Rewind Review: The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968)

The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit really has no bearing on horse racing but rather covers an event in the equestrian world that has seldom been depicted in the motion pictures - horse jumping.

Advertising executive Frederick Bolton (Dean Jones) finds he is up to his neck in bills and in stress. His daughter Helen (Ellen Janov) desperately wants a horse - which he cannot afford - and his boss wants him to dream up a winning advertising campaign for a prestigious pill company "Aspercel" by tomorrow - or else, lose his job. 

After hours scheming up campaign angles, a bolt of inspiration hits him and he finds it may just be a solution that will please both his boss and his daughter: enter a horse named Aspercel in horse jumping competitions across America. What better way to instill in the minds of the social elite the tongue-tripping name of Aspercel and receive headline coverage nationwide? 

The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit was based on the novel "The Year of the Horse" by Eric Hatch, who was an author and screenwriter best known for My Man Godfrey and Topper. The film was originally planned to be released as The Year of the Horse, but instead, the publicity department decided to pun the popular 1956 Gregory Peck film The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, which also dealt with the world of advertising. 

Dean Jones' comedic skill in the short-lived television series "Ensign Pulver"(1963), had caught the eye of Walt Disney and when the series was canceled he was cast as the handsome cat-chasing FBI agent in That Darn Cat (1965). Jones has come to be known for his family man roles of the 1970s, but in the 1960s he was usually cast as a bachelor or a childless husband. In this film, he portrays a widower, whom we imagine has not been on a date since his wife's passing. Like most of his roles, he plays Fred with a lot of harried gestures and frequent bursts of nervous laughter.

Ellen Janov was performing at a club in Palm Springs singing when she was spotted by a Disney exec and screen-tested for the role of Helen Bolton. She was fifteen years old at the time of filming and this was the only picture she ever made. Later, she recorded a few songs released through Capitol Records before becoming a primal therapist in Los Angeles. She died tragically at the age of 22 in a house fire. 

                               " For $2,000 I'd jump a few fences myself "

The lovely Diane Baker was making her first - and only - appearance in a Walt Disney production as Suzie "S.J" Clemens, Helen's riding instructor. Suzanne Pleshette could have easily played her role as well, but it is nice to see Baker in this part. The riding habit suits her.

Kurt Russell, who was soon to become one of Disney's biggest stars, had a supporting role as Helen's boyfriend Ronnie, while Morey Amsterdam provided comic relief as Fred's co-worker Charlie.  Lloyd Bochner, Fred Clark, Alan Hewitt and Lurene Tuttle rounded out the cast. 

The star of the film "Aspercel" was really Albarado, a dapple grey jumper who practically steals every scene he is in from the principal actors. In certain scenes, he was doubled by Sir Winston and Could Be, but don't ask us which scenes those were. 

The beautiful Bolton estate and other location scenes were filmed on Disney's 900 acre Golden Oak ranch near Newhall, California.

The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit was the first film to be marketed with "Walt Disney Productions Presents" after Walt's death in 1966. It was released on December 20, 1968, along with the short, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, but alas, the film was not the big success it was hoped to be. It brought in only $3.3 million dollars (half of what The Ugly Dachshund fetched).

"Aspercel, Aspercel...take one pill it'll make you well. If you're dead....your dead."

The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit doesn't have the belly-laugh comedy of some of the better Disney films and, in spite of its marketing, isn't really a comedy at all. Aside from some amusing scenes of Dean Jones riding Aspercel bareback, it is more of a warm domestic drama. Like The Happiest Millionaire, it seems as though the Disney studios were experimenting with trying to capture an older audience. The film gently delves into a variety of different sub-surface topics such as gender equalities and single-parent child-raising all the while keeping the audience entertained and amused with its central theme - horses. 

One of the more important dramatic aspects of the story plot, however, is the psychological trauma of children who support their family. Unbeknownst to Fred, his eagerness to make his publicity plan work puts a lot of untold pressure on the shoulders of his daughter. Helen feels that she is homely and that boys do not like her. Her equestrian skill is the only substance for her self-confidence, but she finds she doesn't enjoy riding as much when she discovers that it is her medals that will either keep or break her father's position. When Fred shamefully realizes this it dawns on him that he has been valuing his job more than his family and quickly makes amends to change that.

