The Littlest Outlaw

For Disney's seventh live-action film they traveled to Mexico for the original story, The Littlest Outlaw. Disney went from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a movie with a huge budget and huge production, to a much smaller endeavor in The Littlest Outlaw. Disney was like that with his animation, too. One year you get an expensive masterpiece in Fantasia, and then you get a much lower budget, but equally good, Dumbo. Disney now knew that he could make a big budget film that would do well, but that didn't mean he was going to keep rolling that dice. The idea for The Littlest Outlaw was thought up by Larry Lansburg, who had been with Disney Studios for ten years. He was mostly known for directing animal shorts like Stormy, the Thoroughbred(1954) and Beauty and the Bull (1954). After bringing this new story to Disney he was made a producer while Bill Walsh made the Lansburg story into a screenplay. The last piece of the puzzle was Roberto Gavaldon, who was brought on to direct.

The Littlest Outlaw tells the story of a 10 year
old boy, Pablito, who is the stepson of Chato the horse trainer. His step-father gets the job of training the great general's horse, Conquistador,  to jump in the grand race competition. Chato makes a bet with money he does not have, claiming Conquistador will jump the brick wall and the General will win the competition. Chato does everything he can to get Conquistador to make the jump. Let's just say PETA would not be happy. Pablito also received the same abuse when he tries to step in and rescue the horse. So in conclusion his step-father is scum (sadly there is no sign of a mother in this film). Chatos's tactics backfire and he traumatizes the horse into not jumping the wall at all. The General loses the competition and Chatos owes a lot of money. Later the General's stubborn daughter takes Conquistador for a ride, determined she can get the horse to jump the wall. The General's daughter is thrown from the horse and potentially paralyzed. This of course sends the General into a rage and demands the horse be killed. While Pablito's step-father retrieves the gun Pablito takes the General's horse and sneaks off into the night, becoming an outlaw. Pablito shows incredible courage throughout his journey, running into banditos, gypsies, a bull, and a priest ( sounds like the beginning of a terrible joke). All while outrunning his abusive step-father.

Instead of shooting the film in California's backlots the production took place all in Mexico to make the film authentic and show Mexico's beautiful landscapes and culture with festivals and bull fights. Mexico's rugged beauty was boosted with the use of Technicolor. A great deal of scenes were shot in and around historical city Grand San Miguel Allende. The ranch scenes were at Rancho Meson Del Prado and most of if not all horses were from the Mexican Army Equestrian team. In the beginning of the film is some incredible footage of how the military trains their horses to handle different terrain and obstacles.

The cast was made up of bilingual actors that could speak both Spanish and English. This was very smart for Disney to do because they saved money and time on having to dub the film. Instead the film was shot twice, once in English and then Spanish. This also meant the film could be directly released into the Spanish speaking market. These talented bilingual actors you might not be too familiar with compared to some of the repeat actors Disney casts in his films (Driscoll, Corrigan, Todd, Mills), but they have sure done a lot of work. Pedro Armendariz, who plays General Torres you may have seen in the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love as Kerim Bey. Joseph Calleia plays Padre, the kind priest, who later in 1958 would appear next to Orson Welles in Touch of Evil. The character of Chato was played by Rodolfo Acosta who could be found in countless westerns throughout his career. Pablito, The Littlest Outlaw himself, was played by Andres Velazquez. He would only appear in a few films and a TV spot before quitting show business with his last film in 1957, which is too bad because he received high praise for his acting in The Littlest Outlaw.

The film was released in U.S. theaters right before Christmas, December 22, 1955. There were several other Disney films released this year: Lady and the Tramp, The African Lion, and Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier, all overshadowing The Littlest Outlaw. Reviews were mixed and its box office earnings were only $1.6 million. The New York Times called it "often hackneyed," and more for kids than adults. Leonard Maltin's honest review claimed, " the secret of this charming film is in the way it was shot. The story is so slight that it would have been pointless unless it had seemed real by filming it entirely on location. Using interior and exterior sites alike, and getting natural, winning performances from the cast, producer Lansburgh and director Roberto Gavaldon succeeded in their goal." Personally, the story was lacking- some characters seemed under developed and just quickly thrown in instead of enriching the film. The ending seemed rushed too and was missing some important elements and dialogue. Instead of stopping Pablito and the horse from continuing to run away, the General ( who has forgiven them at the end of the film) just figures eventually they will come home. Ugh, the kid still thinks you want the horse dead and doesn't want to come back to his abusive step-father! But of course since its Disney all is magically okay in the end.

 I will put some of the blame on Walt Disney himself ( yes, yes I know I can't really blame him). Usually Walt Disney was very hands-on for all of his films, wanting to know every detail and help perfect it, but he had a bigger project in the works: Disneyland. All his focus would be 100% into making sure the gates opened to the Magical Kingdom without a hitch on July 17th 1955 ( now that story is interesting and you should look that up sometime).
So, if you want to have your heart strings tugged just a little bit and like horses go find The Littlest Outlaw.

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

Disney was tired of filming in the U.K. While Treasure Island and Robin Hood proved to be financial successes and for the most part were met with critical praise, his latter two films in the U.K., The Sword and the Rose and Rob Roy, were not. Wanting to film primarily in Burbank on a soundstage, Disney realized that a property that he had on the backburner for some time, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, would be perfect. Disney had first considered making the Jules Verne story into an animated film in the early 40's, but changed it to a live action in the early 50's since he had been finding some success in that medium. 20,000 Leagues would prove to be a turning point for the Disney company, as it was completely different in scope from his previous four films in the U.K. Those were made relatively cheap thanks to the funds left over from WWII in U.K. and thus there wasn't a huge risk in them failing. 20,000 Leagues ended up being the most expensive movie ever made at that point in history, topping out at a production cost of $9 million thanks to the elaborate sets, star power, and delays. If it performed poorly, Disney had a very good chance of facing financial ruin.

