy gun at them and then miraculously coming back to life to bite him on the rear end. Korkey the Komic Cop never stopped performing. Even into his 90's he was putting on free shows at children's hospitals.

 


Another hidden gem in the film was two "extras" that you may feel overact and are

quite silly. The band leader is played by Ollie Wallace. This was Ollie's first time on screen but he had been with the Disney family for years, since the 1930's composing melodies for Disney cartoons and a few live-action films, though not Toby Tyler. Along with Ollie you can find in his band one of the Firehouse Five Plus Two members (a Dixieland band made up of Disney animators) who is playing the drum is Jimmy MacDonald. MacDonald just so happened to be the voice for Mickey Mouse at the time.

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A little fun fact on the location. Toby Tyler was the first film shot at Golden Oak Ranch after Walt purchased it. Golden Oak Ranch just happens to be the location where there was the 1942 California gold rush (before the more famous 1949 gold rush) where Francisco Lopez just happened across gold flakes when he pulled a wild onion out of the ground. 

In the center ring for actors was Kevin Corcoran as Toby Tyler. This was Kevin's third Disney film and definitely not the last. Kevin portrayed the "typical American Kid." He was around 11 years old during production and performed all his own equestrian stunts (with the help of piano wires as a safety precaution). Kevin's time on Toby Tyler was tainted though by the passing of his father, but Kevin was a trooper and finished the film without incident. Next up in the ring is Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin. These two come as a pair when it comes to Disney films. During the time of casting both men were working together on the TV series Zorro. Production halted on Zorro because ABC felt the show was too expensive to continue. With Zorro tied up in lawsuits Disney was able to borrow Calvin and Sheldon, turning them into Ben Cotter the gruff but kind Strongman and Sam Treat the gentle, articulate clown with a dog act. Toby Tyler was the only Disney production where Gene Sheldon had a speaking role (he plays mute for all the others- Zorro and Babes in Toyland).

Other stars of the circus included Mademoiselle Jeanette and Monsieur Ajax, the equestrian trick duo played by Barb Beaird and Dennis Oliver. Bob Sweeney as the con man concessionaire Mr. Tupper and the Ring Master Colonel Sam Castle played by Richard Eastham. It seems as though I'm forgetting someone. Oh yeah, the scene-stealing monkey Mr. Stubbs who really became the star of the show.

Mr. Stubbs was born 1956 in the Belgian Congo Jungle and was captured when only a few months old and shipped to Maine. In 1957 he fell into the hands of chimp trainer Gene Detroy who created the famous "Marquis Family" (a group of performing chimps). At that time, Mr. Stubbs' name was actually Marquis Jr. The Marquis Family became very popular even appearing on the Jack Benny show in 1959 and that's where Walt Disney first saw him. Publicity claimed Mr. Stubbs with the intelligence of a three year old. He was purchased for $1,000 but insured for $12,000 and it was said he wore $75 suits. When not on the film site, Mr. Stubbs lived on a spacious ranch in Las Vegas with trainer Detroy and his family. While on set he was given the Shaggy Dog's trailer and received a rose everyday. Talk about a diva chimpanzee. But everyone seemed to love him. Director Charles Barton said, "He puts on the most convincing act since Cheetah talked to Tarzan. After a rehearsal or two, he knows the scene backwards. Then we get around to doing it forward. When I first met him in Las Vegas, he was watching television with Detroy's three children. We shook hands. After the children went to bed, he looked in on them from time to time to be sure they were all right. It was a very pleasant evening. I haven't gotten over it yet. He has looks, talent and real humility. And when he rolls those big brown eyes, wow! He even works for peanuts."

