Film Albums: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1964) - A Disneyland Record

On February 1964, Walt Disney's The Wonderful World of Color aired the first of their three-part series titled "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh" based on the story of Dr. Syn (Patrick MacGoohan), the English pastor who masqueraded as the fearsome Scarecrow at night to lead a band of smugglers and, like Robin Hood, share his spoils with the poor people of his parish. 

You can read our write-up on this great historical-adventure series here, but for this post we are featuring the thrilling theme song sung by none other than the Wellingtons who were best known for singing the "Three-hour tour" theme to Gilligan's Island. Terry Gilkyson wrote the lyrics and music to this memorable ballad of Dr. Syn. Gilkyson was an excellent writer of folk music and had a number of popular hits ("Greenfields", "Memories are Made of This") but is best known for his work with the Walt Disney Studios in the 1960s where he composed music for The Moon-Spinners, The Three Lives of Thomasina, The Jungle Book ("The Bare Necessities"), and The Aristocats ("Thomas O'Malley Cat").

The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh was one of the many Disneyland records released by The Walt Disney Music Company. This one is number LG-774. 

You can listen to the ballad of The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh here.

Bonus 45 rpm: Another great Halloween ballad is "Demons and Witches" recorded in 1963 by The Four Preps. It features a great guitar strum and wonderful harmonies by the Prep boys. 

Fury at Smuggler's Bay (1961)

Squire Trevenyan (Peter Cushing), a magistrate in 18th century Cornwall becomes entangled with a dangerous gang of shipwreckers led by the brutal Black John (Bernard Lee). In attempting to stop the wreckers one evening, his son Christopher (John Fraser) kills one of the men. He feels that his testimony to their actions is enough to put the whole gang in chains, yet his father is reluctant to do so and instead ushers his son away to London. Black John has a hold over the squire that he is reluctant to admit and it takes a dashing highwayman known as the Captain (William Franklyn) to finally set things right and stop the wreckers. 

Fury at Smugglers' Bay was a British production released in 1961. Swashbuckling films were not too common in the early 1960s, especially British-made ones, so this film was well-received upon its release. Director John Gilling did an excellent job of keeping the story engaging with taut direction, beautiful location shooting (with Wales taking the place of Cornwall), and populating the film with a very capable cast of actors. 

John Fraser was one of the most underrated young actors of British films of the 1960s. He is best known today for his performance of Lord Alfred Douglas in The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1963) but he made a number of light dramas and comedies as well (The Horsemasters, Tunes of Glory, Tamahine, A Study in Terror) and was just an overall well-rounded actor who could tackle any role with conviction. In Fury, he plays the heroic son of the squire who loves the daughter of a tavern keeper known to be involved in smuggling activities... not the ideal match for a man in his noble position so this puts him in a upsetting relationship with his father.

Michèle Mercier plays this lucky lass named Louise. Mercier was the French version of Gina Lollobrigida and was often cast in parts owing to her shapely figure and not her acting ability, not that it was second-rate. June Thorburn also has a small part in the film as the squire's daughter Jenny. This lovely English actress is best known for her roles in Tom Thumb (1960) and The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1963) but she also did a number of interesting television productions including an adaptation of Wuthering Heights in 1962. John Gilling later used her in another of his swashbucklers, The Crimson Blade (1963). 

William Franklyn was a prolific film and television actor who played a similar glamourized highwayman in Walt Disney's The Legend of Young Dick Turpin (1965). Liz Fraser, of the Carry On series, plays a barmaid, and George Coulouris plays Louise's "papa" who is involved in the smuggling. Bernard Lee takes the spotlight as the ruffian Black John. This was a far cry from his later dignified role as the head of MI6 in the James Bond series. Lastly, the star of the film, Peter Cushing does a good job as Squire Trevenyan, although he could have given off a little more emotion, which would have made the character less dutifully dull.

