McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force (1965)

Tim Conway cracks me up. I always enjoyed his antics when he was paired with Don Knotts, but now I find he is even funnier with Joe Flynn. Having not seen the television series McHale's Navy, nor the feature film, I plunged into this sequel regardless and loved it! You don't have to be familiar with the show or its characters to enjoy this one. I didn't even miss Ernest Borgnine who wasn't present in this McHale outing sans "McHale".

Why he isn't in this sequel is a mystery... even Borgnine later confessed that he never knew the reason why he wasn't asked to be in it. Perhaps Universal wanted to test the waters with Joe Flynn and Tim Conway as a new Laurel & Hardy-like comedy duo...or they may have been simply saving money by axing the main star. Whatever the reason, with or without him it is a hoot. 

The comedy all starts with a case of mistaken identity—Ensign Parker (Tim Conway) gets confused as a defecting Russian naval officer after having one gin too many, so Quartermaster Christy dresses him in the uniform of Air Force Lt. Wilbur Harkness (Ted Bessell), General Harkness' son, who has a reputation as a ladies' man. Before long, our clueless hero is suddenly irresistible to the likes of Susan Silo, Jean Hale, and other young women who are convinced he’s a legendary Romeo. Things spiral further when Parker is forced to pose as a bomber navigator, dragging a very unwilling Binghamton (Joe Flynn) along for the ride. The two manage to turn a routine flight into a catastrophe, eventually plummeting out of the plane in a jeep dangling from a rope!

Throughout the 1960s, Universal Pictures were outputting the best comedies of all the studios. McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force was a typical product of this studio, much in the vein of the Don Knotts comedies from that same era. Sure, the sets are basic (they look like they were made for the TV series), but the acting is a riot, and it is packed with familiar character actors like Tom Tully, Jacques Aubuchon, Cliff Norton, Henry Beckman, and Willis Bouchey. And let’s not forget Bob Hastings as Carpenter, Binghamton’s ever-loyal lackey.

Best of all, it has plenty of Tim Conway and Joe Flynn. I grew up with Joe Flynn from his Disney work so the character of Captain Binghamton is new to me but it's Flynn all over. He always played men of authority who were frustrated by the idiots around him - yet, he was often the biggest boob of the bunch! McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force has a number of great scenes with Binghamton getting frustrated with Parker...the best of which is when the two of them squeeze inside a link trainer and Parker keeps making remarks that imply that they are flying ("We must be hitting turbulence"..."I think we hit water!"). Binghamton's exasperation keeps growing as he blurts out, "Link trainers can't fly!".... yet they end up in the Pacific Ocean! Another fun scene is where Parker and Binghamton come across a shipment of brassieres without the faintest idea of what they are. It’s all silly, harmless fun—but crazy enough to get you laughing. 

Thankfully, McHale's Navy ran for four seasons on television so now that this film whetted my appetite for navy comedy, I'll be plunging into the series. If you want to check out McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force for yourself, it is paired with McHale's Navy (1964) on a double-feature DVD from Shout! Factory. 

From the Archives: A Ticklish Affair (1963)

 
Little Grover (Peter Robbins) was taking a flight on some tethered weather balloons when he decided to cut the ropes and really soar in 1963's A Ticklish Affair. This brought Officer Key (Gig Young) and a fleet of patrol cars out trying to chase him down...a difficult task to do with San Diego's shifting winds.

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 

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969)

Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell), a popular but not-too-smart student at Medfield College, becomes a walking whiz-kid when he accidentally electrocutes himself with the donated computer the college received from wealthy businessman A.J. Arno (Cesar Romero). Now he has encyclopedic knowledge and lightning-fast recall. Dexter's mechanical brain turns him into a national sensation, and he finds his newfound skill going to his head when Arno recruits him to his business, but he soon discovers that "everyone is out for themselves!". A.J. wants to exploit Dexter’s abilities for his own gain, while the deans of two colleges are attempting to recruit him for academic competitions so they can win funds for the school. 

Dexter doesn't realize that he absorbed sensitive data from the computer - incriminating information about Arno's illegal gambling rings. When he accidentally blurts it out on live television during an academic quiz challenge, Arno's henchmen kidnap him, prompting his college friends to mount a rescue to get Dexter back on TV so they can win for good ol' Medfield!

"The State Collegian Classification Test is tomorrow. As you know, we came in 36th last year. I think we can improve on that." (Dean's announcement)

"36th? You know Dexter, there are only 37 colleges in the state." - Annie

"Gee, I wonder who we beat?" - Dexter

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes is a light-hearted comedy from Walt Disney that was geared for the teenage market when it was released. It proved to be so popular that two more Dexter Riley films were made, each one featuring a different scientific breakthrough: invisibility (Now You See Him, Now You Don't) and super-strength (The Strongest Man in the World). 