Story Background

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea was written by the French author Jules Verne and was published in 1870. Originally serialized from 1869 to 1870, the story proved to be a humongous hit and is considered one of the greatest sci-fi novels of all time and a precursor to the steampunk genre. The movie stays pretty true to the book, only straying in a few ways. The story follows Professor Pierre Aronnax, a French marine biologist and the narrator of the story. He is tasked with joining an expedition to kill a mysterious sea beast that has been compared to a giant narwhal. Joining him are his loyal assistant Conseil and master harpoonist Ned Land. Once on the expedition the crew is attacked by the mysterious beast and the three main characters fall into the ocean, holding onto the beast's "hide". To their surprise it is not a monster at all but a futuristic submarine. They are quickly captured and taken aboard to meet the enigmatic Captain Nemo. Nemo is a man of no nation, a man at war with "civilization". He travels around the world in his electric-powered submarine called the Nautilus and seeks knowledge, along with a bit of revenge to the nameless nation that destroyed his family. Nemo is bound and determined to keep his work a secret so he tells the men that they can never leave the Nautilus. 

Aronnax and Conseil marvel at all the wonders that Nemo shows them, but Ned wants nothing but to escape his underwater prison. They visit many fantastic places, even the lost city of Atlantis, but the fun comes to an end when the ship is set upon by a pack of "pouples", which literally translates to octopus in French, but is usually named giant squids. They are able to fight off the pack though they lose a crew member. Nemo begins to change in demeanor, ignoring Aronnax, though he enjoyed having scientific discussions with him before. The Nautilus is attacked by a warship from the hated nation and Nemo destroys it though Aronnax begs him to have mercy. Aronnax is horrified by Nemo's actions and knows now that they must escape the Nautilus at all costs. Nemo falls into a depression; the appearance of the hated nation reminds him of his family and with him distracted the Nautilus appears to be moving around randomly. Ned and the others see this as an opportunity to escape and they steal a dinghy. Aronnax sees Nemo one last time, who is still despondent and seemingly ready to die. The Nautilus unfortunately wandered into a maelstrom while the three escape, but they make it out alive and get to an island off the coast of Norway. Disney's version follows the same beats, but instead has them visit Vulcania, Nemo's secret island base. It is inferred that Nemo holds the secret to nuclear power and once his enemies find the island to find his secrets, he blows the island to kingdom come. Nemo is mortally injured by a bullet while planting the bomb and declares that he will take the sub down one last time. Luckily for Ned, Aronnax and Conseil, the sub hits a reef on its way down and they are able to escape, leaving Nemo to his fate. Other than that it seems the biggest change was having the one giant squid attack the sub. 

Production 

Disney had enough of doing costume dramas and sought to make something that would be an epic turn for Disney movies. For 20,000 Leagues he wanted a bigger production, bigger stars (sorry, Richard Todd), and a local production. Disney had two soundstages, but they weren't able to be used for this kind of production, so soundstage 3 was built, complete with a water tank. Along with sinking a ton of money into the new soundstage and production, Disney was also starting a little park known as Disneyland. Much of the credit to the film's success has been attributed to the unfortunately uncredited production designer for the movie, Harper Goff (Goff was not a union member, so he had to go uncredited). Goff had been part of the production since it was still be considered an animated film. He was responsible for the look of Captain Nemo's famous vessel, the Nautilus. Goff always thought that the shark and alligator looked very dangerous when swimming so he took those characteristics and used them in the Nautilus's design. Walt actually didn't like Goff's design at first because he was expecting something simpler, something closer to how Jules Verne described in his book. Goff was able to convince Walt of his design by explaining that Nemo built it using iron salvaged at his island hideout. 

Disney went searching for a director for his risky endeavor. He had enjoyed the family comedy, The Happy Time (1952), written by Earl Felton and directed by Richard Fleischer and approached the latter to be a part of the production. Fleischer was a little surprised by this, but Disney claimed that he liked him so much because Disney's contract actor Bobby Driscoll was in The Happy Time and "if anybody can make an actor out of that kid, he's got to be a good director." It seemed that Disney had soured on the child actor and would drop him as an employee soon after Peter Pan premiered in 1953. The ironic thing about Disney hiring Fleischer was that Richard was the son of Max Fleischer, who ran Fleischer Studios in the 30's and 40's. Fleischer Studios and Disney were bitter rivals during this time, but Fleischer had long been absorbed into Paramount Studios and Max was enjoying his retirement. Max even gave the hiring his blessing and buried the hatchet with Walt, eventually becoming good friends. Richard Fleischer and Earl Felton were a fundamentally a duo, so Walt hired them both for 20,000 Leagues. Felton's script attempted to give Nemo more of a motivation for his actions. Nemo wasn't just sinking a warship out of revenge, but to destroy a vessel carrying munitions to war, so in his mind he was saving countless lives. He also added a story addition of Nemo and most of the crew being slaves at one point, which helped make Nemo a more sympathetic character. Disney, for one reason or another, decided to hedge his bets and have another writer, John Tucker Battle, known for his sci-fi scripts do his own treatment. Ultimately none of Battle's script would make it into the movie, which is a testament to Felton's script. 20,000 Leagues would become the first live action production to be storyboarded from start to finish, adding up to 1300 drawings. 

Stage 3 would prove not be enough room for Disney and they would have to borrow space at Universal and 20th Century Fox's backlots. Filming also took place in tropical locations for the underwater shots, namely in the Bahamas and Jamaica. The underwater funeral scene was very tricky to shoot, but it was nothing compared to the scene dedicated to the giant squid attack on the Nautilus. Filmed in Stage 3, the scene utilized a full size mechanical squid with rubber and steel springs used for its tentacles. The tentacles would be moved by wires that hung from above. The scene originally called for the attack to happen at sunset against a calm sea. They finished the whole shoot with this set up and then Walt saw a screening of the scene. Though Fleischer had done everything he could, he could not make the squid look realistic in any sense. Walt demanded changes because all he could see was a bunch of wires holding up some limp tentacles. The idea then came about that they should instead film it to be a night scene and during a terrible storm. Hydraulics were used to improve the movement of the tentacles and the night and storm helped cover up the wires, thus making everything look much better. The re-shoot cost the company six additional weeks of production and $200,000. Considering that this scene is the one people remember the most from the movie, I would say it was worth it. 

