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The Lawrence Welk Show ( 1955-1982 )

July 29, 2014, 6:34 pm
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Every Saturday night at 7pm a myriad of loyal fans gather around in front of their television screens to watch an American institution unfold. A fanfare of trumpets heralds the approaching wave of bubbles that float down upon the screen, each one bearing the face of an old familiar friend, with the last - and largest bubble - featuring the grinning face of the music maestro himself - Lawrence Welk. 

This effervescent pageant of sudsy splendor is PBS's tacked on opening to that wunderbar institution known as The Lawrence Welk Show. Ever since The Lawrence Welk Show first aired in 1955, watching it has become a sacred ritual in many a home and, to be honest, Saturday night would just not be complete without this ritual, for The Lawrence Welk Show manages to capture feelings of summer days, Disneyland, good ol' fashioned fun, southern California, and the spirit of a patriotic America all within one short hour, every week. It's a satisfying program that is hard for one to resist.

The Lawrence Welk Show was one of the longest running variety shows on television, running for 27 years and still airing today on PBS. It featured dancing, singing and plenty of band music in all forms : big band, jive, jazz, country, polka, Latin, pop, gospel and, of course, champagne music. Welk's music has a lilting quality that is delightfully light and bubbly and - almost - tickles your nose. 

The majority of the younger generation of today would consider the show, and the music being played, old people's entertainment but strangely, these "old people" watching the show today were young people forty years ago who lamented the same fact. 

If you still have your teeth, and most of your hair strands intact, and thrive on this wunnerfully hokey show then don't be all too ashamed, or amazed, at your peculiar tastes. There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Welkies across America who love it too...and new fans are being born every leap year. 

What makes this show so darn appealing? Welk was infectiously joyous, as was the rest of the cast. Those watching his show feel that they are meeting up with old friends at the "same place, same time" to share some laughs, goof around, sing and dance and have a whale of a good time. You could come as you like and would always be welkome. Bubbles, colorful settings, beautiful gals in beautiful dresses ( thanks to the talent of costume designer Rose Weiss ), handsome men in matching suits ( or the occasional kilt ), and plenty of music makes the show an addictive pleasure to behold. 


It is indeed a corny show, but that is exactly what makes it so fun to watch. In an age when violence and distasteful humor are prevalent, it's good to sit down to a program that has a healthy atmosphere. Lawrence wanted a show that was full of good clean entertainment, and he never let anything slip into his program that wasn't suitable for children to watch. 

Let's take a look now at how the show has evolved over the years and see how many familiar faces you can recognize :

A Look Back 


Lawrence came from a family of German immigrants and was born in the mostly-German city of Strasburg, North Dakota. He grew up speaking only his mother tongue, until he went to school, where he failed to lose his heavy accent. At the age of 16 Welk asked his father to buy him a $400 accordion ( the equivalent of about $5000 today ) and for the next four years he worked on his parent's farm and performed at local functions to pay it off. In 1927 he formed his first band and they traveled across the Midwest performing one night stands. In 1939 the Welk Orchestra hit it big when they were hired to perform at the Trianon Ballroom in Chicago. The band was featured in a few Hollywood short films when they moved out to California.

In 1951, The Lawrence Welk band was signed for a 4-week engagement at the Aragon ballroom at Venice Beach, but were such a sensation that they stayed on....for four years! Audience members found out just how addictive champagne music can be. When the crowds on some nights numbered over five thousand, the manager of a Los Angeles television station, KTLA, took notice and asked Welk if the band would like to appear on television. 


1950s


The Lawrence Welk Show - filmed live from the Aragon - aired on May 11, 1951 and lasted until 1955, when the show was picked up by ABC and aired nationally. On July 2, 1955 the Dodge Dancing Party ( their sponsor, Dodge, renamed the show of course ) debuted and across the nation future grannies thrilled at the toe-tapping beat emitting from their teletubes.

After testing out various title's in the late 1950s ( Lawrence Welk Presents Top Tunes and New Talents: The Lawrence Welk Plymouth Show ) it was renamed The Lawrence Welk Show for its 1960 season and remains so till this day. 