Kurt Russell was ideally cast as Dexter, your average good-looking but not-too-bright college student. He's loyal to little Medfield College and means well in all he does, but things always tend to backfire and, when it does, his pal Schuyler (Michael McGreevey) is usually right beside him. Dexter is a genius compared to Schuyler who really bumbles things. Luckily, their recurring opponent - A.J. Arno and his stooge Chillie (Richard Bakalyan) aren't the sharpest sharks in the tank. Like most Disney films of the 1960s and 1970s, the Dexter Riley series end with a chase scene and this is when A.J. and his gang always get caught. 

Kurt Russell is not usually considered a comedian but he was great in all the Dexter films. In The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, he is especially funny when he tries to sputter out the answers to the remaining quiz questions agonizingly slow while his "computer" is shutting down. 

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes boasts a great supporting cast of character actors: the talented William Schallert plays Medfield's science teacher Professor Quimby whom the students love but the dean despises; Alan Hewitt plays Dean Collingsgood of the rival State College, and Joe Flynn portrays Medfield's Dean Higgins, a lovable fussbucket. Joe had previously appeared in Disney's The Love Bug but, as Dean Higgins, he had a chance to showcase his unique comedic talent. He reappeared in both Dexter Riley sequels as well as in The Barefoot Executive with Kurt Russell, before his death in 1974. 

Jon Provost, Frank Webb, Debbie Paine, and Frank Welker have supporting roles as Dexter's college pals. 

There's a lot to like in this film: its groovy opening (with computer punch card graphics!), the small town college vibes, the dunebuggy chase, and the TV quiz show finale - not to mention Kurt Russell. If you enjoy it - as we certainly did - then check out the sequels. Luckily, all of Russell's Disney films are on DVD and are available to stream through Disney+.

Weekend with Father (1951)

Today is Father's Day and to celebrate all of the wonderful daddies of the world, we picked a rare but wonderful daddy movie to review - Weekend with Father (1951). This Universal Pictures comedy stars Van Heflin and Patricia Neal and tells the story of widower Brad Stubbs and widow Jean Bowen who meet while taking their children to a summer camp. Even though sparks of love instantly fly between the happy couple, getting their children to accept a blended family proves to be more difficult...but "Daddy Stubbs" gives it his best try to make it work. 

"Mommy, is that Schmoe gonna be our father??"

Yes, unfortunately, Bowen's two boys see their new father as a failure, especially when compared to He-Man Don Adams (Richard Denning), the camp counselor, but Mrs. Bowen knows what a gem she found. Stubbs' two daughters are disappointed with "mother" as well.... they were hoping their dad was going to marry the glamorous TV star Phyllis Reynolds (Virginia Field) whom he has been dating for over a year.

Ironing up the difficulty with their children and trying to shake off the two cardboard idols makes up with the bulk of the film and provides ample opportunity for comedic moments, many of which were provided in Joseph Hoffman's script. Incidentally, this script feels like it was tailor-made for Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert. I wonder if they weren't initially planned to be the stars of this vehicle. Colbert would have been wonderful as Mrs. Bowen, but Patricia Neal does what she can with the role and what she does is rather good. 

Universal released so many entertaining comedies in the late 1940s and early 1950s and just about every actor on their payroll ended up appearing in at least one during their tenure with the studio. Van Heflin and Patricia Neal are generally considered serious actors, but they do a good job with these light-hearted roles.... especially Heflin, who should have gone on to make more comedies. 

Weekend with Father was directed by Douglas Sirk, who was such a versatile director. He made a series of comedies before switching to adventure films and later mushy romance pictures starring Rock Hudson. This film plays out quickly and keeps the laughs going. 

You can't help but feel sorry for both parents as they put up with their children's antics but faced with the same situation, I guess most couples would bend backward trying to get their children to like their newly chosen spouse. It's worth checking out this little-known classic and, to make the film extra special, why not pair this with Walt Disney's short cartoon "Father's Weekend" featuring Goofy?

Happy Father's Day!

The Student Prince (1954)

In 1954, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer brought the delightful old play "The Student Prince" to the big screen. This lavish production was initially planned as a vehicle for their Italian singing sensation Mario Lanza, but this fun-loving tenor had put on a bit too much weight over the summer and ended up being axed as its star. Instead, the handsome English-import Edmund Purdum took on the lead role and lip-sung the songs that were pre-recorded by Mario Lanza. And it turned out quite well!

Sigmund Romberg musicalized the 1902 Wilhelm Meyer-Förster play "Old Heidelberg" in 1924 and turned it into one of the most popular operettas of the 20th century. The story centers around the young Prince Karl Franz of Karlsberg (Edmund Purdum), who is encouraged by his tutor, the kindly Doctor Engel (Edmund Gwenn), to attend the University of Heidelberg prior to capping the crown on his head. In this charming old German town, Prince Karl falls in love with Kathie (Ann Blyth), the barmaid at the local beerhall where all the students congregate after school. He wishes to marry Kathie but he is pledged to betroth Princess Johanna (Betta St. John), and so his heart is divided between his personal desire and duty for his country.