Cast

Though most of the cast is not recognizable to people under 30, it was full of some of the biggest stars of that era. James Mason was cast as Captain Nemo, who had made a name for himself in Britain in the 40's, quickly became one of the biggest stars in the U.S. by the early 50's, starring in such pictures as The Desert Fox (1951) and A Star Is Born (1954) with Judy Garland. Mason brought the gravitas needed for portraying Nemo, as that role was the most important in making the film work. Perhaps the most recognizable star in the film is Kirk Douglas, who at the time of this writing is still alive and kicking at 102. Douglas played the master harpooner Ned Land, who is about the polar opposite of the stoic and moody Captain Nemo. Douglas was used to playing very serious roles, so him playing a light-hearted character was a welcome change of pace for him. Douglas gets the only song of the movie, singing the incredibly infectious "Whale of a Tale". Truth be told, this was about the only exposure to this movie that I got as a kid, because the song was on a Disney music compilation CD and on the Disney Singalongs: Under The Sea. Playing Professor Aronnax was Paul Lukas, best known before this movie for Watch on the Rhine (1943) for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Unfortunately Lukas, at age 60, was suffering from memory problems and would lash out at cast and crew members, making the production tense at time. Famous character actor Peter Lorre rounds out the cast, playing Aronnax's assistant Conseil. Lorre's major films included The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942), and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). His career fell off after 20,000 Leagues, mainly because he was routinely typecast as a sinister foreigner. 

Reception

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea would be the first film distributed in-house for Disney, as their contract with RKO had run out and Disney was in no hurry to renew. In his mind RKO had taken far too much money for each film, so he created Buena Vista Distribution, named for the street that Disney Studios is located. 20,000 Leagues opened just before Christmas in 1954 to excellent reviews. Critics singled out the production value and star performances, something that hasn't changed when the film has been re-assessed in the modern era. The film ended up being the second highest grossing film of the year domestically with $8 million. In total the film grossed $28.2 million, making the $9 million budget worth it in the long run, though initially it didn't make any profit for Disney, though the film showed the world that Disney could make big budget live action movies. The film would be recognized at the Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects, and deservedly so. Again, since Production Designer Harper Goff was not a union member, he did not receive an award for his contributions. The film was, along with Mary Poppins, the biggest of Walt's career and is still considered not only one of the best live action Disney movies, but also sci-fi adventure movies.

In The Parks

The set of 20,000 Leagues was put to good use after the movie wrapped, being shipped over to Disneyland when it opened in 1955 as a walkthrough attraction in the Tomorrowland section that detailed the production of the popular movie. This stayed in the park until 1966 when Tomorrowland was revamped and the walkthrough was replaced by Adventures Thru Inner Space. A similar walkthrough would open decades later at Disneyland Paris called Les Mysteres Du Nautilus. The Magic Kingdom at Disney World would be the first to get a 20,000 Leagues ride, opening with the park in 1971. This ride had people go into a submarine that appeared to submerge, but was just barely underwater. It would take you through a narration of the story and you would see different creatures and such through the portholes until the fateful giant squid attacked. The ride was popular but very expensive to run and maintain, so it eventually closed in 1994. The next park to get a 20,000 Leagues ride was Tokyo DisneySea. This version, though being a spiritual successor to the Disney World version, is much more technologically advanced, with the bright idea to not have you submerged underwater at all, but just create visuals to make it look like you are. The ride has been open since 2001 at the park and is moderately popular, so hopefully it will stick around a bit longer than the Disney World version. 

Primary Research:

http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/152601%7C0/20-000-Leagues-Under-the-Sea.htm

Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue

 Grab your tartan and head to the Scottish Highlands for Walt Disney's 1953 film, Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue. It is based off of tales from history and legend passed down from authors like Daniel Defoe ( also wrote Robinson Crusoe) and maybe hints from Sir Walter Scott novel, Rob Roy. What I learned from Disney's Rob Roy is don't take away a man's name, as that is his whole identity and his pride. Robert Roy came from the clan of MacGregor. You could say he was the Scottish Robin Hood.

So before I go into the Disney version let me try to explain the history of the real Rob Roy. I say try because there are different legends that make up the man. Depending on who you ask, many of the stories are made up, or did actually happen. Rob Roy, like Robin Hood, could be called a hero or an outlaw. Rob Roy MacGregor grew up living in the Highlands where life was simple. The only problem was the Lowlands clans that were changing with the times and were the "upperclass" who did not care for the Highlanders' simple ways. This led to a feud between the Highland and Lowland clans over time. Plus a switch to the Great Britains throne didn't help matters for the Highlanders. Due to the 1701 Act of Settlement and later the 1707 Act of Union, the throne could no longer go to a Catholic so Queen Anne's distant relative George from Hanover (Germany) became the new ruler because he was a Protestant. There was over fifty Roman-Catholics closer to the throne than he was. Without this silly rule the crown would of been Anne's half brother, James Francis Edward Stuart. The Highlanders, being strict Catholics, did not care for the new king and devoted themselves to fighting for James making themselves Jacobites.

The Lowlands had the government on their side and created laws banning the MacGregor name because of fighting as Jacobites. They also confiscated property like cattle, land, and even women and children ( Habeas Corpus Suspension Act of 1715). This heinous act was brought about by a man just like the Sheriff of Nottingham, The Duke of Montrose. He held a grudge towards Rob Roy after money he had loaned Rob Roy for the purchase of cattle was stolen ( he believed Rob had pocketed the money himself. The money was stolen by or from Rob Roy's lead cattle driver who was assigned to purchase the cattle). The Count of Montrose proclaimed Rob Roy an outlaw and went about burning his house, taking away his property (cattle), and throwing Rob Roy in jail. Rob Roy had friends within the jail and escaped. Rob Roy MacGregor was a proud Highlander and would not go down without a fight and took to arms. He stole back "his" cattle ( they could of been his or just a wealthy lowlands herd), plus got revenge for the burning of his house and foul treatment to his wife while he was gone.

Due to his fighting with the Jacobites and the mess that the Duke of Montrose caused him, Rob Roy MacGregor became famous during this time, especially after the publishing of Daniel Dafoe's book about him, The Highland Rogue. King George even read of his tale and pardoned him in 1726, allowing Rob Roy MacGregor to live in peace for the rest of his life.