The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit is a personal favorite of ours because of its "feel good" quality. Like most Disney films, it leaves you with a sense of satisfaction after watching it. The film is colorful, features talented performers, an entertaining plot and - most amazing of all -actually does focus on what you would expect to see in it based on its title: horse jumping. The twenty-five-minute finale will make any horse lovers heart thump, with actual footage from the Washington D.C International Horse Show spliced in between sequences. Overall it's a tally-ho-ho show! 

Rewind Review: The Barefoot Executive (1971)

"He's gonna make it!"

Steven Post (Kurt Russell) is a young mailroom clerk with high ambitions and a lot of enthusiasm. He wants to see UBC, the faltering television studio that he works for, become the leading network but his boss Mr. Wilbanks (Joe Flynn) won't listen to any of his suggestions, one of which is making a series called Abraham Lincoln's Doctor's Dog. 

Steve's girlfriend Jen (Heather North) recently found herself caring for a chimp named Raffles who loves watching television. Steve thinks the shows that Raffles likes to watch are awful, but they seem to be what the public enjoys as well. After a few days of studying his primetime TV picks, Steve is convinced that the chimp knows the public's taste and can predict which pilot shows will become the next top-rated series. He is clever enough to know that he cannot go to his boss with this information, so Steve pretends that he himself has the knack for picking winners. This plan works well for a time, but Steve soon begins to feel undeserving of all of the praise that he is receiving for being the boy wonder of the studio. 

Kurt Russell began his film career with Walt Disney Studios as a child star and, when he got older, he played the leading man in a number of great comedies for the studio. The Barefoot Executive was released right in the midst of a series of college-themed comedies (beginning with The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes) that featured the recurring character Dexter Reilly (Kurt Russell). Instead of attending college, Steven Post goes to the Moonrise Night School, something that his rival Roger (John Ritter) finds laughable. 

Like most Disney films, the movie has a lot of humor, most of which is delivered by the straight-faced character actors. In The Barefoot Executive, it is Joe Flynn and Wally Cox who steal all the funny moments. These two comedians made a great team and are especially entertaining when they are walking on the ledge of a high-rise building attempting to steal Raffles the chimp. 

"Maybe I shouldn't say this, but you've been complaining ever since we've been up here. If you don't like the way I wheeze and hiccup, why don't you go find your own ledge to stand on?" - Wally Cox

Incidentally, Raffles was making his film debut in this movie and then took a hiatus from Hollywood before returning for one last film in 1975 - an X-rated sex comedy called Sodom and Gomorrah (he needed a better agent). Raffles has such a sweet and expressive face and looks especially cute in the plumber's outfit that Steve dresses him in. 

John Ritter's role is rather small and, as Roger, he does not have any of the charms of Jack Tripper. All of the charisma belongs to Kurt Russell who was a wonderful clean-cut role model for young teenagers. It's no wonder he had such a long career at Walt Disney Studios. Not just any actor can build a convincing rapport with a chimp co-star. 

Also worth mentioning is Heather North, who is adorable as his girlfriend Jen. This lovely girl is best known for voicing Daphne for the Scooby-Doo franchise. Harry Morgan, Alan Hewitt, Hayden Rorke, and Iris Adrian round out the cast on this fun family classic. 

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+.

The Barefoot Executive ( 1971 )

"He's gonna make it!"

Steven Post ( Kurt Russell ) is a young mailroom clerk with high ambitions and a lot of enthusiasm. He wants to see UBC, the faltering television studio that he works for, become the leading network but his boss Mr. Wilbanks ( Joe Flynn ) won't listen to any of his suggestions, one of which is making a series called Abraham Lincoln's Doctor's Dog. 

