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DVD The North Avenue Irregulars
Typical of Disney's 1970s output, this squeaky-clean comic adventure about a group of church volunteers and soccer moms who take on local gangsters is packed with slapstick humor, sight gags, and nonlethal car crashes. Curiously enough, it's based on the true story of Reverend Albert Fay Hill, who wrote a book about his efforts to stop mob-run gambling in his city. Edward Herrmann plays the fictionalized Presbyterian minister Mike Hill, a soft-spoken widower with two kids who ruffles the feathers of the dedicated church secretary (Susan Clark) when he organizes a group of women to help the Treasury Department catch the bookies in the act. The mobsters are more Damon Runyon than John Gotti: no one gets hurt and everything ends in a demolition derby free-for-all as the suburban-lady volunteers play bumper cars with the mobsters. There's a potentially fascinating story in there that Disney keeps a G-rated cap on (though seeing Karen Valentine swingin' her booty under the cover of pounds of makeup and a little halter top is a surprise in a family film), but it's a harmless little comedy enlivened by plucky performances by Barbara Harris and Cloris Leachman and a fun turn by Ruth Buzzie as a church elder with a CB-radio handle. --Sean Axmaker
I love this movie. I remember seeing it in the theater when I was a kid, and kind of not wanting to go because it was a Disney film, and I thought I was too old. But I laughed a lot and it has grown to be one of my favorites. But the reason I felt I had to write this is to clear up one reviewer's problem with the aspect ratio. People have complained that it crops the picture for widescren TVs. Well, it does. All you have to do to fix that problem is to set your DVD player for a normal TV, then watch it that way. You'll get bars across the top, bottom, and the sides, but at least it won't crop the picture. ALSO, people say that they know certain movies (i.e. Cassavetes's movies, "Eating Raoul") were filmed on 16mm cameras, and therefor the aspect ratio of 1.85 to 1 crops the image and is not the full picture. While that statement is correct, the boxes of those DVDs always say "preserving the original THEATRICAL RELEASE aspect ratio". Since movie theaters don't show 16mm, ALL 16mm films are blown up to 35mm, losing either the top or the bottom section of the film. So while you're not seeing what the camera photographed, you ARE seeing it the way it was shown in theaters. Just thought I'd clear that up.
"Who would suspect a bunch of ding-a-ling dames?"
Disney studios ended its family-friendly filmmaking in 1979 with two films: "Unidentified Flying Oddball" and "North Avenue Irregulars." While "U.F.O" is a silly time-waster, "North Avenue Irregulars" remains a personal favorite, with an outstanding cast enlivening thin (and let's face it, dated) material and delivering loud and frequent laughs. Feminists will object strongly to the female stereotypes, but most everyone else will ignore the silliness of it all and find much to enjoy in this fast-paced lark.
The Rev. Mike Hill (Edward Herrmann) has just taken over as pastor at North Avenue Presbyterian Church, much to the displeasure of Anne Woods (Susan Clark), whose father recently retired as pastor. The rest of the flock includes daffy housewife Vicki (Barbara Harris), dippy (and apparently wealthy) old maid Claire (Cloris Leachman), ditsy engaged debutante Jane (Karen Valentine) whose fiance Howard is an insufferable mama's boy, dotty elderly couple Rose and Delaney Rafferty (Patsy Kelly and Douglas V. Fowley) and apparently the only level-headed member of the congregation, matronly African-American Cleo (Virginia Capers). In his first decision as pastor, Mike decides to get the confrontation involved in church business by delegating responsibility, so he puts Rose in charge of the "church sinking fund." Unfortunately, his plans backfire when Delaney loses the money in a horse race, so Mike angrily confronts the bookie, Harry the Hat (Alan Hale Jr., the skipper from "Gilligan's Island"), and demands he give the money back, but instead he's humiliated and thrown out on the street. A trip to the police proves fruitless, so he decides to take matters into his own hands by using his televised Sunday morning sermon to blast the city's out-of-control organized crime and corrupt officials. His tirade catches the eye of Treasury agent Marv Fogelberg (Michael Constantine) who enlists Mike to set up a sting operation in order to catch syndicate boss Max Roca (Joseph Campenella). When he can't convince any of the city's men to help, he enlists the help of his churchladies, whose pluck he admires. At first Marv resists, then warms to the idea, after all, he says, "Who would suspect a bunch of ding-a-ling dames?"
What follows is a series of laugh-out-loud confrontations between the bumbling churchladies (including Delaney in drag) and the frazzled crooks, and at least one jarring act of violence that snaps Anne out of her daze and angers her enough to join the gang. And with the exception of that one act, everything is played for silly laughs and the crooks are so hapless even when Vicki brings her kids along on a stakeout and car chase noone ever seems to be in real danger. What makes everything work so well is the cast, who all seem to be having a great time. There isn't a weak link among the performers, but there are standouts, especially Herrmann, who plays a refreshing change-of-pace, a religious authority figure who isn't crazy, judgmental or a member of the moral right, so much as a nice and decent guy and concerned citizen doing what he thinks is right; Clark, who simply is incapable of giving a bad performance, and Harris, who seems to be having a blast playing an atypical (for her) brain-dead loon. Capers (who sadly passed away a couple of months ago) also makes a strong impression and has one hilarious scene where she chases a crook while pushing a baby carriage. (An additional note on the casting: look closely at the young girl playing Mike's daughter Carmel; she's Melora Hardin, who grew up to play the beautiful and sexy woman murdered by President Gene Hackman's secret service detail in Clint Eastwood's "Absolute Power.")