" Rob Roy you are a Great Rogue"- King George " And you Sire a Great King."- Rob Roy

Ok the history lesson is done. On to the Disney side of things! " I like history", said Walt Disney. "It's universal. Subjects like Robin Hood and the Tudors appeal to everyone. And costumes don't date, you know. I can release these films over and over again and they won't get the kind of laughs you get from modern subjects made ten years back subjects." This time Disney moved filming to the Highlands of Scotland around Corrie Grennan, Aberfoyle and studio scenes shot at Elstree. Unfortunately, Walt's preferred director Annakin from his previous film The Sword and the Rose was not available due to Rank Organisation refusing to loan him out. Walt then gave the directorial job to Harold French.

The cast looked very familiar, mirroring The Sword and Rose with leading man Richard Todd as Rob Roy and love interest Helen Mary played by Glynis Johns. Along with James Robertson Justice as The Duke of Argyll and the villainous Duke of Montrose played by Michael Gough. Absolutely no offense to Richard Todd but watching these Disney films in order I'm going to be happy to see a different face in the leading role. I think the main difference between his films is the "growing" of facial hair.

I know Disney used the same actors over and over again like Kurt Russell and Hayley Mills. They probably had a so many pictures contract but I didn't have issues with seeing these familiar faces because I wasn't watching the live-action Disney films in order like I am now. Anyway, for this film they had the budget of $1.8mil. Richard Todd's fee alone was £15,000. Todd said of Rob Roy, " Roy instituted the first protection racket." So just assuming Todd was doing the same thing asking for more money. 

One thing that still seems to draw ticket buyers is a film with action and Disney made sure there was more of it for Rob Roy with lots of battle scenes. If you are looking for blood and guts though you won't find it- there is no blood on the injured, even after being stabbed or shot. Richard Todd actually injured himself on his first charge scene, stepping into a rabbit hole and hurting his ankle. An interesting fact about those soldiers extras was they were soldiers of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who had just returned from the Korean War. According to an article written by the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners Advocate the soldiers were only paid their normal pay of 7 shillings a day while the war office received 25 shillings a day. Questions were raised in British Parliament about this injustice.

The film premiered at the Royal Command Performance in London on October 26, 1953 with Queen Elizabeth the II in attendance. The U.S. premiere later occured on February 4, 1954. This was the last Disney film to be released through RKO Radio Pictures. New York Times critic Bosley Crowther had this to say of the film, " A fine lot of fighting among the hills, shooting of rifles, banging of claymore, smirking of pipes and buzzing of burrs, filmed and recorded in color on the actual Scottish countryside. And while Mr. Todd is not precisely the Rob Roy that history records, he is indeed a satisfactory fabrication until a better Rob Roy comes along." 1995's Rob Roy starring Liam Neeson???? Director Harold French called the film, "a western with kilts." In June of 1954 Walt Disney sadly admitted both The Sword and the Rose and Rob Roy were " not up to expectation", in the U.S. but performed better in other countries. Rob Roy was expected to at least return their cost. Due to this, Walt decided to pull back on continuing to make elaborate historic costumed pictures. Instead for his next film he would take his audience under the sea and no I'm not talking The Little Mermaid.

The Sword and the Rose

This next live-action Disney film The Sword and the Rose you may be less familiar with compared to the classic tales of Treasure Island and Robin Hood. I know I had never heard of it. The origin of this tale, though, was quite popular in it's day, but was known as When Knighthood was in Flower.
The novel was written by American author Charles Major, but under the pen name of Edwin Caskoden. Why the pen name? My guess is because he was also a lawyer and wanted to distinguish himself separately. Published in 1898, When Knighthood was in Flower told the historical fiction romance tale of Princess Mary, sister to King Henry VIII and her love for commoner Charles Brandon and the struggles they had to endure to be together. This Tudor tale became an instant hit and was on the best sellers list for three years. It spawned an entire industry of historical romantic novels and later, films. Not bad for Charles Mayor's first novel. This story would be adapted first into a Broadway play by Paul Kester in 1901, premiering at Criterion Theatre. Then several film adaptations emerged in 1908, 1922(silent films)and of course the Disney film adaptation we are talking about in 1953.

But first a quick history lesson so you become familiar with the historical figures in Charles Major's story and Disney film. 16th Century England is the place and King Henry VIII is on the thrown. This is where that catchy Herman Hermits song 'I'm Henry VIII' song starts playing. Anyway he is the guy who had lots of wives throughout his life, I believe the total was six. He first marries Catherine of Aragon but bores of her because of piqued interest for Anne Boleyn. ( The Sword and the Rose hints at this in the royal dance scene) He takes on the Pope, creating the English Reformation to get a divorce. During this time the Roman Catholic Church made the laws and divorce was a big no-no. Horny Henry made it so the church no longer had final jurisdiction. Of course, Anne Boleyn would regret ever meeting the King because he would later take her head.

King Henry VIII had a little sister named Mary. She was known for her beauty and the King benefited from this by throwing her into the 1514 peace treaty with France. She would be forced to wed King Louis XII of France, who was over 30 years her senior ( Mary only being 18 and Louis 52). Of course Mary was not happy about this because she was in love with Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk. Her brother threatened Charles' life if she refused to marry the French king, " You will marry France and I will give a wedding present - Charles Brandon's head." Thankfully for Mary's sake King Louis XII kick the bucket only 3 months after they wed. Not producing an heir to the thrown, Mary was able to return to England. King Henry VIII had made a promise to his dear sister that after the French king's death she may marry whomever she liked. That is anybody but Charles Brandon. The king's council did not care for Brandon to receive more power. Defying her brother Mary went ahead and secretly married Charles. This enraged the King, but eventually he forgave them because he loved his sister and the money he was forcing her to pay him for "allowing" them to be married.