One associates Peter Cushing with Hammer Film Productions, so much so that even when he switches studios the film takes on the appearance of a Hammer Production. Fury at Smugglers' Bay was produced by John Gilling Enterprises and distributed by Regal Films International, yet it has all the earmarks of a Hammer film production - Eastmancolor, lush photography by Harry Waxman (The Family Way, Beast in the Cellar), roguish heroes, buxom barmaids, and a historical period setting. All that was missing was Christopher Lee and some additional splattering of blood...but thankfully, neither appeared in this production. 

Overall, Fury at Smugglers' Bay is an engrossing swashbuckler and a great film to watch on a rainy afternoon, but it could have used a touch of humor and a bit more of Universal Studios' "swash" added into the mix to make it more rousing and memorable. Nevertheless, if it appears on television, it is worth a watch. 

The Universal Monsters Mystery Games of 1963

Hasbro is one of the largest toy and game manufacturers in the world today, but when they first started (back when they were labeled the Hassenfeld Brothers) they were primarily known as a toy maker and barely dabbled in the gaming industry. The few games that they did release met with little success. 

However - just like today - the Hassenfeld Brothers knew that any game would sell if it had a popular Movie/TV theme linked with it. So what would be popular with children in the early 1960s? Monsters! And what kind of monsters? The good ol' Universal monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc, etc. So, in 1963, Hasbro released a board game for each of these famous monsters.... the only one that was missing was The Invisible Man. 

The Mummy Mystery Game

"Explore the Ancient Crypts of Egypt" teases the front box, but inside it is a simple spin-and-move game where you land on spaces marked "Take a Crypt Card" and must reach the end with 10 of these. Getting caught by the Mummy simply holds you back a little in this race game. The highlight of the game is the board itself with its marvelous painted mummy and the Egyptian desert scene. 

The Creature from the Black Lagoon Mystery Game

This game's object is "to escape from the Black Lagoon" but it appears that the fun part of the game is getting caught by the creature and being taken to its cave, so so much for wanting to escape....

Dracula Mystery Game

This one features some great early 1960s color schemes and once again is a simple roll-and-move race game. It appears that the players are attempting to escape Dracula's Castle and he has his own spinner as well, so he probably foils you if you are not lucky. Too bad he didn't "bite" your character and then you have to chase your opponents down and land on their space to turn them into vampires as well. That would be too imaginative a game for Hasbro. 

Frankenstein Mystery Game

This is another race game whose graphics are better than the game itself. Oddly enough, all of these games have the players using cardboard standees of the monsters as their own playing pieces and yet trying to escape from the monster via the board route. This one has little Monsters that are placed on a stylized German village. 

Wolfman Mystery Game

Another not-too-imaginative game involving the Wolf Man. Here players race to get from one camp to another and pass various dangers along the way, including a snake pit. Unfortunately, there are no gypsies and no Maria Ouspenskaya chanting the legend, "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers at night....." featured in the game. Too bad....

The Phantom of the Opera Mystery Game

Lastly, there was The Phantom of the Opera and once again it features great art of the ghoulish organist. Sadly, it's pretty much the same game as the others with a simple spinner and playing pieces in the form of the phantom (why would players be dressed as the phantom and attempt to escape the phantom?), with the object being to - you guessed it! - escape the phantom's dungeon. 

Hasbro had the phan-tastic idea of making games themed around the famous Universal monsters - and they probably appealed to youngsters - but they are a little too simple for the 12-year old+ crowd... especially today's 12-year-olds! 

Today, these games are popular among collectors because of its monster theme. The Phantom of the Opera seems to be the rarest among the lot and most of these games fetch between $250-$400 a piece with better condition games topping $900. Now that's scary!

Note: All photos are courtesy of The Board Game Geek website. Check it out to read more about these games. 

The Not-So-Lonely Lighthouse Keeper (1967)

Off the southern coast of California is a rugged string of islands known as the Channel Islands. On one of these - Anacapa Island - stood a lighthouse built in 1932 that shone its light to warn passing ships of the jagged rocks surrounding the island. This island was manned by the not-so-lonely lighthouse keeper Captain Moses Haskell (portrayed by Clarence Hastings but voiced by actor Roy Barcroft) and his wife Miranda (Ingrid Niemela). 