This simple but engaging plot was interwoven with over 15 glorious Romberg songs, including "Drink, Drink, Drink!", "Golden Days", the beautiful "Serenade", and "Deep in My Heart". Purdum did an excellent job of mimicking a tenor and Ann Blyth, of course, carried her own set of powerful lungs and sang better than she ever did on film. In between their romantic moments, Prinz Franz encountered some drama caused by a rival student (John Ericson), a little humor from the inn-keeper (S.Z. Sakall), and a good dose of paternal advice from his father King Ferdinand (Louis Calhern). Also in the cast was John Williams as the stiff valet Lutz, John Hoyt as the Prime Minister, and Richard Anderson as Franz's newfound friend at the university. 

The film looked beautiful in Cinemascope and the lovely Cedric Gibbons sets transported the audiences to old Germany and the grandeur of the German Empire before World War I began. 

"The Student Prince" was an immediate success upon its Broadway debut in 1924. It became the most popular musical of the 1920s, running even longer than "Show Boat". Hollywood brought it to the screen in 1927 as a silent film (!) starring Ramon Navarro and Norma Shearer and then it was shelved until this production in 1954. I always thought that it would have made an excellent Nelson Eddy-Jeannette MacDonald musical in the late 1930s but that never happened. 

This adaptation proved that a good story lasts for generations. MGM reaped more than double its return at the box-office and it launched Edmund Purdum's career in Hollywood. Shortly after The Student Prince was completed, Purdum went on to star in the epic The Egyptian over at 20th Century Fox. 

Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953)

The setting is Scotland in the 18th century. A German has inherited the throne of England and Scotland and will rule as king. The appointment of King George I upsets many of the Scottish people and the highlanders especially who gather their clans together and rise up against the English troops occupying Scotland. The Duke of Argyll has quenched most of these rebel uprisings, except for a small but stubborn band of highlanders of the McGregor clan led by Rob Roy "the Highland rogue".His fight for Scottish independence leads him on a road to the gallows in London... and eventually, face to face with King George I himself. 

Walt Disney made a number of excellent adventure films in the 1950s and Rob Roy ranks as one of the best. It has all of the sweet ingredients for a rousing good adventure: highland rebels, romance, swordplay, beautiful locations, stirring music, and a grrraaand story. Technicolor filming and a cast of seasoned actors bake the cake. 

Richard Todd, who starred as the heroic Rob Roy, had just completed two period costume adventure films for Walt Disney Studios - The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men and The Sword and the Rose - both of which were popular with UK audiences and Rob Roy proved to be a box-office hit as well. Unfortunately, these films did not do as well stateside and Disney decided not to pursue more costume films. This was also the last picture Disney released through RKO for shortly afterwards all of his productions were released through his own distribution company, Buena Vista.  

Rob Roy gathered together some excellent actors from throughout the United Kingdom including Irish-born (!) Richard Todd, Welsh actress Glynis Johns, James Robertson Justice of Scottish ancestry (who looked especially handsome donning long blonde hair), English character actors Michael Gough and Geoffrey Keen, and one of the most famous Scottish film actors to have ever lived: Finlay Currie. 

Rob Roy is a simple story of a rebel but he is one like Zorro or Robin Hood, where the audience takes sides with him and is pleased to see justice done in the end.The story was, in Disney's words, "based on history and legend" and written by one of his most dependable scriptwriters Lawrence Edward Watkin, who specialized in adapting adventure stories such as Treasure Island and The Story of Robin Hood.  

Location filming took place in Scotland around Corriegrennan and Aberfoyle and this Highland scenery was beautifully shot by legendary cinematographer Guy Green. What scenes they could not film were painted in by matte artist Peter Ellenshaw. Today, one can view Rob Roy and its colorful filming through Disney's subscription streaming service Disney + or by purchasing it on DVD. 

Gidget Goes to Rome (1963)

"Gidget Goes to Rome....and it was never like home!"

After riding the waves in Malibu and basking in the Hawaiian sun, our favorite Southern California beach girl, Gidget, traded in her surfboard for a passport and embarked on her most exciting journey yet—a trip to Rome!  In Gidget Goes to Rome (1963), Francesca "Gidget" Lawrence (now played by Cindy Carol) explores the Eternal City with her ever-doting boyfriend Moondoggie (James Darren) and the "gang" from back home. 

Rome proves to be the perfect playground for Gidget's romantic and cultural escapades. She gets to marvel at the Colosseum, daydream in the Roman Forum, toss coins into the Trevi Fountain, and also find time to go over the deep end for a sophisticated Italian magazine writer, Paolo (Cesare Danova), who claims to be writing an article about an American girl's impressions of Rome. He is really keeping an eye on her as a favor to her father, an old war buddy, but poor Gidge doesn't realize this. 

Jeff aka "Moondoggie" takes Gidget's romantic fling in stride because he has fallen in love himself - with Daniela (Danielle DeMetz), the group's curvaceous tour guide.  

"Everyone falls in love in Rome, Jeff. It is our national pastime - like your baseball."