Performers of the 1950s : 

The Lawrence Welk Band - Welk's band was composed of some of the greatest clarinet-tooters and horn-blowers of the 20th century. Many of his band members were emigrants from dismembered big bands of the glorious jitterbuggin' days of the 1940s : Russ Klein of Freddy Martin's Orchestra; "Peanuts" Hucko of Glenn Miller's Army band, Barney Liddell of Glen Gray and his Casa Loma Orchestra, and Bob Havens, trombonist for the Benny Goodman Orchestra. Other notable band members included Big Tiny Little, Bob Ralston, Richard Maloof, Henry Cuesta, Frank Scott, Joe Livoti and Pete Fountain.



Welk loved to have his audience get to know the band members better and would frequently spotlight them with solo performances... much to their embarrassment. He also liked to test out their comedic, dancing, or vocal abilities. On many occasions these band members surprised him by being quite multi-talented and they would then find themselves singing in many a skit. Dick Dale, Bob Lido, Larry Hooper, and Rocky Rockwell were all band players who found themselves doing solos. 

Aladdin -Aladdin Pallante was Welk's resident violinist during the 1950s and he stayed with the group until he suffered a heart attack in 1967. Before joining Welk's orchestra Aladdin had his own band and often performed with Rudy Vallee and Ray Noble. If his face looks familiar it's because Aladdin has appeared in over 100 films as well. Aladdin was usually placed in skits with the Lennon sisters, or in comedy routines with his fellow violinists Bob Lido and Dick Kesner. When he was not fiddling away on his magic violin, Aladdin enjoyed reciting speeches and poetry on air. In 1964 Dot Records released a compilation called "Words of Inspiration by Aladdin" featuring audience-favorite recitations. 



Jimmy Roberts - The Kentucky born crooner "Gentleman Jim" got his start with Welk in 1954 and was such a fan favorite that he remained until the series ended in 1982. When he wasn't leaving behind his heart in San Francisco, Jimmy could be found beside the Champagne Lady giving her subtle, but ample support, in religious melodies and Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy renditions. 

Alice Lon - When Welk's popular Champagne Lady, Roberta Linn left the band in 1953 to do a CBS radio show, Welk hosted a nationwide search for a new champagne lady and little Alice Lon from Kilgore, Texas, auditioned for the coveted spot. She won it. And she remained with the band for five years before leaving. Rumor had it that Welk fired her because she was showing "too much knee" but Lon admitted that she left because she was looking for a better paying job and wanted to sing spunkier songs as well. Big Tiny Little left the same time as Lon in search of a career as a solo artist. 

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The Lennon Sisters



The Lennon sisters were undoubtedly The Lawrence Welk Show's most famous singing stars, in fact, they enticed many a young viewer to sit beside their parents and watch the show. The sparkling sisters were Dianne ( the eldest ), Peggy, Kathy, and little Janet. In 1968, all four of the gals left the show to team up with the ol' Schnozzola in Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters, where they sang, danced, and hosted a variety of entertainers including Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, and Neil Harrison. The murder of their father just prior to filming the show may have contributed to it lasting for only one season. During the 1970s they performed regularly on the Andy Willams Show and toured across the country. Kathy, Janet, and Mimi ( their younger sister ) still perform today. 

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1960s


The 1960s were the hey-days for The Lawrence Welk Show. The program offered easy-listening escapism from the problems of the late 1960s. On the show, Vietnam disappeared, drugs were a non-existent problem, and violence was unheard of. The Nielsen ratings ranked the show at #12 in the nation in 1965. A new addition to the show was the creation of sets, used as backdrops for the entertainers to perform with. These eventually led to all-out skits. 


This decade also brought a wave of new musicians and great talent in the music industry and Welk played all of the new hits as fast as the composers were penning them. The music of Mancini and Bacharach were particular favorites of his. Welk had more records on the Billboard Top 100 chart than any other big band during the rock and roll era. His biggest hits, "Calcutta" and "Baby Elephant Walk", remained on the charts for 17 weeks. 

Performers of the 1960s : 

Natalie Nevins- The lovely Natalie Nevins studied opera in New York and Hollywood before landing a gig as the star of a weekly television program, Notes from Natalie. This show earned the attention of Ed Sullivan who featured Nevins on his program. After doing other guest TV spots and nightclub performances Natalie auditioned for Welk ( over the telephone ) and got a spot on the Welk show in 1965. Her Barbie doll movements and beautiful pitch-perfect singing voice made her a very popular lady and she remained a regular member until 1970, when Welk fired her because she missed a live engagement.

