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Monday, August 28, 2023

From the Archives: Pete's Dragon (1977)

 

"Boo Bop Bopbop Bop, I love you, too!" Elliott and Pete (Sean Marshall) are the best of friends as can be seen in this lobby card from Walt Disney's Pete's Dragon (1977). 

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

Friday, August 25, 2023

The Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie Game

                           

It's not old Gus in this screenshot, it's old Pete...and he is unloading the daily mail. But where is he taking it to and what film is this anyway?

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

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Secrets of the Pirate's Inn ( 1969 )

"A fortune in treasure....waiting to be discovered!"

Walt Disney Studios made a number of television movies in the 1960s and 1970s to air on their television series The Wonderful World of Disney...most of which have been forgotten now except among Disney fans. Secrets of the Pirate's Inn is one such title. Most people never heard of this film, but those who saw it when it first aired remember it well. 

The story is set down south in Georgia in the present times. Three children - Scott, Tippy, and Catfish - like to play on the grounds of an old abandoned inn belonging to an Irish sea captain ( Ed Begley ). It is rumored in town that Jean Lafite, the pirate, had at one time buried treasure on the property but no one knows where. The children and the captain decide to piece together clues to find the whereabouts of the old pirate treasure....but they soon discover that someone else is searching for the loot and is desperate to get their hands on it!

Secrets of the Pirate's Inn was based on the book "The Secrets of the Pirate Inn" ( 1968 ) by Wylly Folk St. John, a popular author of children's mystery stories in the late 1960s and 1970s. It is a simple story and yet one that quickly captures your imagination. Who can resist that potent mixture of sea captains, hidden treasure, and pirates? Director Steven Spielberg enjoyed stories like these when he was a youngster and most likely had watched this on television as a boy because the similarity between it and The Goonies, made 16 years later, is obvious. 


Secrets of the Pirate's Inn was one of actor Ed Begley's last films and he does a good job of playing the old salt Mr. McCarthy. The children were relatively new to acting but give good performances all around. Jimmy Bracken ( Scott ) did some work on television, Annie McEveety who plays Scott's sister Tippy, is from the McEveety family ( she is the granddaughter of director Vincent McEveety ), all of whom had long careers at Disney Studios. After Secrets, she made The Wacky Zoo of Morgan City for Disney as well as The Strange Monster of Strawberry Cove before she quit acting to become a camera operator. And lastly, Patrick Creamer ( Catfish ) did a bit of acting before trying his hand at producing.

Secrets of the Pirate's Inn was popular enough when it first aired that all three children revised their roles in the sequel The Strange Monster of Strawberry Cove ( 1971 ) which featured Burgess Meredith as a teacher who believes he saw a lake monster. It was a good idea, but that film lacked the secret staircases and cobweb caves that made Secrets of the Pirate's Inn so engaging.

Also in the cast is Charles Aidmen, Paul Fix and Disney regular Bill Zuckert. Secrets of the Pirate's Inn has not yet been released on DVD but can be viewed on Youtube here

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Cinematically Inspired Design - Check it Out!

Today we have a real treat to share! A few months ago I stumbled upon a great website called Mockingbird Lane where a cinema-loving woman named Marina Coates shares her love of architecture and design....especially set designs found in films and television series. Two great features of the site are her virtual TV/Movie Home Tours and her Cinematically Inspired Design tutorials. 

The TV/Movie Home Tours began with a behind-the-scenes virtual CG tour of the Petrie home from The Dick Van Dyke Show and has since grown to include the Bewitched house, Lucy and Ricky's apartment and country home from I Love Lucy, the Family Affair apartment, the Cleaver's home in Leave it to Beaver, and many more from classic TV shows. These are fantastic videos that show you all of the details of the houses you have seen countless times on television. Most are 15-25 minutes in length and honestly, you feel like you are walking in the house with a tour guide listening to fun facts about the show and all of the items in the house. 

She also has virtual tours of famous film houses like the North by Northwest house, The Parent Trap ranch, and the Inn from White Christmas. You don't want to miss these so be sure to check them out! 

Look familiar? It's the Ricardo's country house.