While Gidget and Moondoggie adjust to their new pairings, she also gets involved in a series of comedic mishaps, all set against the stunning backdrop of a postcard-perfect Italy. The film captures a breezy, early-1960s ideal of international travel—where every piazza is picturesque and romance is always just around the corner. This was a dream trip that every college student at the time wanted to take. 

Gidget Goes to Rome plays like a Technicolor travelogue, making full use of its on-location shooting in Italy. Director Paul Wendkos, who helmed all three Gidget films, gives audiences a delightful tour of Rome’s most iconic landmarks, from the Spanish Steps to St. Peter’s Basilica.

The sights aren't the only dazzling part of the film—the wardrobe is just as eye-catching. The girls get to wear gorgeous Fontana fashions, and a highlight of the film is the elegant fashion show sequence at the legendary Fontana studio where Gidget accidentally stumbles onto the runway. 

Cindy Carol, who steps into the shoes of Sandra Dee and Deborah Walley, plays Gidget with a sprightly flair all her own. Gidget Goes to Rome was the first Gidget film that I watched as a young girl and the movie - as well as Cindy Carol's performance in it - still remain my favorite in the series. Who can resist the catchy title song by James Darren, too? 

Joby Baker returns as Jeff's pal Judge, while Peter Brooks, Noreen Corcoran, and Trudi Ames round out the cast as Gidget's travelling companions. Of course, no Gidget movie would be complete without parental intervention, and this time it’s in the form of the not-so-watchful chaperone Aunt Albertina played by the wig-swapping Jessie Royce Landis.

Gidget Goes to Rome is a typical light-hearted romance adventure that was perfectly in step with the beach-party films and globetrotting romances of the era. It’s a breezy farewell to the Gidget film series and well worth a watch. Just don’t expect too many waves—this time, the only surfing Gidget does is through the winding streets of Rome.

Robert's Robots (1973-1974)

Robert Summerby is not your ordinary brilliant eccentric inventor. He has developed a group of humanoid robots in the laboratory of the country house he shares with his aunt and uses two of them - the clunky "KT" and the much more advanced Eric - to help him build and develop other robots as well as do chores around the house. The scrapes that he and his robots get into formed the basis of Bob Block's 1973 children's sitcom Robert's Robots... and they certainly got into a lot of them! 

Bob Block was the brains behind several memorable children's comedies, including Pardon My Genie and Rentaghost, so when his name comes on the screen, you know it's going to be a funny show. What provides the most humor in Robert's Robots is the fact that Robert Summerby wants to keep his humanoid robots a secret, even from his fiancée Angela, and comes up with wild excuses for the way they sometimes behave. Adding to the fun is Mr. Marken and Mr. Gimble. Marken (Leon Lissek) represents a foreign electronics firm who wants to find out what Summerby's latest invention is and so he hires Mr. Gimble (Richard Davies), a private detective, to find out. Each episode has the twosome peering into or above bushes trying to look into Summerby's laboratory. Marken speaks English well enough but has a tendency to pick other words that sound like the ones he wants to use. 

"I can smell from the aroma that this is not immediate coffee. Has it been soiled?"

"He means ground."

John Clive was cast as Robert Summerby and he is marvelous as the English inventor always coming up with new ideas or ways to improve the robots... for example, he recircuited Eric's emotional control once to make him less impatient and more caring towards humans. This backfired of course, but it was a clever idea. Clive tends to talk nervously so luckily his calm and comforting Aunt Millie (Doris Rogers) is always there to give him some stability. She thinks Robert's work is wonderful and uses the robots throughout the house. Katie "KT" (Brian Coburn) always listens to Aunt Millie but sometimes does things wrong. "And what did we do wrong, Katie?" she asks him every time he busts through the door without opening it first. 

Eric (Nigel Pegram) on the other hand, never makes mistakes and often rolls his eyes at Katie and the other robots' incompetency. Eric is so life-like that Robert's fiancée Angela (Jenny Hanley) thinks he is Robert's lab assistant. It is not until the final episode of season 1, that she realizes he is a strange character... and then we never see Angela again. Season 2 brought a few other changes, like the replacement of Mr. Gimble with Mr. Plummer (David Pugh) as the private "eyeball". 

Unfortunately, Robert's Robots lasted just two seasons and, since they were UK shows, each season only have 7 episodes so it was a short-lived program but a memorable and a funny one. 

Gidget Grows Up (1969)

Gidget Grows Up has been playing a number of times on the Cinevault channel on Roku over the past few months and I always happened to catch little bits of it but never had time to sit and watch it all the way through... until today, that is. 

Like many women, I grew up with the Gidget film series and have seen them all many times over. A lot of people say Sandra Dee is their favorite Gidget, no doubt because she was the first and defined the role, but I always liked Cindy Carol in Gidget Goes to Rome and Sally Field in the Gidget television series. Years ago, I read about a television movie being made with Karen Valentine in the role but never looked into it, so when Gidget Grows Up started playing on television, I had to check it out...and I am so glad that I did! 