Other highlights include another of veteran Disney composer Robert F. Brunner's bouncy musical scores that really propels the action and will stick in your head for hours (if not days), an above-average animated opening credits sequence, and a very funny last-minute appearance by Ruth Buzzi as a CB-addicted church official. Unfortunately, once again a '70's Disney film ends with that tired plot contrivance: a car chase/demolition derby that kids will enjoy but adults will find as old and tired as it was when the Keystone Kops did it in the silent movie days. But up until this point, the film scores a comedic bullseye.
One note about Disney's DVD presentation: like most of Disney's films of the era, it was filmed in 1:66:1 widescreen format. However, Disney has cropped the top and bottom of the picture so that it fits on 1:85:1 widescreen TV screens, which seems to be a wide-spread practice with DVD transfers nowadays. (I've discovered this in Universal and MGM/UA releases as well.) They get by with this by labeling the DVD as presented in 1:85:1 anamorphic widescreen "enhanced for widescreen TVs." So purists beware: you're getting widescreen format but losing the top and bottom of the picture. I find this annoying but less annoying than fullscreen, since you don't get the headache-enducing pan-and-scan effect and there is less important picture information lost on the top and bottom of the screen. Either way, nobody seems to have caught on to this, so I thought I'd pass it on. At least Disney has cleaned up the picture and "North Avenue Irregulars" looks better on this DVD than the grubby VHS version. **** (out of *****) for the film, **1/2 for the DVD, which features no extras whatsoever.
A Great Disney Classic
This movie is one of my top 5 all time favorite movies. I hope my girls will find it just as entertaining when they are a little older. I think it is a wonderful light hearted comedy that makes me laugh every time I watch it. Cloris Leachman is especially hilarious in this film. They just don't make them like this anymore.
Jodie Foster is Casey Brown and is billed as the star of this movie. However, the stellar performances by David Niven as four different characters and Helen Hayes as Lady St. Edmund are what make this movie enjoyable.
Casey Brown is a juvenile delinquent who lives in America, where Harry Bundage (Leo McKern) discovers her. It seems that Casey resembles the granddaughter of Lady St. Edmund, which would thus give her access to the St. Edmund estate, Candleshoe. We learn that Lady St. Edmund, her staff of one (David Niven), and a host of orphans are living in near poverty themselves, barely making ends meet. However, there may be a long lost treasure somewhere in Candleshoe if it can be discovered.
When a Great Dane puppy is raised with a litter of Dachshunds, it naturally thinks it's a Dachshund too--even when it grows to 10 times the size. Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette star as the hapless couple who took in the galumphing dog, which wreaks havoc on their house and home. The Ugly Dachshund is mostly a series of spectacular disasters (the doggy demolition of Jones's art studio will delight kids and reduce adults to nervous wrecks), but it's held together by the convincing domestic banter of Jones and Pleshette (who was quite a dish in 1965); the pair went on to star in a couple of other Disney live-action flicks, Bluebeard's Ghost and The Shaggy D.A.. Despite some racial and gender stereotypes, it's a good-natured and amusing movie in the Disney... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Dean Jones - Suzanne Pleshette Director(s): Norman Tokar DVD Release Date: Released the 06 July 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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When New York accountant Johnny Baxter (Dean Jones) learns he has inherited a Colorado hotel, he promptly quits his thankless job, packs up his dubious family, and heads west. Since this is a Disney comedy, the inn's only customers turn out to be nonpaying raccoons and its decorating motif is strictly cobweb. To make matters worse, the local banker not only refuses Baxter a loan, but tries to buy out the desperate newcomer with a lowball figure. But with the help of an eccentric squatter (M*A*S*H's Harry Morgan), a local snowmobile dude, and an avalanche, the city slickers eventually prevail. Jones' slapstick style is showcased in ski and snowmobile scenes featuring vintage 1972 special effects that are nevertheless hysterical to kids. With a G rating, this is safe, relatively... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Dean Jones - Nancy Olson Director(s): Norman Tokar DVD Release Date: Released the 22 April 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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When I was growing up, this was one of the many classic Disney movies we had taped from the tv, among others, like Snowball Express and Follw Me, Boys. But this is definitely my favorite. After all these years, I still memorize the song in the opening credits, and I can probably recite half the movie.
I have been waiting for this to come out on DVD for about 6 years, and I'm so glad I'll finally have the chance to own it! More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jim Dale - Darren McGavin Director(s): Robert Butler DVD Release Date: Released the 06 July 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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When a slightly cross-eyed Siamese cat named D.C. (Darn Cat) turns up with a wristwatch around his neck instead of a collar, it could be just the clue the FBI needs to crack a series of bank robberies in this lightweight comedy from Disney. The watch belongs to a bank teller who has been taken hostage. Dean Jones stars as the good-hearted FBI agent assigned to the case. Unfortunately, he is highly allergic to, you guessed it, cats. Hayley Mills is D.C.'s doting owner who hatches a hair-brained scheme to follow D.C.'s every move until he returns to the crooks' hideout where he got the wristwatch. After a lot of sneezing, slapstick, and comedic intrigue, the bank robbers are foiled, the hostage is safe, and everyone is happy. An impressive supporting cast of Frank Gorshin,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Hayley Mills - Dean Jones Director(s): Robert Stevenson DVD Release Date: Released the 03 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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