Toby Tyler premiered Jan 21, 1960 at the Florida Theater in Sarasota. Which just so happens to be the winter home of Ringling Brothers. Sarasota was transferred into a circus atmosphere celebrating "Toby Tyler Days". There was a circus parade with caged lions, clowns, and elephants. Along with circus act performances in a circus ring set up in the street, Gene Sheldon put on a special comedy routine. From the Box Office sales Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with the Circus brought in $3,100,000. Critics were generally kind to the film, praising Kevin Corcoran and Mr. Stubb's performances, while also mentioning how charming the picture is. You may not really be able to run away to the circus, but you can grab yourself some popcorn and spend some time with Toby Tyler and all his circus friends!

Third Man on the Mountain

 Third Man on the Mountain is the story of a teenager trying to conquer the mountain that killed his father. Just think of it as a revenge movie! Except you can't kill a mountain....or can you? This movie is the fifth movie that Disney made in England, the others being Robin Hood, Treasure Island, The Sword and the Rose, and Rob Roy. The film is based off of the 1954 novel Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman. The book details the real life first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. While the main character in this film is entirely fictional, and thus is not in Banner in the Sky, the character of Captain John Winters is based off of real mountain climber Edward Whymper. The book's rights were bought fairly quickly by Disney in 1957. Disney reunited with Ken Annakin, who had directed Robin Hood and The Sword and the Rose, to direct Third Man on the Mountain. For the lead, they went with James MacArthur, who was shaping up to be their new, young leading man. David Niven was signed on to play Captain John Winter, but had to drop out, which made room for Michael Rennie. Rennie is perhaps best known for his role in The Day the Earth Stood Still. Janet Munro, fresh off her first role for Disney in Darby O'Gill and the Little People, plays Lizbeth, the love interest for MacArthur's Rudi. I've only seen Munro in Darby, so it was fun seeing her in another film. My favorite character in the film is Franz Lerner, who is Rudi's uncle and takes over as his father figure. Lerner is played by James Donald, who had roles in The Bridge on the River Kwai, and The Great Escape. I think I just like James Donald as an actor, though in this movie he plays the strict uncle, so he's not the most sympathetic of characters. 

The story follows young Rudi Matt, an 18 year old who loves to climb mountains like his dad. He lives in the village of Kurtal in Switzerland, where many people come to climb the mountains for fun. One of the most lucrative jobs in the area is as a guide for those willing to brave the mountains. Rudi's father, Josef Matt, was an expert mountain climber and guide. The Citadel is the highest and most dangerous peak in the region and no one has been able to scale it yet. Josef was the last person to die trying to get to the top of the Citadel, saving the group that he had led up the mountain. The rumor in the village is that Josef had found a secret passage to get to the top of the Citadel the day he died. Rudi dreams of being a mountain guide like his father, but his Uncle Franz is too afraid that Rudi will get himself killed going up there. Franz is himself a mountain guide and knows how easy it is to make a simple mistake and fall to your death. Franz helps raise Rudi with Rudi's mother after Josef died on the mountain. Franz tries to keep Rudi from becoming a guide by giving him more menial jobs to do in the village, like being a dishwasher for Herr Hempel, who runs a local hotel. Hempel's daughter Lizbeth likes Rudi and often spends time in the kitchen talking to him. Rudi often sneaks out of the kitchen so he can climb the smaller mountains. One day, while he is supposed to be washing dishes, he goes on one of the mountain passes and runs into a climber stuck in a crevasse. Rudi saves the man, who ends up being the famed mountain climber Captain John Winter. Winter thanks Rudi and tells him that his aspiration is to find the secret path up to the the top of the Citadel. Once they get back to town, Winter hires Franz to be his guide up the mountain and convinces Franz to let Rudi come as a porter. Winter buys Rudi all new mountain climbing equipment and all seems too good to be true. The three men journey up the mountain and all is going well until Franz learns the real reason Winter wants to go up the mountain is to get a better look at the Citadel. Franz calls it an evil place and refuses to discuss a route up. Rudi tries to look for a better way up the mountain and ends up getting himself stuck, causing the other two men to risk their lives trying to save him. Rudi is shamed for his carelessness and the men travel back to Kurtal. Once they get back, Winter leaves the town and Franz sells Rudi's new gear. Lizbeth buys the new boots from Franz and saves them for Rudi. Teo, Josef's old climbing buddy, decides to teach Rudi how to properly climb mountains. Rudi goes to his uncle to ask to be his porter, but is publicly humiliated by him. 