Karen Valentine does an excellent job of playing Gidget in her various stages of maturing. She begins much like Sally Field, as an energetic headstrong girl and then blossoms - in the span of one hour and fifteen minutes - into a lovely young woman. As one might expect, Gidget has a breakup with her surf-hero Moondoggie again (played by Paul Peterson) and once more falls for an older man, but not the grizzled Kahuna from the first Gidget movie, instead it is the dapper Australian diplomat Alex McLaughlin (Edward Mulhare). For you see, Gidget has taken on the job of being a guide at the United Nations building in New York City so she is a long way from the beach now. 

Frances Lawrence aka Gidget is learning about love and relationships in a deeper way then what she experienced at the beach, and this makes the film more touching than any of the other Gidget pictures. Yet, it still has a light and playful air about it in keeping with the series. 

The film has a surprisingly good cast of seasoned actors for a made-for-television movie. These include Robert Cummings as Gidget's father, Paul Lynde as a movie-loving landlord, Nina Foch as her teacher at the UN, and Warner Anderson as an ambassador. In addition to the big name actors, you will enjoy spotting a number of bit-time actors who were busy in television in the late 1960s and 1970s. 

James Sheldon, a veteran TV director, did an excellent job of filming Gidget Grows Up and the musical montages are especially nice. The background music is performed by Jean King who sings "Growing Up" beautifully. You can hear it in this sequence. 

Gidget Grows Up is currently available to watch on DVD, via streaming with Tubi (along with all of the other Gidget films), or for free on Youtube. 

The Private War of Major Benson (1955)

Atten-shun!! Get ready to muster for some good family entertainment with The Private War of Major Benson, a little-known gem of a comedy from Universal Pictures. 

Charlton Heston stars as Major Benson, an overly strict army officer but one whose bark is worse than his bite. He opened his mouth once too often and ended up being booted from active service and assigned to command a military boarding school co-run by Catholic nuns. The "men" he needs to drill into soldiers range from age six to fifteen, one of whom has trouble keeping his pants up. 

"We've gotta turn these milkshake drinking school boys into whiskey drinking soldiers!"

If it isn't humiliating enough to be in this position, Major Benson gets pegged ten notches lower when the boys go over his head and sign a petition to have him ousted. Benson then does some soul searching to discover where he went wrong as a leader and, with the aid of Mother Redempta (Nana Bryant) and the lovely Ms. Lambert (Julie Adams), he tries to win back their approval. 

The Private War of Major Benson was one of many entertaining family comedies that Universal Pictures released in the 1950s. This came a year before Heston donned sandals and staff to portray Moses in Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments. No matter how rough Heston pretended to be as Major Benson, he still comes out looking like a swell guy - a little chipped, but still lovable. 

At least, the school's doctor Ms. Lambert aka "Lammy" thinks so. The boys think otherwise, especially little "Tiger" played by the scene-stealing Tim Hovey. The other boys who consider Benson a fink include Tim Considine, Sal Mineo, Butch Jones and Gary Pagett. 

"This is our school's founder. He was canonized in 1857." - Mother Redempta [showing Benson a portrait of a priest] 
"Aw, gee... That's too bad." - Major Benson

Jerry Hopper does a great job of directing The Private War of Major Benson and keeps the fun going from start to finish. The script was penned by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher who later created "Leave it to Beaver" on television. Also in the cast is William Demarest as the school's handyman, Milburn Stone as Benson's commanding officer, and Don Haggerty. Major Benson doesn't have the makings of a four-star general, but he gets four stars for entertainment!

Paganini Strikes Again (1977) - A CFF Film

We are continuing our coverage of Children's Film Foundation (CFF) films with Paganini Strikes Again, a rare mystery/adventure from 1977. The "Paganini" in the title refers to Mike (Andrew Bowen) and his friend Bill (Philip Bliss) who are both violin students. On their way to music class, they get stuck in the elevator of a small building and from their viewpoint are only able to see work boots of a man running up a flight of stairs. They later find out that a robbery had taken place and realize that this was the robber escaping. 

Inspector Mainwaring (John Arnatt) of the London police does not believe their shoe clue is enough to begin a search and so the boys decide to play detectives themselves and hunt down the man with the boots. Unbeknownst to them, he happens to be the uncle of one of their classmates. 

Paganini Strikes Again cannot really be classified as a mystery because everything is shown to the audience. The robbery is evident, and it is clear that Raddings (Dudley Sutton) is the criminal. However, watching the boys track him down is entertaining and for light Saturday afternoon juvenile fare (which this was intended to be) Paganini Strikes Again is pleasant enough. It doesn't rank as one of the best CFF films, nor the worst. 

Both Bowen and Bliss do a good job of acting as the young musician detectives. Bowen had done some acting previously (Bachelor Father) and would later appear in the television series Grange Hill. Dudley Sutton (Lovejoy), a veteran of British television, plays one of his usual nasty criminal roles. Arnatt is good as the Inspector, Patrick Jordan plays a detective, and Julia Dawn Cole has a small part as the sister of one of the boys. 