Steve's girlfriend Jen ( Heather North ) recently found herself caring for a chimp named Raffles who loves watching television. Steve thinks the shows that Raffles likes to watch are awful, but they seem to be what the public enjoys as well. After a few days of studying his primetime TV picks, Steve is convinced that the chimp knows the public's taste and can predict which pilot shows will become the next top-rated series. He is clever enough to know that he cannot go to his boss with this information, so Steve pretends that he himself has the knack for picking winners. This plan works well for a time, but Steve soon begins to feel undeserving of all of the praise that he is receiving for being the boy wonder of the studio. 

Kurt Russell began his film career with Walt Disney Studios as a child star and, when he got older, he played the leading man in a number of great comedies for the studio. The Barefoot Executive was released right in the midst of a series of college-themed comedies ( beginning with The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes ) that featured the recurring character Dexter Reilly ( Kurt Russell ). Instead of attending college, Steven Post goes to the Moonrise Night School, something that his rival Roger ( John Ritter ) finds laughable. 

Like most Disney films, the movie has a lot of humor, most of which is delivered by the straight-faced character actors. In The Barefoot Executive, it is Joe Flynn and Wally Cox who steal all the funny moments. These two comedians made a great team and are especially entertaining when they are walking on the ledge of a high-rise building attempting to steal Raffles the chimp. 

"Maybe I shouldn't say this, but you've been complaining ever since we've been up here. If you don't like the way I wheeze and hiccup, why don't you go find your own ledge to stand on?" - Wally Cox

Incidentally, Raffles was making his film debut in this movie and then took a hiatus from Hollywood before returning for one last film in 1975 - an X-rated sex comedy called Sodom and Gomorrah ( he needed a better agent ). Raffles has such a sweet and expressive face and looks especially cute in the plumber's outfit that Steve dresses him in. 

John Ritter's role is rather small and, as Roger, he does not have any of the charms of Jack Tripper. All of the charisma belongs to Kurt Russell who was a wonderful clean-cut role model for young teenagers. It's no wonder he had such a long career at Walt Disney Studios. Not just any actor can build a convincing rapport with a chimp co-star. 

Also worth mentioning is Heather North, who is adorable as his girlfriend Jen. This lovely girl is best known for voicing Daphne for the Scooby-Doo franchise. Harry Morgan, Alan Hewitt, Hayden Rorke, and Iris Adrian round out the cast on this fun family classic. 

The Secret of Boyne Castle ( 1969 )

Walt Disney Studios produced a number of great made-for-television films for their series The Wonderful World of Color...one of which was The Secret of Boyne Castle. This grand little Irish adventure flick was aired on NBC in three one-hour segments between the weeks of February 9-23 in 1969. 

The story is set entirely in Ireland and was based on the 1963 novel "Guns in the Heather" by Lockhart Amerman. Kurt Russell stars as a young student who, along with his Irish friend Sean ( Patrick Dawson ), helps to deliver a secret message to Boyne Castle to aid an Eastern European agent in his defection. These two lads made a great Hardy Boys-like duo.

Rich Evans ( Russell ) is attending school in Ireland as an exchange student while his older brother Tom ( Glenn Corbett ) is working overseas. Since their parents are deceased, Tom takes care of his younger brother. Rich believes Tom to be a salesman for a steel company and has no idea that he is really a CIA agent...until a man arrives at his school and, with his dying breath, gives Rich a secret message to pass onto Tom. 

Rich is kidnapped shortly after hearing the message but manages to escape. He then sets off with his friend Sean to track down his brother - who has since also disappeared - and get the message to Lord Boyne at Boyne Castle before the enemy agents can intercept it. 

The Secret of Boyne Castle, which was retitled Guns in the Heather for its UK theatrical release, was filmed in and around the west coast of Ireland and the beautiful landscapes and villages of the country are wonderful to see. "Boyne Castle" is actually Dunguaire Castle in lovely County Galway. 

Director Robert Butler had a very long career in television directing numerous episodes for shows like The Fugitive, Batman, Mission Impossible and Remington Steele. His work on this telefilm led to him directing five feature films for Walt Disney Studios in the 1970s, three of which also starred Kurt Russell ( The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes; The Barefoot Executive; Now You See Him, Now You Don't ). 