Arthur Duncan - Duncan was the first African-American to join the cast in 1964, when he replaced Jack Imel as the star tap dancer. Duncan had traveled across Europe performing and was appearing at the Basin Street West in LA when he was spotted by the music Maestro's manager. Duncan was often paired with Imel and Bobby Burgess to form a tappin' trio in addition to his usual solo spot. In later decades Duncan enjoyed doing Bojangles routines. He also appeared in the tappin' film "TAP".

 Jo Ann Castle - The popular lightning-fast ragtime piano player had a dark life hiding behind that bright and winsome smile. Castle joined with the Welk orchestra in 1959, first as an accordionist and then doing her ragtime solos. By 1969, however, Welk had fired her due to some off-screen publicity of the sort that he did not relish. 
Today she still gathers with the gang for Welk performances in Branson. 
Tanya Welk - Tanya Falan joined the Welk group in 1967 and shortly thereafter married Lawrence's son, Larry Jr. Tanya had a deep soulful voice and often performed Petula Clark or Dusty Springfield melodies. This Italian gal stayed on with the show until 1977, when she left to raise her three children. In 1979 she divorced Welk and has since remarried and gone on to be a interior designer. 

The Blenders - The Blenders were composed of Bob Duncan ( the grinning blonde who looks like an ex-prize fighter ), Steve Smith, Greg Dickson and Johnny Johnson. The Blenders blended their voices into harmonic melodies in 1967 but unfortunately, they lasted only one season. Lead singer Steve Smith remained with the Welk show as a soloist until 1969. Off screen he dated Jo Ann Castle. 

The Champagne Lady : Norma Zimmer - The lovely Norma Zimmer began her singing career doing voice-overs for non-singing Hollywood stars and performed with a number of vocal groups such as the Ken Darby singers, Alfred Newman and the Norma Luboff Choir. The Welk Orchestra was performing for two years without a champagne lady, until Norma Zimmer came into their lives in 1960. Zimmer had a canary-like soprano singing voice and often warbled Julie Andrews or Jeanette MacDonald tunes, much to the pleasure of Welk.

 Bobby Burgess - Cheerful Bobby whirled onto the Welk stage in 1961 with his first partner Barbara Boylan, after winning a nationwide Calcutta dance competition. Welk was so pleased with the peppy twosome that he spotlighted them on the show on a weekly basis, and they quickly became fan favorites. When Boylan left in 1967, Cissy King replaced her. Elaine Balden was his final dance partner on the show up until 1982. If Bobby's smile is infectious it's because he had good training as one of the original Mousekateers on Walt Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club.


Joe Feeney - This Irish tenor joined the gang in 1957 and, he too, was such a fan favorite that he remained till 1982. Feeney always admitted that he never had vocal training, but that never stopped him from belting out many an Irish tune. He was often accompanied by Bob Ralston on the organ.

Andra Willis - Willis was the original Mexican senorita before Anacani arrived on the scene. Originally, she was hired as a replacement for the Lennon Sisters but with her skill in Latin languages Welk often tossed her South American tunes. Willis had a beautiful voice but sadly, left the show 1969, after only two years on television, to get married ( to Elvis Presley's keyboardist Larry Muhoberac ).

Jack Imel - Fresh out of the Navy, Jack Imel joined the Lawrence Welk Show in 1957 as a tap-dancing marimba player. His love for comedy led him to perform in other skits as a spoon or triangle player. Later, in 1965 he became the associate producer of the show. During the 1960s he was paired with Bobby Burgess in tap routines and later with Mary Lou Metzger in singing performances as well. 



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1970s


The 1970s brought about some changes with the format of The Lawrence Welk Show. "Champagne music" was rarely heard, instead, more and more skits were being used to back up singers performances, many embarrassingly corny. Myron Floren took over some of the m/c work since Welk's heavy accent was strangely worsening as the years progressed. 

By the time the show celebrated their 20th anniversary it was already becoming known as a fad among the elderly and whenever a member left the cast the fan magazines were quick to bring out news of Welk giving them the whip. He had been known to get a wrap for being a hard taskmaster, but as he once explained to a reporter : "What you folks hear out there sometimes is from people who know nothing about it. The writers who create a story like that, they get a little more print. I've never been a person to lower the boom on people. If I was, they wouldn't stay with me." 


"From Hollywood, the Lawrence Welk network presents...."