Paganini Strikes Again is currently not available on DVD or on Youtube, but check every once in a while as it may appear again. 

The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)

Them thar kiddies are armed and dangerous. They're loaded with winsome ways and beguiling smiles. Why, one glance at them can drive a man.... to marriage? For Mr. Donovan (Bill Bixby), that's exactly what happened. 

Mr. Russell Donovan was just passing through the town of Quake City enjoying a game of poker, when he volunteered to pick up some valuables that was coming in on the next stagecoach for an old acquaintance . Those "valuables" turned out to be three children: Bobby (Clay O'Brien), Clovis (Brad Savage), and Celia (Stacy Manning), and his old acquaintance was nowhere to be found. 

Judge McCoy (Harry Morgan) was of the mind that since Mr. Donovan accepted a down-payment for the valuables, they are rightly his. After numerous attempts to pawn of the youngens fail, Mr. Donovan reluctantly becomes a family man, but the townsfolk suddenly want to adopt the children after the little ones strike gold in an old derelict mine belonging to them. If Mr. Donovan wants to safeguard the children and their fortune, he better "find himself a wife" (the judge declares) and so Mr. Donovan grasps at a last straw and proposes marriage to one of the few single women in town, the rough and tumbled "Dusty" Clydesdale (Susan Clark).

Walt Disney Studios released The Apple Dumpling Gang in 1975, when most of the theaters were showing movies filled with violence and not many laughs. However, Disney knew what families wanted to see and this comedy-western struck gold. The picture reaped in nearly $32 million in box-office receipts and became the 11th top-grossing film of the year*. 

What made the film so entertaining was the featured comedy duo of Don Knotts and Tim Conway. This was their first pairing and the characters of Amos and Theodore ("dumb and dumber") were a boot-fit for this team. Theodore (Tim Conway) had accidentally shot Frank Stillwell (Slim Pickens) of The Stillwell Gang in the leg and so he and Amos (Don Knotts) decide to strike out on their own as the newly dubbed "Hashknife Outfit". They wanted to leave a trail of crime in every town they passed but all they were leaving was a mess. Now the giant gold nugget that the children find is sitting on display at the local bank and Amos and Theodore have their eye on stealing it!

Like most of the scripts for Walt Disney films, there are multiple stories going on at once, all of which intersect and conclude nicely during the finale. The Apple Dumpling Gang was written by Don Tait who had just started with the Walt Disney Studios in 1972 when he wrote Snowball Express. He went on to write many more scripts for the studio, including the sequel to this film, The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979), which also featured Don Knotts and Tim Conway. 

Bill Bixby gives a wonderful performance (as usual) as Mr. Donovan and Susan Clark is entertaining as Dusty, but the children are the real scene-stealers. Clay O'Brien has long been a favorite of mine ever since I watched him on Saturday morning showings of The Whiz Kid series, where he played Alvin's friend Shooie. All of the children were well-cast, as were the character actors which also included David Wayne and John McGiver. 

Director Norman Tokar (Leave it to Beaver) kept the action and the entertainment at a steady pace and The Apple Dumpling Gang never becomes dull or tiresome...even after multiple viewings. The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again is equally entertaining. In fact, it is one of those rare sequels that is actually better than the original because most of the story centers on Amos and Theodore instead of Mr. Donovan and the children, and who could pass up more of Knotts and Conway?

* Based on the website The Numbers. 

Master of the World (1961)

In Morgantown, Pennsylvania, in 1868, a giant voice was heard booming from the mountain ridge known as The Great Eyrie. It was quoting from the Holy Book. John Strock (Charles Bronson), an agent for the United States Department of the Interior, decides to investigate this phenomenon and asks inventor/arms manufacturer Mr. Prudent (Henry Hull) to journey up to the mountain with him in his air balloon. Going along the ride is Prudent's daughter Dorothy (Mary Webster) and her fiancée Philip (David Frankham). 

However, the foursome never make it to the summit because their balloon is shot down by a giant airship called The Albatross. At the helm is Robur, a Nemo-like character who wants to stop warfare by forcing nations to disarm by the threat of destroying their instruments of war. Strock and the others are held prisoners onboard the Albatross until Strock hatches a plan to destroy Robur and his flying weapon. 

Producer Samuel Arkoff is best-known for his budget horror films (War of the Zombies, The Raven) and beach-party comedies (Bikini Beach, Beach Blanket Bingo) but Master of the World, released in 1961, marked his foray into Irwin Allen's territory of family-friendly sci-fi adventure. It wasn't a bad venture, either. 

Charles Bronson plays a likeable hero; the rest of the cast are engaging enough (especially Henry Hull), and the set design and bright color schemes are pleasant on the eye. The story, based on two novels by Jules Verne, is pretty much "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" now set in the air. Vincent Price plays a good Robur, but he lacks the convincing anguish that James Mason gave to Nemo in the 1954 classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and it is hard to feel compassion for his character. Perhaps it is because the audience is never given a reason why Robur is bent against stopping warfare, unlike Nemo whose family was killed in a war. 