Whether this couple really did tend to this lighthouse or were a fictional creation doesn't really matter for they were the stars of a fascinating one-hour episode of Walt Disney's The Wonderful World of Color television series called "The Not-So-Lonely Lighthouse Keeper," which was aired on September 17th, 1967. 

The Wonderful World of Color featured a number of documentaries focusing on nature and wildlife and this episode falls in that category as well. We get to see all of the wildlife of Anacapa Island in a short span of time - the seagulls, the wild goats, the seal colonies, and the pelicans. However, it is the story of Captain Haskell and his daily routine on the island that provides the heart to the story - and it has plenty of heart! You'll find your eyes welling with tears by the end of the program. 

Disney legend James Algar directed this sweet story of Captain Haskell and the animals he befriended on the island: the ornery goat Ajax, the playful seal Rosie, and the seagulls that he feeds. We get to see him visit the "supermarket of the sea" catching various fish and sealife for dinner, and the day he helped rescue the men in a ship that ran aground in the fog. But his peaceful life on the island abruptly comes to an end when the Coast Guard erect an automatic light tower and he and his wife are mandatorily retired from service. Thankfully, like most Disney programs (but not all), this little film has a happy ending. 

Interestingly, if you read about Anacapa Island on the National Park Service's website, you will find that this documentary was rather accurate and prophetic: an automatic light tower did indeed replace the lighthouse and the keeper's position in 1966. The buildings on the island were slated to be destroyed in 1968 but a last-minute counter-order preserved the lighthouse and its outbuildings and, in the 1970s, they became the living quarters for the U.S. National Park Service rangers.

You can watch The Not-So-Lonely Lighthouse Keeper on Youtube and be sure you do as it is well-worth seeing. 

From the Archives: Murder at the Gallop (1963)

Margaret Rutherford made four wonderful Miss Marple mysteries in the 1960s and, of them all, Murder at the Gallop (1963) is the best. This one takes place at a riding establishment and features a delightfully eccentric lot of suspects including Robert Morley, Flora Robson, and Katya Douglas. 

In this scene from a UK lobby card, Miss Marple is conversing in a whisper with police inspector Craddock, played by Charles Tingwell.

From the Archives is our latest series of posts where we share photos from the Silverbanks Pictures collection. Some of these may have been sold in the past, and others may still be available for purchase at our eBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Silverbanks-Pictures  

Film Albums: Pete's Dragon (1977)

This month's Film Album is the soundtrack from the classic Walt Disney film Pete's Dragon, released in 1977. This family musical was notable for combining an animated Elliott the Dragon into a live-action film and the result was truly lovely and memorable. It was, and still is, a childhood favorite for many. 

Walt Disney's resident songwriting team of Robert and Richard Sherman had long since left the Disney Studios so this picture's songs were composed by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn. This duo is probably best remembered today for penning the songs to two popular Irwin Allen disaster pictures, "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure (1973) and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno (1975), both of which earned them Academy Awards for Best Original Song. "Candle on the Water" was the standout song from Pete's Dragon, and this tune earned the team another Best Original Song nomination (Helen Reddy also had a hit with this song as a single recording). 

There's lot of things to like about this album, the best of which is the Irwin Kostal arrangements. This talented man did many many records for Walt Disney and he put his stamp of excellence on every recording he made. You can hear his signature composing style in the "Main Title" overture. 

Ready to listen to Pete's Dragon? Click here to listen to the full album on Youtube. 

Track Listings

Main Title

The Happiest Home in These Hills

Boo Bop Bopbop Bop

I Saw a Dragon!

It's Not Easy

Passamashloddy

Candle on the Water

There's Room for Everyone

Every Little Piece

Brazzle Dazzle Day

Bill of Sale

Candle on the Water (Reprise)

Top Picks: Main Title, It's Not Easy, Passamashloddy, There's Room for Everyone, Brazzle Dazzle Day

The Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie Game

I've heard of money growing on trees, but never shoes! This little boy evidently found the motherload - although I doubt he would want to wear heels!

As always, if you are not familiar with the rules to the Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie game or the prize, click here.