Now you have the jist of the story and it's main characters, let's talk about the actual production of The Sword and the Rose. With money still trapped in England ( read Treasure Island blog for more details) Disney figured why not keep the same production crew that he used for Robin Hood. Ken Annakin stayed as director, Perce Pearce producer and screenplay written by Lawerence Edward Watkin. Ken Annakin and Carmin Dillion worked together producing storyboards for the film- something quite new for Disney live action films, only using it before for Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Making storyboards helped speed up the process of knowing the shots you wanted the camera man to get. All storyboards had to get Disney's seal of approval, though. Mr. Disney would help oversee the production sporadically from June to Sept 1952 ( he was also on family vacation as he had done for previous films like Treasure Island). He gave the crew a lot of freedom, feeling confident in their work so they didn't feel too uptight when he came around the set.

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Because of all the pre-production work, studio sets were favored over natural settings (natural settings you worry about lighting and weather too much). These studio sets were designed by the very talented Peter Ellenshaw. He painted 62 different scenes total. Leonard Maltin in his review of for The Sword and the Rose praised the set designer, "Ellenshaw's work was such that it is sometimes impossible to tell where painting ends and reality begins." Peter Ellenshaw's work on the film gave him a "lifetime contract" with Disney Studio.

There too were a few familiar faces in front of the camera. Richard Todd, who played Robin Hood, now took on the lead heartthrob of Charles Brandon. You could say that Disney had found his favorite leading man for the next couple of films. James Robertson Justice aka Little John now put on the royal crown of King Henry VIII. Personally, I think Richard Todd was just okay in this film and shined more as Robin and James Justice, while did fine in Robin Hood, he really stood out as the King. Gracing the screen as Princess Mary was Gylnis Johns, who you will probably know as playing Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins. It was such a delight to hear her distinguished, chipper voice. Gylnis has said that she enjoyed the making of this film over most of her other films because of it being a costumed action romance film. Another face that you may know but don't realize it is Michael Gough, Batman's Alfred during the late 80's and through the 90's. He is playing the villain of the film, the Duke of Buckingham, who pines for Mary but she puts him in the friend-zone. This doesn't work for him and devises a dastardly plan.

Everyone worked so well together staying true to the way the characters were described in the book. James and Gylnis portrayed the brother-sister bond so well with bouts of antagonizing and manipulation but showing they love each other as brothers and sisters should. Richard Todd and Gylnis Johns had some good chemistry too. In an interview with Richard Todd he said, " We got on marvously, like kids." To get Gylnis best work director Ken Annakin would make sure Richard was not too far away just in case Gylnis needed a little pick me up after long scenes or rehearsals. Before filming began, the cast went through 6 months of practicing dancing, horse back riding and fencing. Gylnis enjoyed learning the Tudor dances because she was already a dancer. 

Not everything was peachy keen during the filming of The Sword and the Rose. There was a union strike at the studio which shut down production. In an interview Glynis Johns recalls this, saying one day when Todd, Gough, and herself were in the water tank shooting the films big fencing scene all the lights were shut off. During this time everyone stayed calm. Johns said she distinctly remembers how calm Ken was. " Ken is a terrific guy, overseeing and guiding wonderful scenes of humor, it was always there, twinkle in his eye was always there." Soon enough production would get back on track and finish filming.

Great research was done for this film to make

the film as historically accurate as possible. But even with all the research there were still some liberties made. The subplot of the Duke of Buckingham for instance is completely fictional. While there was a Duke of Buckingham he did not pine for Princess Mary's affection and plot Charles' demise. He was married to Eleanor Percy. Charles Brandon was actually a childhood friend of the king and not a random commoner like in the film. Brandon did not seek to go to the New World either, as serious voyages would not take place until Elizabeth I ruling, some 50 years later.

The Sword and the Rose was released on August 8, 1953. The budget had exceeded Robin Hood but only earned $2.5mil. Audiences and critics were just not as entertained. The New York Times review called the film, " a time consuming tangle of mild satisfaction." Reading other opinions I have found most people just found the film boring, not liking the dialogue and wishing for more action scenes with sword fighting. Of course the novel shares more of Charles Brandon's background and has more sword play, so as usual the book is better than the film. But still give The Sword and the Rose a chance, there are some enjoyable, witty scenes.

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men

Walt Disney's first live action film, Treasure Island, was a hit for the company and along with the success of Cinderella, saw the company in good standing after the war. Though due to the war, Disney and RKO still had money frozen in Great Britain, so Disney thought it best to continue filming movies there for the time being. Perce Pearce, who Walt has used as producer on Song of the South, So Dear To My Heart, and Treasure Island, was back, but this film enlisted some new blood. Guy Green, who won an Oscar for Best Cinematography in 1946 for Great Expectations, came on as cameraman. Carmen Dillon, who won an Oscar for her Art Direction in 1948's Hamlet, came on as art director and would come back for The Sword and the Rose (1953). And last but not least, Ken Annakin, who would have a long relationship with the Disney company, would direct. Besides Pearce and Disney, everyone on the cast and crew was British. Walt was determined not to have the same issues he had with work permits that he did on Treasure Island. It was decided that they would stay in the same vein of action-adventure films and tackle the legend of Robin Hood. Like Treasure Island, Robin Hood represented a popular story that would be known to most audiences.

Story Background

The legend of Robin Hood has been around since the 1300's, first as part of poems and ballads. There have been many different versions of the Robin Hood story, with some including or omitting such characters as Friar Tuck, Maid Marian, or Little John. It wasn't until Robin Hood started to be adapted as a children's story in the 19th century that you start to get a clearer picture of the Robin Hood tale we know today. Howard Pyle's 1883 novel, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, is perhaps the most influential on 20th century adaptations of the tale.This novel cemented Robin Hood as a philanthropic character; someone who stole from the rich to give to the poor. It was only a matter of time before Robin Hood came to silver screen. The very first adaption was a silent film in 1912, though the best known adaptations are the 1922 silent Douglas Fairbanks version and the 1938 Errol Flynn version. The Errol Flynn version has become the gold standard for Robin Hood films, thus causing many filmmakers to make their movies about Robin Hood's son instead.

Production Background

Annakin and Disney knew their film would be compared to Errol Flynn's version no matter what, but they set out to make it their own film. Annakin recalled:

"I remember talking about the original Errol Flynn Robin Hood,  and I looked at it, just to get an idea what had been done before, because I never like to do anything twice. Walt didn't seem very worried about seeing the original, and in fact, I doubt if he ever did. His approach is always that the the film is a Disney picture, and therefore, because of his attitudes and approach, the picture is bound to be different from anything else made on the subject before."