The townspeople soon begin talking about two men seen climbing high up on the mountain. They look through a telescope and see it is Winter, along with Emil Saxo, a guide from a rival tourist town. The next day, Teo looks into the telescope and sees three men now and deduces that the third man is Rudi, who has snuck off after being rejected by his uncle. He convinces four men, including Franz, to go up the mountain to retrieve Rudi. Rudi catches up with Winter and Emil and tells them that he has permission from Franz to be up there. They continue until Winter suffers a head injury from a rock slide. Winter tells Rudi to go back and get Franz. He is about to go but instead seeks out the secret passage to the Citadel. In the meantime, Franz and the group, including Teo, find Winter and Emil. They are about to go search for Rudi, but Rudi comes back at that moment saying that he found the passage. Franz insists on taking Rudi back down the mountain, but Teo convinces him that Rudi has earned the chance to climb up the rest of the way. Winter, Franz, Emil, and Rudi all climb up the mountain. Winter begins to have a fever so Franz stays with him while Emil continues upward. Rudi sneaks away to be with Emil and all seems well until Emil falls and breaks his arm. Though Emil urges Rudi to continue without him, Rudi starts to carry the man back down to the camp. Winter and Franz discover the two men are missing and set out to find them. They find Rudi's abandoned pack and Winter takes it with him. Rudi is able to get Emil back to camp and thanks to Rudi's shortcut, Winter and Franz make it to the top of the Citadel. The four men return to Kurtal to a hero's welcome. Winter reveals to Rudi that he planted Rudi's flag at the top of the mountain, causing the whole village to cheer. Lizbeth kisses Rudi and they all live happily ever after. 

They filmed the movie at the Matterhorn in Switzerland, and as you can imagine the filming process was not always easy. The entire cast and crew had to take a basic mountaineering class, all 170 of them. James Donald ended up falling off a crag but luckily escaped with minor injuries. A crew member was not as lucky and broke three ribs when he fell into a crevasse. MacArthur enjoyed being in Switzerland and would climb the Matterhorn when he had a day off. Disney productions would later detail the difficulty of making a film partly on a mountain in the Walt Disney Presents episode, "Perilous Assignments." While the film hasn't stayed in the public consciousness, the movie did inspire something that is very well-known to Disneyland patrons. While Walt was in visiting Switzerland for the filming of Third Man on the Mountain he became so impressed by the beauty of the real Matterhorn that he grabbed a postcard and sent it back to WED Enterprises (what Disney Imagineering used to be called) asking them to build this ride for him. This actually solved a problem Disney was having in Disneyland, as there was a hill that was made from the excavated dirt from Sleeping Beauty's castle that Disney had called Holiday Hill. While Disney had encouraged people to use the hill for picnicking, horny teens had instead turned it into a lover's lane, much to Disney's despair. He had wanted to put a tobaggon ride in the park, and he finally was able to combine this idea with the real Matterhorn and the newer models of rollercoasters called wild-mouse. While the ride was definitely inspired by the real Matterhorn and Third Man on the Mountain, it is not a ride based off of the movie. Unless there's a part in this movie where Rudi gets chased down the mountain by a yeti and I completely forgot about it. 