The Cinematically Inspired Design tutorials are even more amazing. Here, Ms. Coates shares her architectural experience with us and gives in-depth analyses of why the interiors of classic cinema houses look so good and tips on what we can do to improve our own interior designs. If you ever wanted to attend a class on classic Hollywood set design, this is it. 


If you are an art design nut like ourselves, then be prepared to set aside hours enjoying these videos!

From the Archives: The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit ( 1967 )


Dean Jones is sharing a cup of beer with his pal Aspercel after a successful competition at the International Horse Show in Washington D.C. in this still photo from Walt Disney's The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit ( 1967 ).

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

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Announcing The 100 Years of Disney Blogathon!

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Walt Disney Studios is celebrating their 100th anniversary this year and we will be joining in on the festivities by hosting the fantasmagorical 100 Years of Disney Blogathon, running from September 15-18th, 2023. 

Disney is one of the largest entertainment corporations in the world today but way back in 1923 it was just one man and a little mouse named Mickey. 

Help us celebrate this colorful film studio by joining in on the fun! We will also be giving away some terrific prizes and on Silver Scenes you can enjoy Disney-themed posts all month long leading up to the event. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with blogathons, they are simply a hosted theme writing event that you can take part in if you have a blog. All you need do is create a supercalifragilistic post that goes along with the theme ( Walt Disney ) and share the link to your post with us so that we can include it on a master list for others to enjoy. 

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What You Can Post About

For this event, you've got a TON of topics you can write about. There's a great big heffalump-size of material waiting for your selection! You can make a post about Walt Disney himself, any of the animated films and shorts that the studio made, the live-action films ( over 150 titles! ), the television series, the actors and actresses who had contracts with the studio or one of the numerous behind-the-scenes personnel ( e.g. Peter Ellenshaw, Robert Stevenson ). You could also write about a Disney character ( e.g. Goofy ), a role in a film ( Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins ), or a history of the studio itself. You can even write a review of a Disney record album or book - including coloring books and comic books. If it has anything to do with Disney you are good to go! 

Here's a recap of that above mess: 

  • Animated Films & Shorts
  • Live-Action Films ( including TV movies ) & Shorts
  • Television Series
  • Any Actor/Actress who had a Disney contract
  • Behind-the-Scenes Personnel
  • Disney Characters
  • One Role in a Film
  • A History of the Studio or a branch of the studio ( e.g. The Special-Effects Department )
  • Disney Memorabilia
  • Disney Music
  • or Somethin' Special


The Not-So-Complicated Rules of the Event

Rules? Who needs rules? We have no rules here. Well, alright....maybe one. You can pick any topic that is related to Walt Disney Studios provided it is focused on something between the years 1923-1996. After all, this is a classic film blog! 

Old posts are always welcomed, too, if you re-post them with one of the new Disney banners ( down below ).

We'll be announcing the prizes in our giveaway at a later date, but for now.....every entry in the blogathon gives you an extra "ticket" for the giveaway, so the more posts the merrier!

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Ready to let the magic begin? Just click on the comment box below and leave your name, blog site, and the topic you would like to write about. You can also email us at silverbankspictures at gmail ( you know the rest ). And be sure to grab a banner to post on your blog to help spread the word!

THE ROSTER

Cinderella (1950) - Whimsically Classic
Top Ten Animated Disney Movies - Hamlette's Soliloquy
Top Ten Live-Action Disney Movies - Hamlette's Soliloquy
Kurt Russell at Disney - Phyllis Loves Classic Movies
Freaky Friday (1976) - Realweegiemidget Reviews
DuckTales: The Treasure of the Golden Sun (1987) - Taking Up Room
Top Ten Silly Symphonies - Nitrate Glow
Seven Things to Know About Disney's Zorro TV Series - Classic Film & TV Cafe
Mary Poppins (1964) - Starlight and Saucepans
The Black Hole and Tron - The Midnite Drive-In
7 Favorite Disney TV Movies - Silver Scenes
The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh (1977) - Thoughts from The Music(al) Man
Marge Champion and Disney - Box Office Poisons
Walt Disney's Silent Laugh-O-GramsCrítica Retrô
A Letter from Roy Disney - Stars and Letters
Ten Favorite Disney Movie Soundtracks - Old Books and Movies
Disney's Historical Fiction TV Shows - Old Books and Movies
The Disney Round-Up - Silver Scenes

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