Why Walt Disney never put Kurt Russell in a Hardy Boys series is a mystery in itself, but at least this movie has all of the elements of a great Hardy caper in it: a motorcycle chase, a secluded castle, a glider ride, and a really clever and dangerous spy.

Since the film was released in three episodes spanning several weeks, each episode features an escape, a new bit of information about the "secret" hiding at Boyne Castle, and some clues to the identity of "Kersner", the master criminal. This makes it great as a serial, but when watched in one sitting it plays out rather slowly and three-hours seems like a long stretch for a simple story, so it is best to watch it in parts like it was meant to be shown. 

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters ( 1963 )

"By riverboat and wagon train, Old Doc McPheeters crossed the plains, 
And told his son, keep moving on there's gold in old California, 
Go westward ho, young Jaimie-O, and you'll find fortune and fame." 

With these words began The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, a short-lived, but very entertaining, western series that aired on Sunday nights on ABC in 1963. It was geared towards adventure-seeking young teenage boys just like Jaimie. 

Kurt Russell, who had guest-starred in a number of television series, was given the titular role in this hour-long show when he was but 12 years old. Jaimie is the son of Sardius "Doc" McPheeters ( Dan O'Herlihy ) , a scalawag gambler who is lured to the West by the prospect of dazzling gold ( and the opportunity to escape his creditors ). Together they head out from Kentucky to California, encountering rampaging Indians, thieves, stampeding buffalo, and sundry other adventures along the wagon trail route. Mid-way through the series we are introduced to rugged wagon master Linc Murdock ( Charles Bronson ) who becomes a friend and a surrogate father to Jaimie boy.  Also cast in the series was Mark Allen and Meg Wyllie as Mr. and Mrs. Kissel, a God-fearing couple who are heading out to the sunshine state along with their singing sons, played by four of the Osmond brothers. 

Jaimie also featured a female lead in the personage of pretty Jenny ( Donna Anderson ), a 17-year old orphan. Each episode of this juvenile variation of Wagon Train cast a slew of veteran actors and up-and-coming players such as Leif Erickson, Mariette Hartley, Lloyd "Crash" Corrigan, Susan Oliver, Kathy Garver, Ruta Lee, David McCallum, Keenan Wynn, and Slim Pickens. 

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters was based upon the Pulitzer prize-winning book of the same name by Robert Lewis-Taylor. The series had a easy-going quality about it, reminiscent of a Mark Twain story, with Russell providing first-person narration of all the sights and sounds he was beholding for the first time....the preparation of the wagon train, meeting Indians up close, and encountering unsavory characters at every corner. Jaimie may have initially thought that heading out West would be fun, but along the way he grows into a stronger lad from all the lessons he learns about people. 

Television writer John Gay was the story editor of the series and, like the book, he kept the savagery of the new frontier real in each of the scripts. This sense of danger kept the series exciting and engrossing for young boys. 

The premise for The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters was quite good and the series was very well made, but the time-slot it was given just didn't enable the show to take off. When you have a choice between The Ed Sullivan Show, My Favorite Martian, and Disney's Wonderful World of Color, would you watch a western? Parents didn't, but many children did, however, and today they fondly recall this series as well as its catchy theme song ( the Bee-Gees released a single from this theme ). It was also popular enough to have a few product tie-ins, including a Gold Key comic book release, and an Ideal boardgame. 

After the series was canceled, MGM produced Guns of Diablo ( 1964 ), a color feature film based upon the final episode "The Day of the Reckoning". For this film, Charles Bronson and Kurt Russell reprised their characters from the series. 

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters has not yet been released on DVD, but it was circulating on television twenty years ago, so surviving copies of the show can be found. Until then, young Jaimie-O's fortune and fame must wait. 

Farewell to the Alma Mater!

Hat's off to the graduating class of 2014 whoever you may be! Early June is approaching and that means it's graduation time......throw off those mortarboards and give a hip-hooray and a high-ho farewell to the college that you will never see again.