The movie premiered on November 10th, 1959 and it received mixed reviews. Some reviewers did not the overall cloying sentimentality, while others complained about the overacting from much of the cast. Something that all the reviewers had to agree on was that it was a marvel to watch, as it was a very beautiful film. This is definitely not a film that would have been perceived as well if it had been filmed on a soundstage. The movie did not end up making back its budget, only grossing $1.7 million against a $2 million budget. It's really too bad that this movie has been almost completely forgotten. It's got some great action sequences and it really does put you on edge watching them traverse the mountain. I found James MacArthur, Michael Rennie, and James Donald to have really great performances throughout, with MacArthur doing a better job than he did in The Light in the Forest. Unfortunately this is one of those movies that is not on Disney Plus so it's a bit harder to find. I was able to find it at library on VHS, so that was a fun viewing experience. Hopefully once the movie is more readily available it might get the recognition it deserves. 

Darby O'Gill and the Little People

Everyone has movies that they watch during the holidays. Maybe you watch Hocus Pocus for Halloween, or It's a Wonderful Life for Christmas. But what do you watch for a holiday like St. Patrick's Day? For my family we grew up watching Darby O'Gill and the Little People. To me it is still the quintessential St. Patrick's Day film. You have leprechauns, banshees, and a singing Sean Connery! Oh my! About the only other film we watched quite a bit during this season was Waking Ned Devine, but while I love that film, it doesn't hold the same special place in my heart the way Darby does. What I didn't know growing up was that this movie was based off of a novel called Darby O'Gill and the Good People by H.T. Kavanaugh. Walt had discovered the book during a trip to Ireland in 1956. Before that, he had taken an earlier trip to Ireland in 1947 and had wanted to do a movie called Three Wishes, about a man battling a leprechaun. He had tasked writer Lawrence Edward Watkin, who was basically Disney's go-to for treatments in the 50's, to tackle this idea. It never came to fruition, but Disney clearly wanted to still do a movie based on the Emerald Isle. This can be chalked up to the fact that Disney was half Irish himself. 

Once discovering Kavanaugh's book, Disney had Watkins write a script called The Three Wishes of Darby O'Gill. This would eventually morph into the name we know now, Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Disney went out of his way for months to study Irish folklore to get a feel for what he wanted the film to be about, as it wasn't going to be a completely faithful adaption of Darby O'Gill and the Good People. In the end, the writing credit went to both Kavanaugh and Watkins. Robert Stevenson, another Disney mainstay, directed the film. 

The movie is mostly about Darby O'Gill, who is the caretaker for Lord Fitzpatrick's estate. Darby lives with his daughter Katie in the small town of Rathcullen. Darby is obsessed with capturing leprechauns, and that, along with his age, causes him to be retired by Lord Fitzpatrick. He is replaced by the younger Michael McBride, but Darby is able to convince him not to let Katie know that he's been let go. Darby is eventually captured by Brian Connors, the king of the leprechauns, and his clan, to help keep Katie from discovering that he has been retired. Unfortunately, the leprechaun's mountain lair, Knocknasheega, doesn't let humans leave once they have entered, so he is trapped there. He is able to escape by tricking the leprechauns into opening up the mountain entrance by playing "The Fox Chase" on Brian's violin. Concerned that Brian will follow him, Darby starts to drink with the leprechaun king until sunrise hits and the leprechaun's power is gone. Darby captures Brian, which allows him three wishes. Brian is determined to trick Darby into wishing for four things, as that takes away all the wishes that have been asked for. Darby first wishes for Brian to stay with him for two weeks, or until he uses all his wishes. Brian tricks him into wishing his second wish that involves Katie and Michael to become closer. In the mean time, the town bully, Pony Sugrue, decides that he wants Michael's job and Katie for himself. Pony's mother ruins everything by telling Katie about Darby being retired, which causes her to get angry with Darby and Michael. Lord Fitzpatrick's horse, Cleopatra, which is actually a pooka, a mythological beast that can appear as animals and can be either good or evil, escapes and leads Katie to Knocknasheega, the same way it led Darby there earlier in the film. Darby later finds her, but she has been stricken with a deadly fever. She is taken back home to recover but a banshee appears and summons the Dullahan on a death coach to take Katie's soul away. Darby uses his last wish to take her place on the coach, and Brian rides joins to comfort him. Brian has one last trick up his sleeve, however, and tricks Darby into making a fourth wish, that Brian would keep him company in the afterlife. This voids all the other wishes and he is returned back to home. Katie makes a full recovery and everything is as it should be. Well, almost, as Pony (seriously...who names their kid Pony?) is still being a jerk. Michael confronts him in the pub and humiliates him, thus keeping Pony from stealing Katie and his job? Oh, who cares. It's Sean Connery punching someone. Michael and Katie fall in love of course and all is as it should be. 