Welk was known for not having contracts with any one of his band members, but instead made a deal with a simple handshake. He preferred that they stay because they enjoyed their work, rather then for the reason of fulfilling a specified contract.

In 1972 ABC dropped The Lawrence Welk Show from their network but this did not stop Welk from blowing his bubbles. Instead, he became a producer and taped the show for syndication through Don Fedderson Productions ( My Three Sons, Family Affair ). It went on to become more popular than when ABC aired it. 

Performers of the 1970s : 


Guy and Ralna - Texan-born Ralna English first joined the gang in 1969 and soon after brought along her Tennessee husband Guy Hovis. The husband-wife team were probably the most popular performers on the Welk show during the 1970s and would frequently perform not one, but two (! ) numbers during the show, usually as a team and with one doing a solo. Today they still perform at Welk reunion concerts together even though they are no longer married. 

Tom Netherton - This handsome German-born lad was one of the Welk's shows most popular leading singers. Tom first appeared on the show during the 1973 Christmas episode and stay until 1981. His rich baritone voice was also heard on off-Broadway productions of Carousel and Oklahoma!.

Kathie Sullivan - Wisconsin-born Kathie Sullivan was spotted by Welk after she won a Miss Champagne Music contest while attending the University of Wisconsin and joined the group as a full-fledged member in 1976, staying on until the show ended in 1982. Sullivan was once engaged to comedian Andy Kaufman. Today she still performs in between working as a bus driver for a retirement community. 



Clay Hart - With Lynn Anderson leaving the show to start her own solo singing career, Welk felt another big country singer was needed and, in 1969, he hired Clay Hart, whom he considered to be one of the best "contry sengers in the contry". Hart was a John-Davidson-type whom enjoyed performing Glenn Campbell tunes. He left the show in 1975 after marrying Sally Flynn.


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The Simonski Sisters - These gals were Welk's answer to the new Lennon Sisters. Alas, with a name like Simonski they didn't take off as well as hoped. Nevertheless they had a good run while they were on air, which was between 1975-1977. The sisters six included Diane, Donna, Jo Anne, Valerie, Audrey, and Michelle. 

Ken Delo - Delo was one half of the team Delo and Daly, a popular Martin & Lewis style comedy act that enjoyed success in Australia in 1960-1961 with their own television series. The team broke up the following year and Delo did some guest appearances before Arthur Duncan invited him to appear on The Lawrence Welk Show in 1969. Positive viewer response brought Delo back for three more guest appearances before he became a regular performer. 


The Aldrich Sisters - Sheila and Sherry Aldrich were flight attendants before they decided to give show business a try. They auditioned for Welk in 1977 and were given a lucky break when Tanya Welk left the show and an opening needed to be filled. They were often confused as being twins since they were paired with the Otwell twins but in fact the singing hostesses are two years apart. 
The Otwell Twins - The happy-go-lucky Otwell Twins ( Roger and David ) joined the show the same year as the Aldrich sisters. Since there was only an opening for one act, they were teamed with the Aldrich sisters and made a great foursome. Today they live in Texas with their families and still perform at various functions, always with their trusty Martin guitars to back them up. 

Anacani - The "little Mexican senorita", as Welk liked to call Anacani, first appeared with the band in 1972 when she was invited to sing before the audience after Welk had seen her perform at his Escondido resort. Anacani loved to sway to the music and often glided across the stage like Carmen Mirando to a bossa nova beat. 

Jim Turner -  When Clay Hart left the show, another male country singer was needed and it was not long before audiences saw Jim Turner croonin' lonesome polecat tunes into his microphone during the 1979 season. Jim Turner was paired with Ava Barber for quite a few duets. After Welk, Turner headlined his own shows at Knotts Berry Farm and has since performed in Nashville. 
Mary Lou Metzger, Gail Farrell - These two gals were the background singers on the show, often filling in whenever they were needed to complete a three-some or a four-some. Mary Lou Metzger had a flair for dancing and was put into a number of comedy skits. She rarely performed solo, unless she was backed by the Hotsy Tot Boys. Metzger is most famous for hosting the PBS introductions to the Welk re-runs every Saturday. Farrell was an accomplised singer as well as a pianist. When Sandi left the show, she brought in her husband Ron and his friend Michael and they formed a trio.  

