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.

Tonka

 

This next Disney live-action film in the line up I had no clue existed. Looking at the movie poster for Tonka, my guess was the Native American standing in the foreground was Tonka, but it is the brown chestnut horse in the background that bares the title role. Once I learned it was about the horse, I assumed  it's another Black Beauty mixed with all the other horse movies like Spirit, The Littlest Outlaw, and even War Horse ( and yes I know some of those films came out way after this film was made). These films are all pretty much the same: the obsession between a horse and its "owner". In this film there is even the sad/angry goodbye scene that a lot of other animal films like Old Yeller or even the classic Harry and the Hendersons. You know, where the owner sets their animal friend free in order to protect them. They first start off with the heartfelt watery-eyed goodbye and it turns into the " Go get out of here, don't you understand?" yelling. I'm sorry reader, I find these scenes don't have the same effect on me as a true animal lover. I just find these scenes to be too overdramatic. Anyway, the film is about a boy and his dedication to a horse. Of course there is much more to it. The press book for the film stated that Tonka was " the first full-scale movie attempt to tell the battle story of Custer's Last Stand from the Indian view point." Typically, in any western film Native Americans are portrayed as savage and white settlers/ military as civil. This time General Custer is painted as the savage villain.

Ok, let's back track a little so you know what the heck I'm talking about and the history of Tonka. The story idea for Tonka came from the book, Comanche: Story of America's Most Heroic Horse by David Appel. It is a fictional story told from the horse point of view of the true events of the only survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn. No Custer soldier survived, but a lone horse named Comanche owned by Captain Myles Keogh of the 7th Cavalry did. Comanche was badly injured in battle but recovered and went into retirement until its death twelve years later. He received a military funeral with full honors. Comanche was then stuffed and in 1893 was on display at the Exposition in Chicago and then found a permanent home at Kansas University Natural History Museum. 

Disney bought the rights to the story Oct 1956 and started production two years later in April of 1958.

Originally like most of his other full length features he had only planned it to be a TV two-part series but changed his mind. He hired Lewis R. Foster as director, who was probably best known for his writing of the award winning film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington starring Jimmy Stewart. So where does the name Tonka come from? Well in Disney's adaptation Tonka Wakan ( The Great One) gained his name from White Bull the Indian brave who found him and trained him. Later in the film Tonka is named Comanche as he was by the real Captain Keogh. The 1870's Dakota Territory was filmed in Bend, Oregon at Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Supposedly, more than 500 Indians were used as warriors of Sitting Bulls army and 25 residents of Bend and Mandras were used as Calvary soldiers. If you are looking for a politically correct film, this is not it. Like most films of it's day a white person was made up to look like an Indian. This was true for most of the main Native American characters in the film. Casting the film, Disney wanted to stick with someone audiences were familiar with and liked, so he turned to Fess Parker. He was scheduled for the role of Captain Myles Keogh and tested for the part on May 27,1958. Though as soon as Parker found out that once again he was going to play second fiddle to another teenaged boy like he did for Old Yeller, he was not happy and refused to play the role. He was also unhappy with Disney for refusing to lend him out to other studios, missing out on the chance to be in John Ford's The Searchers. So Parker was put on suspension and left Disney studios for good. He only would return later in his life to appear in special features related to films like Davy Crockett and Old Yeller. Taking on the role of Captain Keogh then became the job of Philip Carey. He, along with many in the cast, had a lot of experience with Westerns. 

There was one who did not have any experience with Westerns and that was the leading role of White Bull played by Sal Mineo. Sal was the new hot talent that starred alongside James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. He was feeling typecast though. In an interview with Leonard Coulter, Sal Mineo said, "To further my career I want to set away from the hard-bitten youngster roles in films. That's why I jumped at the chance when Disney asked me to star in Tonka as White Bull, the young Sioux Indian Brave." Though to me White Bull is still a teenager trying to prove himself. "Suddenly I realized I'd have to ride a horse. I told Disney I'd never been on one in my life. He just stood and roared with laughter. The studio found me a horse called Goldie and started me on riding lessons-bareback." Mineo did not know what he had gotten himself into. "At the end of the first two days I couldn't walk. On the third morning I couldn't even mount. However after two and a half weeks, working three hours a day with Goldie I began to feel more comfortable." 