I really like the cast of this movie, and not just because it's a young singing Sean Connery playing Michael. That does help a lot, though. This was before Connery had been James Bond, so he wasn't a household name at this point. Funny enough, this role is one of the big reasons that Connery landed the role. Producer Albert Broccoli's wife saw this film and went to Broccoli and told him "Well, that is James Bond." Besides Connery, who is by far the most well known actor for current audiences, there aren't a lot of big names. Janet Munro, in her first Disney movie, plays the spunky Katie. Albert Sharpe, who was more well known in Ireland as a stage performer, played Darby O'Gill. Walt had seen Sharpe play the main role in Finian's Rainbow in the late 40's when he was on his first journey to Ireland. By the time Walt was ready to make Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Sharpe had retired from the stage and he had to be tracked down for the role. Jimmy O'Dea played King Brian, who was also known more as a stage performer, but also a comedian. Rounding out the main cast is Kieron Moore as Pony, who was a film and TV actor mainly in the 50's and 60's whose biggest role came in the 1948 adaptation of Anna Karenina opposite Vivien Leigh. I'm glad that they got actors from the U.K. and Ireland to be in this so we didn't have to suffer through any terrible accents, though I'm pretty sure you can still detect a bit of the Scottish brogue with Connery. Connery, who admitted that he wasn't a good singer, has duet with Janet Munro, "Pretty Irish Girl." The song would go on to be released as a single, and did fairly well as Connery recollects. There is a rumor that the dubbed version is what we hear now, and is instead sung by Irish singers Brendan O'Dowda and Ruby Murray. It certainly sounds like Connery to me, so not sure if that's true or not. 

Part of what makes this movie so fascinating is the practical effects they used to make it seem as if Darby O'Gill was conversing with Leprechauns in the same space. Without the benefits of special effects, Disney had to get creative. Forced perspective was used to create the illusion seen in the movie. Forced perspective is pulled off by having some of the actors and sets in the foreground, and some of the actors and sets in the background. This took a lot of planning to make all the shots work and this is one of the cases where I would highly recommend watching the making of special feature for the film, as it really breaks down how they pulled off these complex shots. Sometimes Sharpe would have to stand on a high platform just to get the illusion to work. Often times the shots had to be carefully and heavily lit just to keep shadows from one perspective from casting onto the other. The other trick was to get their eye lines to work. The actors would be fifteen feet apart, and yet it would have to look convincing enough so you'd think they were sitting right in front of them. Both Sharpe and O'Dea had to work on their "eye contact" to keep things looking normal. This is something you'll also notice in movies where you have live actors interacting with animated characters. When the eye lines don't work, it ruins the illusion. One of the more famous anecdotes about Who Framed Roger Rabbit is that Bob Hoskins was looking too far above Roger's head in a scene, so they had to animate Roger backing up against a wall on his tip toes to make the shot work. If you want an example of forced perspective in more modern times, just look at

The Lord of the Rings trilogy. They used forced perspective and body doubles to make it appear that Frodo and the other hobbits were that much smaller than Gandalf and the rest of the Fellowship. The Banshee and Dullahan were both created through the process known as Chroma Key, where in post-production they layer two different shots together. This is what gives them that eerie glow. All I know is that this part of the movie freaked me the hell out as a kid.