The film could have used a sprinkling of comedy. 20th Century Fox's excellent sci-fi adventure Journey to the Center of the Earth was released just two years prior to Master of the World but what a world of difference in terms of production quality and entertainment. Master of the World would have been marvelous with James Mason, Pat Boone, Diane Baker and perhaps Richard Haydn cast as the aerial prisoners. Vito Scotti's kitchen humor just wasn't enough to add the element of fun to Master of the World, something the film needed. 

Nevertheless, the movie is one that I can re-watch numerous times. It is a classic steampunk picture released years before the term was even invented. 

The music, by conductor Les Baxter, is lovely and the supporting cast, made up of several less-known players are good in their parts. David Frankham, who plays Philip, was a familiar face on the small screen where he did numerous guest appearances in sitcoms, westerns, and dramas throughout the 1960s. Mary Webster was also a television actress (Arkoff was always mindful of the budget) and this was one of the rare feature films she made. Henry Hull was one of the few big-names on the roster, being an old character actor from the 1940s.

American International Pictures released Master of the World along with Konga as a double-feature in 1961, so if sci-fi did not appeal to the audience they could be entertained by a gorilla.

Counter-Attack (1960)

A little-known fact of World War II history is that the German forces occupied the Channel Islands for five long years. We all know that stalwart English citizens such as Professor Emelius Brown and Eglantine Price helped to stave off coastal attacks from German troops, but how many of us know that nearly 20,000 Germans were parked only 80 miles from England's shore?

Whether this is news to you or not, you are sure to enjoy Counter-Attack, a wonderful seven-part children's miniseries that showed how three youths - Terry, Cliff, and Carol - reacted to the Nazi occupation of their homeland in 1940. 

Like most Brits, they instinctively knew to spit in the eyes of the Nazis. However, Terry (14-year-old Jeremy Bulloch) the eldest of the main characters, feels that tripping soldiers and throwing mud in their face isn't quite enough and so he decides to turn the children's club - the Argos - into a counter-attack unit of resistance. 

Hidden away in an old mill and armed with a crude radio set, the children plan out their attacks and then relay messages to British forces on the mainland. The British officers receiving these messages do not realize that the mysterious "Argo" are a group of children and so they tell them to be on the lookout for an agent that they will be sneaking onto the island at midnight. Their task is to hide him from the Nazis and aid him in destroying the German's ammunition dump. How exciting! Things get really hot to handle when Major Wolf (Joseph Furst) of the German army and his junior officer Kurt billets the house where the children are staying.

Counter-Attack was released on television in the U.K. in January of 1960...just twenty years after the occupation of the Channel Islands, so many viewers vividly remembered the experiences and feelings the characters were going through. While the series was aimed at children, it is entertaining for all ages. Cliff and Carol's older sister Jean (Etain O'Dell) has a slight romance with the agent (Oliver Neville) the children are hiding out and there is enough wartime excitement to keep the adults hooked. 

ITV producer Sidney Newman announced in a TV Times interview that "..if [the series] is one tenth as fantastic as the truth about the wartime occupation of the Channel Islands, I will be happy!" Well, he had much to be pleased about with Peter Ling's script even though Ling knew that the teatime adventure series would be "on the cautious side". Mary Field, the programme advisor, drew on her own experiences of growing up on the Channel Islands during the occupation and Ling wove these reminiscences into his script. 

All of the child actors do a good job with their parts, especially Jeremy Bulloch who did a number of children's series in the early 1960s but is probably best known for playing Boba Fett in the Star Wars franchise. Young Cliff (Murray Yeo) could be a handful at times, but that was what created most of the drama for the episodes' cliffhangers. Children aren't always as cautious as their parents would hope. 

Counter-Attack has not yet been released on DVD but is available for viewing online. 

Rewind Review: Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

Back in 1864, Jules Verne penned "Journey to the Centre of the Earth", a novel about a group of intrepid individuals who undertake a subterranean journey to discover the very center of our Earth. Why would anyone want to take such a journey? As one of the explorers in this expedition explains, "Why does man freeze to death to try and reach the North Pole? Why does man drive himself to suffer the steam and heat to discover the Amazon? Why does he stagger his mind with the math of the sky? Once a question arises in the human brain the answer must be found, whether it takes a hundred years or a thousand years." 

It is the spirit of adventure that is celebrated in the act of exploring the unknown, and the ultimate aim of all Science is to penetrate this unknown. Scientists spent years exploring the many features of the earth's surface but who has penetrated its depths? Arne Saknussemm has! Or so this movie claims. The 16th-century Icelandic alchemist was ridiculed for his preposterous attempt to reach the Earth's core, but 350 years later, Professor Oliver Lindenbrook ( James Mason ) stumbles upon evidence that proves he did just that, and ventures forth to go there himself. 

