THE ADVENTURES OF BULLWHIP GRIFFIN, a western comedy-rouser from Disney, gets it's long awaited DVD debut. Roddy McDowall, Suzanne Pleshette and Karl Malden (all veterans of Disney live action films) lead the impressive cast.
McDowall plays a meek butler from Boston, suddenly landed in the wild wild west, in the thick of the gold rush. Romance, adventure and comedy abound with Suzanne Pleshette an eyeful as saloon cutie Arabella Flagg. The cast also includes Harry Guardino, Richard Haydn, Hermione Baddeley, Cecil Kellaway and Joby Baker.
Disney has released THE ADVENTURES OF BULLWHIP GRIFFIN in pleasing 16:9 anamorphic. With the company in the bad habit of releasing most of their back-catalogue titles in fullscreen, this is rather a surprise. Sadly no extras, though having BULLWHIP GRIFFIN finally in digital format has been worth the wait.
Victorian Adventure, American Style
Of those countless live-action films that Disney made and seemed to have forgotten about, this is by far one of the best - and now they're finally releasing it on DVD.
Roddy MacDowell stars as Eric Griffin, a by-the-books, remarkably canny Butler for the Flagg family. When the patriarch dies and the Flagg orphans are revealed to be destitute, Griffin must follow them to the wild west where he proves that good manners and a clever, clear head can help one overcome any situation, from poverty to bandits to bare-knuckle boxing championships. The villian of the show, played over-the-top with delicious relish by the potatoe-nosed Karl Malden, is a treat, and a great counter for MacDowell's clean, handsome Griffin.
There are laughs, great action sequences, and numerous episodic adventures, but what really makes this movie shine is a strong sense of period. The feeling that this really is the mid nineteenth century, and not a '60s recreation, is palpable, and is a must for any fan of Westerns, victoriana, steampunk, or just the good old days when "for the whole family" didn't just mean "for kids."
For similar enjoyment, check out Disney's soon-to-be-released dvd of "In Search of the Castaways", based on Jules Verne's riveting adventure "Captain Grant's Children."
Very cute Disney film from the 60's
How can one resist the cast? Roddy McDowell, Suzanne Pleshette (YES, she sings! - and quite well), Karl Malden and a host of classic western stars. A very fun family film that has a fun story that takes many different directions - It will be nice on DVD, though only disappointment is that Disney NEVER does any extras at all on these old "claasics".
Shortly after Dick Van Dyke played Bert in Mary Poppins, he starred as Lt. Robin Crusoe in this lesser known 1966 comedy, splendidly showcasing his myriad comedic talents in a South seas setting. Families who remember Van Dyke’s riotous romp as Navy-pilot-turned-island-native will appreciate this digital release of the original film. The laughs begin from the moment Crusoe is marooned at sea on a military-issue rubber raft and fights off a shark while reading a step-by-step survival guide. By the time he washes ashore on the island, discovers the wonders of bamboo, and stumbles upon a poker-playing astro-Chimp, audiences are given over to the gigglefest. Nancy Kwan, as Wednesday, adds to the merriment as the island’s other castaway who plays a humorous game of charades... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Dick Van Dyke - Nancy Kwan Director(s): Byron Paul DVD Release Date: Released the 12 April 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Disney’s classic 1971 comedy about the goose that lay the golden eggs returns in digital format, retaining its old-style family-friendliness, slapstick silliness, and good-natured predictability. Dean Jones plays professor Albert Dooley, a lab worker down on his luck, who lives in suburbia with his earnest yet scatterbrained wife Katie (played deliciously by Sandy Duncan). When an under-performing lab duck’s life is in jeopardy, Dooley rescues him to become a family pet and soon discovers that some earlier exposure to radiation has turned the duck’s eggs into gold. The Dooley’s newfound wealth brings its share of pandemonium as they try to keep their proverbial "nest egg" under wraps, especially from nosy neighbor Finley Hooper (Joe Flynn), a government Treasury man.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Dean Jones - Sandy Duncan - Joe Flynn Director(s): Vincent McEveety DVD Release Date: Released the 12 April 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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In Search of the Castaways was Hayley Mills's third feature for Disney, an agreeable adventure--loosely based on a Jules Verne story--with enough derring-do to make kids happy and with the right touch of self-conscious silliness to keep adults smiling. Mills plays Mary Grant, a missing freighter captain's daughter convinced her father is still alive somewhere in Earth's southern hemisphere. With the help of her brother (Keith Hamshire) and a veteran seaman (an extremely unlikely if charming Maurice Chevalier), Mary convinces a shipping magnate, Lord Glenarvan (Wilfrid Hyde-White), to set sail and find the missing Captain Grant. The team survives freezing weather, avalanches, a menacing condor, an active volcano, Maori captors, and a plot by a slick George Sanders to steal a ship.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Maurice Chevalier - Hayley Mills - George Sanders Director(s): Robert Stevenson DVD Release Date: Released the 03 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This classic 1963 Disney film features child icon Hayley Mills as Nancy Carey, a teenage girl whose family moves from Boston to the New England countryside as a result of their father's untimely passing. Nancy writes to the kindly Mr. Poppem (Burl Ives) and single-handedly convinces him to rent the family a charming, if run-down, house for a mere $60 a year. Ever the optimist, Nancy brims with excitement at the family's new life, but this "perfect world" has its problems--notably an absentee landlord who knows nothing about the Carey family's rental agreement. Through hard work and Mr. Poppem's continuing generosity, the Careys fix up the house and find life in the rural Maine town quite satisfactory. Things become tense when their cousin Julia arrives for an... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Hayley Mills - Dorothy McGuire Director(s): James Neilson DVD Release Date: Released the 03 May 2005 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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