Interestingly enough, Disney did not film in Ireland as you might have expected, given that he had done filming in England several times over the last decade. Due to budget constraints and the need for a controlled environment for the practical effects, they shot the film in two giant sound stages, while the outdoor sections were filmed on the lot or at the nearby Albertson Ranch. That being said, there was some footage of Ireland shot by the second unit to make it look more like 19th century Ireland, heavily assisted by matte paintings made by Peter Ellenshaw. Walt's faith in Ellenshaw's skill was one of the main reasons that he decided that they didn't need to film in Ireland. The matte paintings are very beautiful and help establish the scenes as opposed to distracting from them. 

Disney did a lot of promotion of the movie beforehand, most notably with the Disneyland episode, "I Captured the King of the Leprechauns" which aired in late May of 1959. In the episode, Irish actor Pat O'Brien tells Walt of the leprechauns, causing Walt to take a journey to Ireland. Walt meets Darby O'Gill, and finally the king of the leprechauns himself, King Brian. This was all portrayed as if it was a true story, so I imagine many kids started looking in their back yards for evidence of leprechauns. Disney went as far as to not credit any of the leprechaun actors in the film, as to help the illusion that leprechauns were real. The film had its worldwide debut in Dublin on June 24th, 1959, with the U.S. premiere taking place two days later in Los Angeles. While in Dublin, Walt and his wife Lillian met with the president of Ireland, who joined them, along with a large group of underprivileged youths, in watching an early screening of Darby O'Gill and the Little People. The movie was not without its controversy. People in Ireland considered it to be full of stereotypes and the likes of actor Cyril Cusack and Chief Justice (and future President of Ireland) Cearbhall O'Dalaigh picketed the film's debut in Dublin, though they were admittedly excited about having a Disney premiere taking place there and liked Walt Disney himself. 

The film was given mixed reviews when it was first released with people targeting Sharpe's strong performance and some complaining about Connery's more wooden performance. Even if reviewers weren't blown away by the overall plot or performances, they couldn't help but give credit to Disney for the visual effects. Current reviews on the film are very positive, as it enjoys a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Leonard Maltin praised the film calling it "not only one of Disney's best films, but is certainly one of the best fantasies ever put on film." Janet Munro would win a Golden Globe in 1960 for New Star of the Year. Walt was not satisfied with the film's earnings (only 2.6 million) and blamed the lack of star power (he had wanted Barry Fitzgerald who was much more well known than Sharpe, but Fitzgerald was getting old and turned the role down) and American audiences not being able to understand the accents. He would have the film dubbed over to help with this perceived problem. 

Is this a movie you grew up on during March, or is this the first time you're hearing about it? If it's the latter, check it out this year and get lost in this hidden gem!

The Shaggy Dog

 

Move over Old Yeller, there's a new dog in town and he can drive a car. The Shaggy Dog launched a new style for Disney live-action films. While the past films had been mostly historically dramatic action films, Walt felt it was about time to add some comedy to the mix. The Shaggy Dog was the most profitable film at the box office beating out the likes of Some Like It Hot, North by Northwest and even Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Only Ben-Hur ruled over The Shaggy Dog at the box office in 1959. The crazy plot element combinations kept young audience entertained. What other film at the time could give you talks of the Cold War, plotting Russian spies, a hormonal rivalry over two different girls, and a horror fantasy about a teenage boy shapeshifting into a dog from a magical ring? Only Disney could pull this off and keep the insanity going with many more films that shared the common theme of " A story that treated the younger generation and it's problems in a light-hearted manner," as said by Walt Disney. 

Let's rewind the clock to 1930, where the

tale of the Shaggy Dog began. Well, technically it actually began in 1923 with its first publication written in German. In 1930 it was translated into English, releasing it to a wider audience. Felix Salten, an Austrian author penned, The Hound of Florence. If you know your authors his name may seem familiar. You may have even seen his name in a few Disney credits. Felix Salten created the tale of a little deer named Bambi. Walt Disney saw potential in Salten's writings and bought the film rights to five of his stories ( Bambi, Bambi's Children, Perri, City Jungle, and The Hound of Florence). Disney had no intention of actually using all five, but didn't want any other studios scooping them up. 