By the time he leaves, the party has grown to five members: Alec ( Pat Boone ), a student of his at the University of Edinburgh; Carla ( Arlene Dahl ), the widow of a fellow explorer; a burly Icelander named Hans ( Peter Ronson ) and his pet duck Gertrude ( excellently played by herself ). Spending a year beneath the surface, they encounter a cavern of luminescent crystals, large deposits of salt, an ocean, the lost city of Atlantis, and even another explorer...bent on making sure his own name goes down in history as the first man to reach the center of the Earth!

Journey to the Center of the Earth was released in 1959 by 20th Century Fox and was the first film adaptation of Verne's popular novel. Producer Charles Brackett called the original story "a delightful book, written for young people. We simply couldn't have any solemnity about it. I wanted very much to do it at this time. I'm tired of all these films based on thoughts at the back of sick minds......Our picture describes action and events, with not the slightest shadow of Freud. The serious thing about Jules Verne is that all he does is tell a story in exciting episodes, but his stories have always pushed man a little closer towards the unknown. What we've tried to do is retell his story in the best way of all - in the Verne vernacular."

Indeed, the film captures all of the excitement of the original novel without getting bogged down with Verne's scientific details. Walter Reisch ( Gaslight, Niagara ), who had written a number of science fiction stories, was called in to adapt the novel into a script. He cleverly added story elements that made it more palatable for filmgoers, including adding an extra member of the expedition - Carla Thompson. This provided an opportunity for a touch of romance between her and Professor Lindenbrook. Arlene Dahl was excellent in this part. She made Carla an independent-thinker, strong-willed and capable and yet retained her feminine charms. Carla took on the mother-role of the group providing moral support and cooking skills and enjoyed letting the men provide for her and the rest of the group's practical needs.

The comradery between all of the members of the expedition - and the actors who portrayed these characters - is what makes Journey to the Center of the Earth particularly enjoyable to watch. They strike out on an adventure into unknown territory and, like true Victorian explorers, are heedless to the dangers that lie ahead. In jolly spirits, they take all they encounter in stride, carefully making detailed observations for those who may follow in their path, never doubting that they will return to the surface of the Earth to show others the way.

Reisch also added some introductory material to his adaptation and set the events in Edinburgh, Scotland. Here, we witness Professor Lindenbrook in his native habitat, teaching geology at the University of Edinburgh. The events leading up to the journey unfold when his prize pupil Alec, gifts him with an unusual volcanic rock, a lump of lava that contains a hastily scrawled message from long-lost explorer Arne Saknussem. The intrepid professor endeavors to set off at once to follow in Arne's footsteps, but soon discovers that his secret discovery is not so very secret. Two men are already on his trail and set to foil him, one of them being the villainous Count Saknussem ( Thayer David ), a burly descendant of Arne. 

James Mason was tailor-fit for the part of the professor and gives a rousing performance. Surprisingly, Mason was not the first choice for the part. Clifton Webb was originally cast but, having recently undergone surgery, had to withdraw from the production just before shooting began because the physicality of the role would have been detrimental to his health. 

Pat Boone was obviously cast to make the film appealing to younger audiences. He does an excellent job as well, singing only two songs throughout the film ( he had more musical numbers but they were later cut ). Diane Baker was added as his love-interest, the lovely Jenny Linden. The poor girl patiently waited two years to see her sweetheart re-emerge from the depths of the earth. Also in the cast is Alan Napier, Ivan Triesault, and Edith Evanson. 

Journey to the Center of the Earth did extremely well at the box-office, raking in nearly $10,000,000 ( it had a $3.4 million budget ). It had incredible fantasy elements and showed its audience that a whale of a good time could be had beneath the Earth's crust. The Lindenbrook expedition encountered everything from man-eating lizards and giant mushrooms to the lost city of Atlantis, all without the benefit of CGI. 

The film was nominated for these special effects as well as for its art direction. The talented Lyle Wheeler was responsible for these sets, which were highly imaginative and colorful. Wheeler captured the atmosphere of old Edinburgh in the opening scenes, created the beautiful interior sets of Lindenbrook's house ( including an impressive library ), and served up a veritable smorgasbord of fanciful sets for the center-of-the-Earth sequences, including a beautiful cavern of fluorescent rocks. 

Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) was one of the first color film adaptations of a Jules Verne novel and its success created a whole new genre of Victorian adventure films. Like Leagues, Journey to the Center of the Earth not only boasted beautiful sets but a striking color palette that set the tone for all other films in its genre, including The Time Machine (1960), The Lost World (1960), Mysterious Island (1961), and First Men in the Moon (1964). 

It also had an impressive score by Bernard Herrmann. The opening theme heralds the approaching adventure to be enjoyed and the rest of the score captured all the beauty, thrills, and wonderment to be found in the caverns of the deep.

Sixty years after its release, Journey to the Center of the Earth remains one of the best adventure films ever made because at the core of the film is rock-solid entertainment, pure movie magic that ignites your imagination and inspires you to set off on your own adventure. And that is the stamp of excellence for any adventure flick.