For those who'd like to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane, or perhaps have a chance to fantasize about the college experience they never had, we present you with a selection of some of our favorite college-themed films. They may not be the cream of the crop, but they certainly do embody the All-American college spirit. So tuck away your cap and gown with mothballs, hock your textbooks, and start taking notes....


The Freshman ( 1925 ) 

An awkward college student becomes the hero of the day when he helps his campus' football team win a championship pennant. Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Brooks Benedict. 

College Rhythm ( 1934 )

A college football team fights to help win money so an old department store can modernize itself. This zippy yarn features memorable tunes like, "Goo-Goo" and "Take a Number from One to Ten". Jack Oakie, Joe Penner, Marie Brian, Helen Mack. 

Dancing Co-Ed ( 1938 ) 

When the female half of a famous Hollywood dance team takes time off to have a baby, their manager plants a dance pro at a college and then announces a nationwide college dance tournament to find a new "star". Lana Turner, Richard Carlson, Ann Rutherford, Lee Bowman, Artie Shaw. 

A Yank At Oxford ( 1938 ) 

A Yank invades the ol' campus across the pond but finds he has a large chip on his shoulder which his classmates help to knock off just in time for him to help Oxford win the famous team regatta. Robert Taylor, Maureen O'Sullivan, Vivien Leigh, Edmund Gwenn.

Blondie Goes to College ( 1942 ) 

Dagwood decides to go to college and Blondie takes along to keep him out of trouble. Whilst there, the Bumsteads attract suitors for each other and get into a heap of trouble. Meanwhile, Baby Dumpling is sent off to military school and becomes a sergeant. Arthur Lake, Penny Singleton, Larry Sims, Janet Blair.

Here Come the Co-Eds ( 1945 ) 

Two ballroom dancers find themselves the new caretakers at the Bixby College for young ladies, where they proceed to help the basketball team win a match. Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Peggy Ryan, Martha O'Driscoll, Lon Chaney Jr.

Good News ( 1947 )

A college football star finds he enjoys concentrating an French lessons more than football, when he has Juney as his teacher. Peter Lawford, June Allyson, Joan McCracken, Mel Torme, Patricia Marshall. 

Mother is a Freshman ( 1949 )

A poor widow finds she can put her daughter into college through a family scholarship so long as she attends college herself. Instead of concentrating on schoolwork, "mother" winds up falling in love with the English Lit professor. Loretta Young, Van Johnson, Betty Lynn, Rudy Vallee, Barbara Lawrence. 

Take Care of My Little Girl ( 1951 ) 

A young woman enters college and learns the hard way that sorority life isn't what it is all cut out to be. Jeffrey Hunter, Jeanne Crain, Mitzi Gaynor, Dale Robertson, Jean Peters. 

Bonzo Goes to College ( 1952 )

An intelligent ape ditches the circus life to become the pet of a prof. He ends up becoming a star player on the football team in this sequel to "Bedtime for Bonzo". Maureen O'Sullivan, Charles Drake, Edmund Gwenn, Gigi Perreau, Gene Lockhart. 

The Affairs of Dobie Gillis ( 1953 ) 

Girl crazy Dobie Gillis has a whale of a good time at college much to the chagrin of his steady gal pal in this entertaining MGM musical. Bobby Van, Debbie Reynolds, Hans Conreid, Bob Fosse, Lurene Tuttle.

High Time ( 1960 )

The founder of a nationwide chain of hamburger restaurants decides to take some time off to further his education and joins his kid's college. Bing Crosby, Nicole Maurey, Tuesday Weld, Fabian, Richard Beymer. 

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes ( 1969 )

Dexter Riley accidentally undergoes a shocking experience and finds he now has the brain of a computer. He's a cinch to earn Medfield College the coveted $100,000 prize at the upcoming Academic Challenge. Kurt Russell, Cesar Romero, joe Flynn, William Schallert, Alan Hewitt.