The Hound of Florence is a little different from The Shaggy Dog. Instead of a Leave it to Beaver mid-twentieth century American life, it takes place in 18th century Austria and Italy. The main character Lukas lost his parents and is living in poverty, longing to study art in Florence, Italy. Lukas sees the rich Archduke Ludwig and wishes he could be in the his company, deciding that even the Archduke's dog Kambyses has a better life than him. With a mysterious magic his wish is granted, but every other day he takes the form of Kambyses, the Archduke Ludwig's dog. The original story holds a sad ending for Lukas as he is in the form of Kambyses. Lukas comes to realize the Archduke is a cruel man. The dog is killed with a dagger. The English translation was tamed down to be like a Disney fairytale happily ever after with Lukas surviving the stabbing, receiving medication and reuniting with his love. The books main theme was focused on critiquing nobility, rich vs poor, but also be careful what you wish for.

Disney first took the idea of The Shaggy Dog to ABC, who was wanting a new TV series. 

"They turned me down flat," Disney recalls. "I was hopping mad when I went back to the studio, so I called in Bill Walsh and said, 'Let's make a feature of it." Without another studio footing the bill to make this feature, Walt needed to figure a way to save money just in case it was not a success. He came up with a brilliant plan. He would use TV actors who were on summer hiatus that were familiar to audiences, but not superstar actors that would demand over the top billing. The Shaggy Dog story follows the Daniels Family. Wilson Daniels, the dog-hating father was played by Fred MacMurray. MacMurray was popular in Noir films like Double Indemnity, but at this time in his career he wasn't getting too many offers. Appearing in The Shaggy Dog and joining the Disney Studio Family revived his career. MacMurray's next film, The Apartment would go on to win the Best Picture Academy Award. He tells a story about a trip to Disneyland with his daughters and how a woman approached him, " Oh Mr. MacMurray I've enjoyed your movies throughout the years. I saw The Apartment ( MacMurray played a philandering boss) last night. How could you? You spoiled the Disney image!" She whacked him over the head with her purse and stormed away. Fred became Walt Disney's favorite actor and appeared in seven Disney films. Tommy Kirk who played MacMurray's son Wilby had this to say about his co-star," He ranks up there with Cary Grant as one of the great light comics."  

Jean Hagen known for playing Lina Lamont in Singing in the Rain dropped her high pitched voice for a warm motherly one playing Freeda Daniels. Wilby and Moochie Daniels were played by Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran. Audiences were familiar with the boys from being brothers in Old 

Yeller and also in special appearances in the Mickey Mouse Club and The Hardy Boys. More recognizable faces joined the cast: Annette Funicello (Mickey Mouse Club) and Tim Considine (Spin and Marty).Though this was Annette's first film role, she received top billing even though her role was quite small compared to her other cast-mates. 