Perhaps the biggest difference in this version versus prior adaptations is the addition of Robin Hood's father and his murder by the Sheriff's men. This gives the film a revenge plot line in addition to the standard Robin Hood fare. Three separate shooting crews were made for the film, one doing exterior action shots and two interior crews at Denham Studios. Something that helped set this film apart from others was the fact that the exterior shots were mostly shot in the real Sherwood forest in England. Walt came out for the better part of a summer to work with Annakin on the film. Walt had started the practice of storyboarding his live action movies years before, but it was new to Annakin. Annakin may not have been accustomed to the practice, but it helped keep the production from hitting too many pitfalls. By being able to effectively block out the scenes ahead of time, it made it so they had much less wasted shots or setups. Filming in technicolor at that time was laborious and it took lots of time to reload the camera and to check components after each shot, so it was important to know what you were doing ahead of time.

Cast

Richard Todd plays the eponymous Robin Hood, and does a fine job even with the character being strongly associated with Errol Flynn. Again, as Walt had desired, Todd made the character his own. Walt liked Todd so much that he ended up using him as the main character in his next two live action films, The Sword and the Rose and Rob Roy. Playing Robin Hood's love interest Maid Marion is Joan Rice. Rice had been hand-picked by Disney, but the casting apparently didn't sit well with Richard Todd. Todd was a bit older than Rice and Rice had only been in two films before Robin Hood, so he felt that someone with more experience could have brought something better to the role. Be that as it may, they have great chemistry in the movie, shown in the beginning as playful sweethearts, and then later in the film as taking on a more mature relationship. Other notable cast members include Peter Finch as the Sheriff of Nottingham. If that name seems familiar, you may recognize him better as Howard Beale in the 1976 movie Network. Finch, unfortunately now is known mostly for that role and even more-so for dying shortly after the movie premiered but then posthumously winning Best Actor at the 1977 Academy Awards.Finch was just seeing his star rise in the early 50's and would go on to win multiple BAFTA awards for Best Actor. James Hayter, who portrayed Friar Tuck in the film, would go on to portray the character again in 1967's A Challenge For Robin Hood.

Release

Ahead of the wide release, Disney released a promotional short called The Riddle of Robin Hood. It served as the making of The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, and included segments with Walt Disney, Perce Pearce, and Ken Annakin, among others.  Robin Hood and His Merrie Men had its premiere in London on March 13th, 1952, with a wider release in July of that year. While critical reception to the film was not uniformly great, especially in the U.K., it ended up being one of the highest grossing in Britain. It would go on to gross over 4.5 million in the U.S., making it a hit on par with Treasure Island. Robin Hood and His Merrie Men would not see another theatrical release, but would air on Disneyland in 1955. It was released on Laserdisc in 1992, with a VHS release in 1994. Nowadays you can purchase a DVD or digital copy from the Disney website. Disney would go on to release an animated version of the Robin Hood story in 1973, with that version largely overshadowing this live action undertaking.

Sources:

• https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/disney-films-robin-hood-and-his-merrie-men
• http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/1370591%7C0/The-Story-of-Robin-Hood-and-His-Merrie-Men.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Robin_Hood_and_His_Merrie_Men

Treasure Island

Walt Disney's first fully live action film was born out of necessity more than anything else. Both Disney and RKO had money "frozen" in Great Britain from film revenues there, and they could not be spent anywhere else but England. Disney was still hurting from World War II and so leaving money in Great Britain was not the answer. Walt's solution was to make a movie there, but since he was considered as American as apple pie he wanted to make it a British story so as not to receive resistance from the country. It would have been too expensive to bring over animators and set up a new studio in England so this basically forced Walt's hand into making his first fully live action film. Walt would make three more movies in England to use the frozen funds, but his first would have to be a story that was British, but well known to American audiences. That story would end up being Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.

Story Background

Treasure Island is probably one of the better known stories that the Disney company had adapted for live action. The story concerns a young boy named Jim Hawkins, who finds himself inexplicably whisked away on a treasure hunt that involves pirates, mutiny, and murder. The book's original title was The Sea Cook: A Story For Boys, so I think we should all be thankful that Stevenson changed it to Treasure Island. Seafaring books about military men, pirates, and explorers were all popular during the 1800's, and Stevenson basically borrowed themes and ideas from many of those books that came before his. That being said, many of the stereotypical things we associate with pirates came from Treasure Island, including treasure maps with an X to mark the spot, parrots on shoulders, peg-legs, tropical locales, and the Black Spot. First released as a serial in the children's magazine Young Folks from 1881-1882, it was later released as a book in 1883 under the title Treasure Island, or the Mutiny of the Hispaniola.Treasure Island proved to be a massive hit for Stevenson, who went on to author other classic stories like The Strange Case of Mr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Kidnapped. Treasure Island has been adapted countless times since it's publication and remains Stevenson's seminal work.

Production Background

Walt had been thinking about adapting Treasure Island for quite a few years, but it was meant to be an animated film. Once the issue with frozen assets came about, it ended up being the perfect opportunity to adapt the movie, but in live action instead. Unfortunately, Disney did not own the rights to adapt Treasure Island, so Walt had to make a deal with MGM, the studio that did own the rights, to be able to make his film.RKO, which in the past had only distributed Disney films, partnered with Disney since they also had frozen funds they needed to use too. RKO became a partner production company with Disney, forming the RKO Walt Disney British Productions LTD. Walt was a bit more hands-off with the production, only visiting every once in a while due to the distance. Luckily, Walt trusted the direction of Byron Haskins, who would go on to direct The War of the Worlds (1953) and Long John Silver (1954).Walt had still wanted to include some animation in the film, and planned on having Long John Silver tell Jim Hawkins the story of Reynard the Fox. Obviously this did not happen, but concept drawings for this animated segment would later be used for Disney's animated version of Robin Hood. Of what little drama there was with the production, it all came from the film's pint sized star, Bobby Driscoll. Driscoll was the lone American actor on the film, something that Disney had done on purpose to help appeal the movie to American audiences who had seen Driscoll in Song of the South and So Dear To My Heart. Driscoll did not have a permit to work in England, and incidentally could not receive one since he was under fourteen. Disney was refused in court to allow Driscoll to work, though Disney put in an appeal. Though Driscoll was ordered not to work, production continued and they filmed all of his scenes as quick as possible. By the time the appeals court went back in session and they upheld the original verdict, Driscoll was already done working. The judge was not pleased, as you would imagine, and all the trouble led Walt to scrap the thought of bringing Driscoll back into the country to do a live action Robin Hood. Many of the wide shots that are supposed to be Driscoll are in fact his body double.