From a biography about Sal Mineo written by Michael Gregg Michaud it reveals that Sal did not care for the film at all. He found the film beneath him and probably holds a grudge even more for it because of the injuries he received while filming. He fractured his left knee cap when he fell from his horse during filming of the battle scene. He was expected to be on crutches for 3 weeks and wear a plaster splint for 6 weeks and only taking part in some action scenes that did not call for riding, running or heavy activity. He wasn't the only actor that had been injured. Cuts, fractured ribs and hoof marks were left on an extra's body along with another one suffering from a fractured wrist and a strained ankle.

The horses weren't so lucky, either. Horses slipped on rocks and collided with each other during the battle scene, so it definitely made the battle seem more real.

The film was released Christmas Day, 1958 and its box office was only $2.5 million. Not the greatest amount but for the most part it was enjoyed by audiences. I think Disney could tell his audiences were growing tired of seeing Westerns, so for his next film he stepped out of his comfort zone and tried something new: a comedy! Boy, did it pay off!

My Walt Disney World Memories Part 2

Did Pluto Just Yell At Me?

Five year old me was so excited to meet Pluto. That yellow dog was energetic and doing tricks to make me laugh. His first trick was to steal my hat off my head and then put it on his nose and try to flip it onto his head. He did this routine several times and successfully manage to get my hat on his head twice. Next he pretended to lick my face with his long red tongue. I grabbed this wagging tongue and started to yank on it, finding it so funny. Well, Pluto did not. That's when I heard the male voice from inside Plutos costume tell me to stop pulling on his tongue. My giggles ceased and I let go. I felt terrible that Pluto was mad at me. I stood there frozen until my mom led me away to a new character.

 Forget The Water Parks

Over the years our family has hit up all the water parks. Blizzard Beach with their melting snowmen statues, Typhoon Lagoon with its lazy river and even River Country before it was abandoned. I'm not much of a fan of swimming. I can swim I just rather not spend my day at a beach. My favorite place to get wet is at Epcot. Outside of Captain EO and Journey into Imagination is a ground fountain that squirts water randomly. Some water shoots straight up while others play leap frog, creating arches. It's a fun spot to play tag with the water as it comes crashing back down and not knowing exactly where it will attack next. Plus, it's a quick cool down from that hot summer heat.

 Journey Into Imagination

I wish this ride stayed the same in its original form with Dreamfinder. Nothing against Eric Idle, I'm a fan, but I'm nostalgic.
Figment is such a likable character. My favorite from this ride is the rainbow light archway and then the play room with a musical floor to jump on while color lights dance around the room.

 Honey I Shrunk The Audience

The Honey I Shrunk the Audience show was the first time I experienced sitting in interactive seats and being tortured. Audience members watched Rick Moranis be absent- minded Wayne Szalinski, unaware of the seats and theater around them were all part of the show, tricking you into thinking that there was an escaped snake or being sprayed with water from overhead. Some people enjoy this unexpected thrill, though I prefer the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. Parents could sit and rest while their kids run around crazy, sliding down a curved blade of grass, climbing cobwebs, and riding on ants.

Wish You Were Here

I have to admit I have a slight obsession with postcards. Now, I won't buy just any postcard off the spinning rack, I have to really like the image. Also, I rarely send anyone a postcard. 

My postcard collection is vintage travel, national parks, book covers, black and white photography and of course, Disney. What has been neat is the Disney company releasing postcard box sets with concept art of their animated films throughout the years. The starting of my postcard obsession came from Walt Disney World. I still have the special lenticular postcards I bought as a small child. It now sits on my daughter's book shelf. 

 Try The Grey Stuff, It's Delicious!

Now, I haven't tried the grey stuff at the Beast's Castle, but there are a few snacks I enjoy while at the park. The first is traveling to France in Epcot and visiting Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie for a warm crossaint. The next is the famous cool treat of the smooth chocolate covered Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bar. My mouth is watering just thinking of it. Fortunately, Disney has released this much-loved ice cream treat and a few others to the public to purchase at their local grocery store.  Now if they would bring back the Mickey and Gang Popsicles I ate as a child my life would be complete!

 That's A Lot Of Stairs

The architecture around Epcot is amazing. All the fine details. The San Angel Inn Restaurant sticks out the most to me maybe because it's been the go-to place for dinner for most of our family trips. Though I don't remember if the food is any good. I do recall the place being packed with people wandering around the random wagon carts with trinkets and eating in twilight. Taking a gliding boat ride tour. My mind though goes to those stairs on the exterior of the Mayan Pyramid. I wished I could take on the challenge of climbing to the top. It would be my Mt. Everest.

 Hey, That Person Is Famous!