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Hollywood taught us some interesting, albeit useless lessons, through these films. Bonzo taught us that even chimps can make a rousing success of themselves in college. We also learned that comradery between classmates was more important than schoolwork, and being great at sports could get you anywhere in life, until you sprained an ankle. But don't take our word for it, check these films out for yourself and when you're ready to head back to your old alma mater for the 20th reunion, then sit back and enjoy some films that give you a little more accurate look at the post-college days ahead, such as Spring Reunion and H.M Pulham Esq. 

Irish Nuggets

The Luck of the Irish ( 1948 ) 18k

During a visit to Ireland, an American reporter finds and catches a leprechaun who sticks with him and helps him decide whether to remain or  return to New York to marry his fiancee and achieve success in politics. Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter, Cecil Kellaway, Jayne Meadows. 20th Century Fox. Directed by Henry Koster. 

The Luck of the Irish never achieved classic cult status on St. Patrick's Day like The Quiet Man or Darby O'Gill and yet it should have for it's a delightful film. Cecil Kellaway, adorable in any role he plays, is especially suited to the leprechaun part. The DVD release includes two versions, one entirely in black and white, and another in the original release format of black and white and green tint. 'Tis a pot of gold for sure!

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Top O' The Morning ( 1949 ) 14k

A singing insurance investigator comes to Ireland to recover the stolen Blarney Stone and romance the local policeman's daughter. Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Ann Blyth, Hume Crownyn. Paramount Pictures. Directed by David Miller. 

Alright, we cheated a bit with including this film among the nuggets for we haven't seen it yet. It just sounds like such a good film we would really doubt if it turns out to be a dud. With such a great cast, how can it fail to be anything but bragha.

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The Quiet Man ( 1952 ) 24k

A former boxer comes to Ireland to purchase his mother's cottage and make a new life for himself, but first he must square himself with his wife, who believes him to be a coward for not putting up a fight for her dowry. John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Victor MacLaglen, Mildred Natwick. Republi Pictures. Directed by John Ford.

This is one of those beautiful films where everything falls into place perfectly...the cast, the script, the music, the cinematography the locations. It just couldn't be any better than it is. It ranks as one of John Ford's greatest films ( if not his best ) and certainly one of the finest pictures to ever come out of Republic Pictures. You'll be spouting Quiet Man-isms forever after viewing this film. "And who taught you to be playing patty fingers in the Holy water?"


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Darby O'Gill and the Little People ( 1958 ) 18k

Darby O'Gill, caretaker to Lord Fitzpatrick, is unhappy when he is replaced by a new lad, but gladly decides to matchmake him with his daughter so that he may remain at his cottage. Later he beguiles King O'Brian, the king of the leprechauns to help him save his daughter when the banshee comes knocking on their door. Albert Sharpe, Sean Connery, Janet Munro, Jimmy O'Dea. Walt Disney Productions. Directed by Robert Stevenson.

"Sparkling with Leprechauns and Laughter" is right! Darby is one of those films that has great replay value. You can watch it every St. Patrick's Day and never tire of it. King Brian finally met his match when it came to old Darby. A special shout-out to Peter Ellenshaw for his magnificent matte paintings in this film. They surely do transport us to the beautiful land of the leprechauns. 

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The Secret of Boyne Castle ( 1969 ) 14k

A young student and his friend help deliver a secret message to Boyne Castle to aid an American spy and help an Eastern European agent defect. Retitled "Guns in the Heather" for its feature film release. Kurt Russell,  Glenn Corbett, Alfred Burke, Patrick Dawson. Walt Disney Productions. Directed by Robert Butler. 

Most of the television movies made for Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color are tough to find on DVD, and bootleg versions that are available are often very blurry. Alas, that is the case with this film but from what we made out of the picture it sure was entertaining. The movie pairs Kurt Russell with a young Irish boy ( who, quite frankly, we thought was a villain ) and together they play like a Hardy Boys duo. Why Walt Disney never put Kurt Russell in a Hardy Boys series I certainly don't know, but at least this movie got all the great mysteries of one of them - a motorcycle chase, a secluded castle, a glider ride, and a really clever spy ( not like those bungling crooks Disney films always had in the 1990s ).