Cast

Bobby Driscoll, in his third Disney role, played Jim Hawkins. Driscoll would only go on to do one more project for the Disney company, voicing Peter Pan in the 1953 animated film. After this point he was abruptly dropped from his contract. Walt, who had always been fond of Driscoll, was starting to see the young boy as not a plucky main character, but a young bully. Officially the reason for his canning was a bad case of acne, which necessitated heavy makeup to be used in any production he was in. Driscoll's life quickly fell apart after being let go by Disney and he would die from a heart attack brought on by drug use in 1968. I would highly recommend looking into his whole story if you have the time. Robert Newton plays the menacing but magnetic Long John Silver. Newton plays Long John with such overexaggerated gusto that you can't help but focus in on him when he is on screen. Newton can be thanked for what we know as the "pirate accent". The accent that is now attributed to pirates at large was really just an exaggerated West Country accent, which is where Newton grew up in southwest England. Newton would be so highly regarded for the role of Long John Silver that he would reprise the role in Long John Silver (1954), which was not made by Disney, and a TV miniseries based on that movie.

Release

Much was done to promote the film, with the most ambitious being a country-wide treasure hunt in the U.S that involved more than 400 retailers in 30 cities. The studio provided merchandise, along with a treasure map, and kids could collect items from participating stores to win prizes. In the end, Disney shelled out over $250,000 in prizes. The BBC aired a serial of the story with vocal excerpts from Driscoll and utilized music from the film. The film had its premiere in London on June 22nd, 1950 and was released to a wider audience on July 29th. The film ended up being a smash hit for Disney, with critical reception mostly positive. British film critics weren't fond of Driscoll in the film, seemingly because of him being the sole American in the cast. British critics also considered it a watered-down version of Treasure Island, though it ultimately didn't hurt the film too bad. Praise was heaped on Newton's performance, which would lead to more pirate roles for him in the future, somewhat type-casting him.

The film was actually aired on television in 1955 on The Magical World of Disney before it would be re-issued theatrically in 1975. The MPAA asked for cuts to be made to the film in order to achieve a G rating. The MPAA voluntary film rating system wouldn't be implemented until 1968, so they didn't have the ratings when Treasure Island first came out. The MPAA thought that the film contained just enough violence to warrant a PG rating, which Disney was vehemently against. PG really did mean that you needed parental guidance back in the day, so this would have tarnished Disney's squeaky clean reputation. Disney begrudgingly agreed to the cuts to the film to achieve a G rating. The movie was released on video in its edited form in 1981 and 1986, but restored it to its original form for the 1991 release. Unfortunately for Disney, they forgot to change the rating on the video tapes to PG and got in trouble with the MPAA. Disney had to send out a bunch of stickers to cover up the G rating. Though Disney would relax their no PG ratings on films in the late 70's they would end up retroactively having their very first fully live action film be rated PG. Disney would later adapt the film again, though it ended up being a little bit different. Treasure Planet not only was an animated movie, but also ditched the classic tropical setting for space.

So Dear To My Heart

While Walt may have learned a few things from the fiasco that had been Song of the South, he was still feeling nostalgic for the good old days. So Dear To My Heart could have easily been a story about Walt growing up in the Midwest at the turn of the century. "Why, that's the life my brother and I grew up with as kids out in Missouri," proclaimed Walt after the film released. Since Walt had lived the small town rural life in Missouri he was even able to help out with some of the period set design and props. The film would go on to be one of Walt's favorite films that his company had ever produced. The film ended up being so influential that the book that it was based off of would change its name and portions of the book to better fit with Disney's narrative!


Story Background

So Dear To My Heart is based off of the book Midnight and Jeremiah, a children's book by Sterling North. The story concerns a young boy named Jeremiah who lives with his Granny Kincaid in Pike County, Indiana in the early 1900's. After one of their sheep gives birth to a black-wooled offspring and summarily rejects it, Jeremiah takes it in, much to his Granny Kincaid's chagrin.Named Midnight, the sheep proves to be a handful for the two, but hard financial times lead to Midnight being trained to enter into the County Fair to win some money. With the help of Jeremiah's Uncle Hiram, Midnight goes on to win the grand prize even though he's not a pure breed. At the celebration back home, Midnight is scared off and Jeremiah is unable to retrieve him. Jeremiah begins to lose hope as winter sets in, but when he visits a model Baby Jesus at the local church he finds Midnight curled up under the manger.

The book had come out in 1943, so it was still pretty new when Disney got a hold of it. After the movie proved to be successful, Sterling North decided to alter the book to fall in line with Disney's film version. Major difference included: Jeremiah meeting Dan Patch, a famous race horse in the early 1900's, Midnight's name being changed to Danny (after Dan Patch), Danny losing the grand prize but winning a special prize, and the sheep running away in the middle of the story instead of the end. While there are some movies that prove to be better, or at least more popular than their book counterparts, it's a bit more unusual for the author to change their book to make it fall in line with the movie, though I'm sure this helped sell copies.