I've met or at least been in the same area as a few famous people. The first two famous people that I saw outside of my television screen was Jerry Van Dyke and Suzanne Somers. It was Christmas time and they were hosting the parade. I stared in awe of them up on their broadcasting stage giving the TV audience and us at the park the play by play of who was coming down Main Street. I had seen Three' s Company when I was younger, but was more familiar with Suzanne Somers in her role as the mom on Step by Step (didn't really care for the show but it was part of the TGIF line up so I still watched it). Jerry Van Dyke was not as familiar to me, I had only seen a few episodes of Coach. I found that show to be more adult. Which is hilarious to me because of watching Three's Company and even Married with Children as a kid.  

Disney MGM- Hollywood Studios.. Whatever You Wanna Call It.

After the Magic Kingdom with all its traditional classic rides the next park I like is Disney MGM Studios. Yes, I know its name has been changed, but it will always be MGM to me. I love the 1930's Art-Deco buildings. I'm a big fan of MGM's old films starring talented actors like Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.  So of course the Great Movie Ride was a must on my list, along with the Studio Backlot Tour where you could see the Golden Girls house and movie props and set pieces from films like The Rocketeer and Flight of the Navigator.  Unfortunately, times are a-changing and I'm not sure what is left of the MGM I loved. I always felt like MGM was the park that was forgotten. Trying to bring in more crowds to this park, Disney World added more thrill rides like the Tower of Terror and Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. At least the Tower of Terror was set in the 1930's time period.  I'm fine with some of the new upgrades but I really wish there was a time machine to go back to the classic MGM theme park days. I guess I'll have to steal the DeLorean from Universal Studios.

Who's the Leader of Club...

A neat "behind the scenes" tour when I was younger was watching the rehearsal of the New Mickey Mouse Club. I don't recall if any of the kids were the famous people we know today like Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling or Keri Russell. It was kinda hard to see who was who with standing above the sound stage behind a glass window. My older brother even sent in a form to be a New Mickey Mouse Club Member. He wasn't called in for an audition like the kids who appeared on the show but he did get a special letter and a Mickey Mouse Club sticker and a patch for his jean jacket. 

My Walt Disney World Memories Part 1

Walt Disney World is a magical place. There are lots of memories to be made. Typically, when you ask someone what their favorite parts of the parks are they ramble off the rides they enjoyed. My list is a little different. While I do point out a few rides, most of my memories of enjoyment lay in smaller specific details of the park and how those items make me feel.

 Campfires With Chipmunks

My earliest memory of Walt Disney World was at the age of 5, camping at Fort Wilderness. In the evening when families were settling down from their time at the parks, the magic continued. Sitting on wooden benches, my two brothers and I anxiously awaited the arrival of two furry rodents, Chip and Dale. Waddling to their open stage accompanied by a cowboy with a guitar, the show began. A couple songs were sang by the strumming cowboy, while Chip and Dale danced around. I'm sure Dale was causing some mischief with being overly goofy, making the crowd laugh( that's why Dale with his big red nose is my favorite). Chip wagging his finger in scolding Dale to be more serious. Then both cover their mouths and shake their bodies in mime laughter. After the show there was a meet and greet, along with roasting marshmallows over a camp fire. What a wonderful moment of interacting so close to these two lovable characters.



Dinner And A Show

Even while eating, a visitor of Disney World can be entertained with a show. At Liberty Square Taverne a troupe of soldiers parade by, beating on drums and whistling a Yankee Doodle Dandy number through flutes. In Frontier Land you can have a rip- roaring good time laughing and clapping at the Pioneer Hall Players in their western vaudeville act, the Hoop Dee doo Revue. For this memory we are going to travel to the Biergarten in Epcot's Germany. The interior to this restaurant is amazing. Three tiers of dinning space with long wooden tables fills the banquet hall made to look like a Bavarian town. A backdrop of the mountain top Alps lays behind the lederhosen clad performers on stage. The room is filled with their Ompa- pa tunes, making you want to swing a beer stein in the air. What I remember from this performance is the alphorns, playing of glasses, and the chicken dance. Waitresses in dirndl ( traditional German dresses) would grab members of the audience and the room would erupt into  chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, flap, flap, flap, flap, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, clap, clap, clap, clap. Then as the accordion played to the merry melody, hands were grabbed and a trail of tourists were weaved around the tables. This was the only time your parents would allow a stranger to grab your hand and lead you away because everyone was family during this time, participating in a silly dance. Faster and faster the song went and faster and faster I tried to keep up, screwing up the hand motions. At the end of the song I was definitely ready for dessert.