The star of the film was a long-haired Sheepdog named Sammy, actually Lillybrad's Sammy's Shadow, but that's a mouthful so we will stick with just Sammy. Twenty dogs auditioned for the role of Chiffon the Shaggy Dog, with three dogs to be casted, but most dogs were found emotionally unstable and Disney was impressed by Sammy's temperament and obedience. Sammy was pretty much top of his class in William Koehler's obedience school, passing with flying colors in just nine weeks. William Koehler trained dogs for the movie industry. His Allied Movie Dogs Association would provide lots more dogs for future projects for Disney productions like The Incredible Journey, Big Red, That Darn Cat,  and The Ugly Dachshund. Instead of the three dogs that were supposed to be hired, only Sammy was used, plus for certain scenes there was a sheep dog costume worn by several people including Tommy Kirks younger brother Johnny. There is one particular scene audiences would assume the costumed dog would of been used and that's the Shaggy Dog driving a car- nope that's actually Sammy behind the wheel. He did most of the stunts in the film. Koehler was able to get a wide range of expressions and attitudes from Sammy by doing simple tricks like ducking out of sight and emitting suspicious sounds and showing him dog toys or a crispy bone. Fred MacMurray had this to say about his costar, "Dogs can be the worst scene-stealers in the business, worse than kids. But this fellow is something I've never had to compete with before - a dog comedian. And lets face it he has the best part in the picture. A shaggy dog kept the whole cast and crew in stitches. He even broke me, that's no laughing matter. I knew I had to give everything I had to keep him from walking away with the picture. It wouldn't have been so bad if he'd been just a trick dog. I tell you he's an actor. I never saw any amateur catch on to the business so fast as this one did. He is a natural screen personality." On the first take Sam walked into a bedroom, closed the door, opened a dresser drawer, took out pajamas with his teeth and entered the bathroom and closed the door. The cast and crew were giddy with excitement. Roberta Shore who played Franceska said, " The dog, seriously was almost human." In order for a talking dog to look believable dialogue was written afterwards to match the mouth movements of the dog. Sammy received lots of treats- with the use of beef jerky to help aid in his mouth movements. But I know you don't really care about how they got Sammy to talk, you want to know how they taught a sheep dog to drive a car.

Driving lessons first started off in a wheel barrow and then onto a flat four wheel platform to get Sammy used to the motion. He then moved onto a specialty designed hot rod. Stuntman, Carey Loftin was the real driver of the hot rod hiding underneath. Metal was cut away under the dashboard and right through the hood on the right side so he would be able to see the road. For night shooting a series of lights on the right hand side of the road was used so Carey could follow the road. Loftin's steering wheel was synchronized with the steering wheel Sam used so it looked like Sam was driving. A special bucket seat was made for Sammy to sit in and hair covered mittens were laced to the steering wheel for Sam to slide in his paws. He also followed the rules of safety and wore a seat belt that was hidden under all his shaggy fur. Assistant Director Arthur Vitarelli, " The dog would look over the top of the windshield and out the side. It looked like he was really driving."

Filming first started on August 4,1958. The role of director went to Charles Barton, who had background included directing Spin and Marty, Zorro, and Abbott and Costello films. The film only cost one and quarter million dollars. Not only did Disney save on the cost from his cast hiring but with location shooting. Instead of building new sets he used the Universal back lot Cul-de-sac colonial neighborhood used for other TV shows and future films like The Munsters, The Burbs, Leave it to Beaver and even Desperate Housewives. The film was shot in black and white. There is some debate of why this was. Some say it was to not bring attention to primitive special effects, especially Wilby transforming into a sheep dog. I believe it was also nod to monster movies. Disney advertised it as a hip Teenage Monster Movie, making it the first comedy about a shapeshifting teenager. Released on March 19th, 1959 it grossed $9.6 million and then with all it's later releases and rentals it earned $12.3 million. With the films success, audiences were guaranteed to see more of Fred MacMurray who stared in seven Disney films, next up was The Absent-Minded Professor. He would also be rejoined with Tim Considine who would play one of his sons in the TV show, My Three Sons. Tommy Kirk, Kevin Cocoran, Fred MacMurray, and Annette Funicello would cross paths with each other through a few more Disney films, making them the go-to actors that Disney knew audiences loved to see. Several more Shaggy Dogs were made throughout the years, 1976's sequel The Shaggy D.A. , a 1987 tv sequel and a 1994 remake and then Tim Allen's 2006 version. But you maybe wondering whatever happened to Sammy?  He pretty much retired after the film only making a few TV appearances and gracing the cover of Life Magazine. His paw prints were immortalized in the court yard of the Burbank Animal Shelter in California and he won a 1960s Patsy- Picture Animal Top Star of the Year. Not such a bad life for a dog, especially one that can drive a car.