Film Production

Walt fell in love with the story of Midnight and Jeremiah and set out to make his first fully live-action film. RKO, which was still distributing all of Disney's films, convinced Disney that when people heard the word "Disney" they thought animation. The decision was made to add some animation interludes throughout the film. The animation is explained as being part of Jeremiah's daydreams, with his scrapbook pictures coming to life to teach him various lessons. The Wise Owl, who looks to be a precursor to Professor Owl from the Disney Sing-Along tapes, tells Jeremiah stories through song about such historical figures as Christopher Columbus and Robert Bruce. The Wise Owl uses these stories to encourage Jeremiah to not to give up on Danny and later, to enter Danny into the County Fair. The animated segments are also where some of the most memorable songs come in, "It's Watcha Do With Watcha Got" and "Stick-To-It-Ivity". "I saw the cartoon characters as figments of a small boy's imagination, and I think they were justified," said Walt in a later interview. The amount of animation in this film is dwarfed by The Song of the South, but Walt put just as much effort into making sure the short animated vignettes were perfect. The animation, which only amounted for 15 percent of the film, wouldn't be finished until August 1948, a full year after shooting had ended for the live-action segments.The film is unusual compared to other Disney films, as it includes aspects of Christianity that you don't see mentioned or discussed very often in their films. Part of animated sequence for "It's Watcha Do With Watcha Got" mentions the biblical story of David and Goliath, while God is mentioned several times through the film.

While producer Perce Pierce had gone to Indiana to scope out a location, the film would ultimately be filmed in Sequoia National Park and San Joaquin Valley in California. The landscape in those areas fit the description of the Indiana towns of the time and I'm sure filming somewhere that was only 250 miles from the studio was part of the allure. To get a more authentic feel, the Disney artist Mary Blair would visit Indiana in 1945 to research farm life. With her pre-production drawings providing a colorful and stylized conceptualization of the settings, characters, costumes, and designs for the film, Walt had the exact look he wanted to achieve. Blair's drawings took on a quilt-inspired look, with her telling Walt that "it seems that quilt making is a revived art in this country now, which fact adds more value to its use as a medium of expression in our picture." Walt and his family enjoyed the movie My Friend Flicka (1943) which was directed by Harold Schuster. In fact, they liked the film so much that they had it screened at their home theater several times. Though Schuster was under contract with 20th Century Fox (as was the fashion back then), they agreed to loan him to Disney to film So Dear To My Heart.

There were, however, some problems with filming in California, namely the heat. The production started in April of 1946 and went late into summer. The foliage began to suffer in the heat so every night twenty-seven greens men had to water the soil and plants to keep things looking lush. Temperatures went over 100 degrees and the cast began to suffer in their heavy period-appropriate clothing, though the animals had cool air pumped into their paddocks. Disney, at the time, had a very small sound stage, so some of the interior sets had to be built on location. Both Grundy's Hardware and Granny's house were both built on site. There was an old hardware store near Porterville that was bought in its entirety and all the goods were used to fill up Grundy's Hardware.

Cast

Since Bobby Driscoll was under contract with Disney, they needed vehicles to feature him in. The selection of Midnight and Jeremiah makes sense, even outside of Walt's interest in nostalgia if you think about it in terms of finding something suitable for the young Disney star. Though Walt had tried to get the Academy to award Driscoll with a Juvenile Award for Song of the South, he would succeed with this film. Thanks to his performance as Jeremiah in So Dear To My Heart and Tommy in The Window (not a Disney film), Driscoll got his Juvenile Award. Luana Patten, another veteran of Song of the South, plays Jeremiah's cousin Tildy. Patten would not return to be in a Disney film again until Johnny Tremain in 1957. Outside of the child stars you had Burl Ives as Uncle Hiram, and Beulah Bondi as Granny Kincaid. Ives, besides being an actor, was a singer, radio performer, and an enthusiast of genuine American folk songs. His distinct voice lent authenticity to the period songs such as "Billy Boy". Ives would return to Disney in 1963 for Summer Magic. Bondi was well-known as playing Jimmy Stewart's mother in It's a Wonderful Life, and was a perfect fit to play Jeremiah's stern-but-loving granny. Bondi took the role seriously, even going as far as learning to plow a field, spin wool, and work a loom. The last cast member I'll mention is Harry Carey, who played the County Fair judge. Carey was one of the silent era's superstars and usually played the rough and tumble character in films such as outlaws. So Dear To My Heart would be his last film appearance.

Music

Today, So Dear To My Heart is probably most remembered for its song "Lavender Blue" sung by Burl Ives. I know that I heard the song countless times as a child since it was included on a Disney music compilation CD we had. "Lavender Blue" is an English folk song and nursery rhyme dating back to the 17th century. Ives's version of the song would go on to be nominated for Best Song at the Academy Awards but would ultimately lose to "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from Neptune's Daughter. "Lavender Blue" would go on to be covered many times throughout the 20th century. Other songs sung by Ives included "Billy Boy" and "Ol' Dan Patch". Both "It's Watcha Do With Watcha Got" and "Stick-To-It-Ivity" were sung by Ken Carson, a popular Country Western singer who voiced The Wise Owl.

Release

To help promote the film, Reader's Digest had a condensed version of North's story as part of its December 1948 issue. It was the first time that Reader's Digest had ran any movie promotional concurrently with the film's debut. The film was previewed at the 27th National 4-H Congress in Chicago in November, 1948 with Bobby Driscoll and 1,200 4-H members in attendance. Driscoll, Patten, and Walt were at the official premiere in West Lafayette, Indiana in January 1949, where they were joined by the story's author, Sterling North. Critical reception for the movie was very positive and the movie went on to gross $2.7 million in its first run. It was re-released in 1964, bringing it's total gross to $3.7 million. While So Dear To My Heart has been released on video in 1986, 1992, and 1994, it has never been released widely on DVD. It was planned to get a DVD release as part of the Gold Classic Collection, but was cancelled without a reason given. Like many of the other live action Disney films that aren't as popular, you can purchase a physical DVD if you are part of the Disney Movie Club.

While it's a pretty simple story, it is definitely worth a watch thanks to all the incredible talent in the cast, the singing by Burl Ives, and the entertaining animated segments. It will also make you nostalgic for a simpler time, even if you didn't experience it like Walt did. The easiest way to watch the film is through Hoopla, which is a free streaming service that is linked to your library card. In fact, as far as I've checked, they have almost all of the live action Disney films to view, though you only get a limited amount of titles you can watch (it depends on your library).

Sources:

• https://d23.com/did-you-know-12-blue-ribbon-facts-about-walt-disneys-so-dear-to-my-heart/
• http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/90643/So-Dear-to-My-Heart/notes.html
• https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/behind-scenes-so-dear-my-heart