 Water Skiing Characters

There are several ways of arriving at the Magic Kingdom. One of those ways is by ferry boat. While trekking across the water Disney cast members are making sure their guests are always entertained. Welcoming everyone to the Magic Kingdom is a water skiing Pinocchio and Goofy doing funny tricks. As a small child I thought this was amazing.

 The Monorail

Another way of transportation to the different parks is the Monorail. Zooming along a track and even zipping through the lobby of Disney's Contemporary Resort. While all this is fine and dandy the cars of the Monorail are like the New York City Subway, only cleaner and with less shady people. They are always packed with people and you're never guaranteed a seat. So why bring up monorails as a favorite memory? Only for one reason, the " Please stand clear of the doors" message broadcasted over the intercoms. After the English message would come the Spanish translation. With rapid speed my older brother would repeat this message, " Por favor mantengase alejardo de las puertas." As far as I know it he still has that phrase memorized.



The Entrance To The Magic Kingdom

After entering through the gates of the Magic Kingdom you walk through a tunnel. Some people may not take notice of the posters along each side of the walls of the tunnel, but I would usually look at them at the end of the night when leaving the Magic Kingdom. The posters are vintage advertisement artwork of rides among the Magic Kingdom like Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. My family liked these posters so much that we purchased the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion posters to be hung in my little brother's room.



 Garden Art

Disney World has an eye for detail even when it comes to their landscaping. In front of the main gates there is a mural of Mickey Mouse made from flowers and greenery. Epcot is where Imagineers have shined in their sculpting designs of characters out of shrubbery. You could pass by anything from a giant stegosaurus to Fantasia's dancing hippos. So next time you're at Epcot, stop and smell the roses.





Money Money Money

If you visited Disney World from 1987 to 2016 you may remember Disney Dollars. Just think regular dollar bills but with the main Disney characters on them. We had trouble spending them because my family wanted to keep them as souvenirs.



Cinderella's Castle

One year my parents splurged and spent the the over priced cost of eating in Cinderella's Castle where you may get a short visit from Minnie or another character. But the restaurant isn't what I like. My favorite part of the castle is the tile art pieces. I feel like Cameron from Ferris Bueller's Day Off staring into the Georges Seruts' painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island la Grande Jatte. Five panels of mosaic work tells the story of Cinderella with 300,000 tiles total with 500 different colors. The biggest Crayola crayon box I had consisted of only 120 different colors. I can't help but think of how long it took to create these pieces. Also, how many artist it took to complete. So I did some research. It took 22 months and Dorothea Redmond was the artist that designed all five panels. Hanns Scharff and six other artist had the job of assembling Dorothea's masterpiece. Walt Disney World is full of so many different kinds of artwork.



 Souvenirs

I'm not much of a souvenir shopper when I go on vacation. At Disney World though, I could probably go a little crazy with buying items if I had a ton of cash. As a child there were several must-have items. First was the popular Mickey Mouse Ears Hat just like the Mouseketeers wore. I picked out a red one and wore it proudly until I took them off for Captain EO starring Michael Jackson. Alas, forgetting to retrieve it when the show ended I lost my hat forever. If you can't tell,  I'm still scarred from that moment. I have purchased a new one as an adult, but nothing can fully replace my first Mickey hat.

Another souvenir that holds a special memory is Captain Hook's toy hook. The reason why it's special is simply the bond it created with my little brother and me. We posed for pictures wearing our hooks acting like Pirates with one eye closed and sneers on our faces. We were not embarrassed to be goofy because we were having fun. We recreated that picture later as adults, still refusing to grow up.


 

Can I have your autograph?

I had a mission when I was around eight years old wandering around Disney World: find characters and get their autograph. I felt so cool with my yellow Donald Duck autograph book. Of course when I approached characters I became shy and just held out my book for them to sign. Each character had their own style of writing their names, adding a fun touch. My favorite signatures were from Dale and Eeyore. Dale added his two buck teeth under his name and gloomy Eeyore sprawled his detached tail. 

The Light in the Forest

Disney was riding high after the immense popularity of Old Yeller and followed it up with an admittedly more serious affair, The Light in the Forest. The movie is based on Conrad Richter's novel of the same name which Disney bought the rights to as soon as it was released in 1953. The movie deals with a young white boy who was raised by Native Americans until a treaty with the United States forces him to be thrust back into white society. This would be Fess Parker's last film with Disney as he had become dissatisfied with the roles Disney cast him in. He complained that he was always playing the exact same character, a claim that was given more validity because Disney refused to lend him out to other studios if said role was outside of the norm for what they would use him for. He was offered only a small part in the movie Tonka and subsequently refused, causing him to be put on suspension, as he was a contract actor for Disney. He left the studio shortly after. Parker would never see as much success in movies as he had with Disney, but he would go on to lead an ensemble cast in the popular 1964 series Daniel Boone (ironically another American hero like Davy Crockett).

Story

In 1764, a new peace treaty between white settlers and Native Americans declares that all white captives must be released. Johnny Butler was taken captive early in his young life, and now at near fifteen he knows nothing of his life with his real family. He had been fully assimilated in Lenni Lenape tribe and was given the name True Son by his adoptive father, Cuyloga. He is taken to Fort Pitt accompanied by a young soldier named Del Hardy who looks after him. True Son is despondent that he must live with the white people, the very people he grew up hating. He tries to commit suicide on the way to Fort Pitt but is stopped by Hardy. Hardy introduces him to his real father and accompanies them back to their home acting as an interpreter (and basically mentor). As you can imagine, things don't go so smoothly. True Son refuses to acknowledge his family and is cold to them, pretending that he understands no English. At his homecoming party he has a confrontation with is Uncle Wilse, who claims that the Lenni Lenape killed nearby settlers and scalped women and children. True Son defends his adoptive family and gets slapped for it. A girl named Shenandoe, who is an indentured servant for Uncle Wilse's family becomes fascinated by True Son, though she has her own hatred for natives due to her family being scalped by an unknown tribe. True Son and Shenandoe eventually get to know each other, and they start to realize that their prejudices were completely wrong. With that understanding they also start to fall in love with each other. While things are starting to go better between True Son and his new family, things become complicated when True Son's old friend Half Arrow comes and visits him. Half Arrow gives him news that Little Crane, another member of their tribe, was killed by men in town because he was trying to visit True Son. Half Arrow attacks Uncle Wilse and almost scalps him but is stopped by True Son. True son and Half Arrow run back to the Lenni Lenape. The Lenni Lenape declare war on the white settlers and it looks like for a short time that things will go back to the way they were before the treaty for True Son. However, while he is in a raiding party and they are prepared to attack a boat of white settlers, he sees that Del Hardy is in the boat and decides to warn them of the attack. He is almost executed by his tribe but Cuyloga convinces his people to have him be cast out permanently. Hardy takes True Son back to his family, though they talk about how True Son had heard of murdered children by the Lenni Lenape. Hardy tells him that there are good and bad people everywhere. He returns back to his real family, but quickly gets into a fight with Uncle Wilse. They duke it out once and for all, with True Son winning the brawl and Uncle Wilse declaring that True Son is now a white man. True Son and Shenandoe reunite and begin to plan their future. 

The film follows the book pretty closely, but you can definitely see why Disney made the changes they made. In the book, Uncle Wilse is scalped by Half Arrow and True Son after Little Crane is murdered. Del Hardy is basically just in the beginning of the book and does not factor into the climax the way he does in the film. This was obviously done to give Fess Parker a bigger part in the film since he wasn't the lead actor. Shenandoe was added to the film to give True Son a love interest, something that would make the film more accessible to the younger movie-going demographic. The novel ends more on a not of uncertainty, with True Son being led back to a white road by Cuyloga and not sure where his future lies. 

Cast

The cast is led by James MacArthur playing the young True Son/Johnny Butler. MacArthur signed on as a contract actor for Disney starting with this film and would go on to star in three more Disney movies. Disney was pretty good about keeping one consistent actor in a string of movies, so consider this the transition from Fess Parker to James MacArthur. MacArthur is perhaps more known for his role as Danny "Danno" Williams in Hawaii Five-O. Carol Lynley plays Shenandoe, her first of many roles. Lynley would be nominated for Most Promising Newcomer at the Golden Globes in 1969 for her role in The Light in the Forest. She would go on to have prominent roles in Blue Denim and The Poseidon Adventure. Perhaps the most well-known actor outside of Fess Parker in this movie is Jessica Tandy, who played True Son's real mother. Tandy became famous later in her life in roles like Cocoon, Driving Miss Daisy, and Fried Green Tomatoes. 

Release

The film premiered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where the movie is supposed to take place, on July 9th, 1958. Reception to the movie was tepid at best. Most critics praised some aspects of the film, but most were superficial. Generally it was seen as not a worthy follow-up to the smash hit that was Old Yeller. I myself liked the movie just fine, but it certainly doesn't belong in the same conversation as the Disney greats. The next film I'll be covering did end up surprising me on how much I enjoyed it, and it showed how good of an actor that James MacArthur could be.