Ava Barber -  Barber was the resident country singer on the Welk show and whenever a Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, or Tammy Wynette tune needed a new rendition, Ava would oblige. The tall blonde joined the cast in 1974 and enjoyed playing in skits as well and was quite a versatile singer when she was given the chance. Today Barber tours with the Wunnerful Women of Welk shows. 
Sally and Sandy - Sally Flynn and Sandi Griffiths started singing together when they both attended Brigham Young University. They performed at Disneyland, Vietnam ( with the USO tour ) and as the opening act for Jack Jones at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe. This was their big break and Welk spotted them during these performances and asked them to appear on his show in 1968. When Sally left the group to marry Clay Hart, Sandi remained until 1980. 


Merchandise and Memorabilia



There weren't all that many companies that were willing to gamble and put Welk's face on their products to sell their merchandise. After all, what child would humiliate himself among his school-friends carrying a Lawrence Welk lunchbox or a Lawrence Welk doll? 

Welk's show was a promotional tool in itself. Sponsors proudly hung their giant lettering on the curtains behind the orchestra. Dodge and Gerital were the most popular sponsors of the show and their companies catered to Welk's middle age audience members. Welk loved promoting his stars and just about all of them released albums of their "greatest hits" or "favorite hymns". 

"Feel Stronger Fast...with Geritol!"

For those ardent Welkies who would like to collect some great fan memorabilia there are plenty of paraphernalia out there even without the merchandise tie-in products. The members of the band were always hot publicity and Radio/TV Mirror, Photoplay and TV Star Parade frequently plastered them on their covers. Also, there are a plethora of brochures, TV Guide covers ( Welk appeared on no less than ten! ), coloring books, Whitman story books, postcards, TV trays ( very clever ), photos, buttons, flyers, matchbook covers, and even paper dolls to collect....of the Lennon sisters of course. Alas, no paper doll company was bold enough to released an undie-clad Mr.Welk doll. 


Off the Set


When Welk and the musical family were finished preparing their performances for the season's program, they could be found on the road touring across the nation, or performing at one of Welk's wunnerful resorts in California. He certainly had plenty of them. 


Welk was quite a businessman and he had a veritable mob working for him. He opened his own bank for his band members to keep their money in, owned the hotel and apartments that they would stay at, and opened his own country club and resort. Welk's personal home was a sprawling mid-century modern Sinatra-style spread in Palm Springs. 

Every summer the orchestra and the singers gathered at Harrah's on Lake Tahoe for a three-week engagement, and when they weren't here they were performing at the Palladium in Hollywood.  Like a true stage-mother hen, Welk was always keeping a keen eye out for new performers that he could gather to his growing flock and often visited his resorts to listen to these new singers croon a few tunes. 


Ah-One, Ah-Two, Ah-Three Favorite Episodes 



The Norma Zimmer Show - November 13, 1965

A loving tribute episode to the Champagne Lady, featuring some beautiful melodies from the orchestra as well as these tunes, sung by the performers : Lida Rose, Tammy, Latin Prayer and Pick Yourself Up. 


Country and Western Music - March 9, 1968

This fun episodes features the music of the west, and some grand music it was too! Zimmer sings The Wayward Wind, Steve Smith does a great rendition of Hear Comes Heaven and Dick Dale sings If I Could See the World Through the Eyes of a Child.


Strike Up the Band - May 16, 1964

A medley of great band tunes could be heard in this episode, including This Could Be the Start of Something Big, The World is Waiting for the Sunrise. Joe Feeney does a beautiful rendition of Little Grey Home in the West. 

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We hope you've enjoyed our spotlight of The Lawrence Welk Show. Until we see you again, keep a song in your heart!

" Good night, sleep tight and pleasant dreams to you. Here's a wish and a prayer that every dream comes true. And now, till we meet again...Adios, Au Revoir, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Night! "
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The Admirable Crichton ( 1957 )

July 31, 2014, 7:09 pm
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Lewis Gilbert's version of The Admirable Crichton is a handsome adaptation of one of J.M Barrie's most popular plays which, although often referred to as a "satire", was more than likely Barrie's way of disguising his gentle assault on the British class system. It's also a rather unabashed look at the utter helplessness the uppercrust have when they are thrust in a commonplace situation, or in this case, an un-commonplace situation. 


Lord Loam ( Cecil Parker ) is the father of three young women, each about to be betrothed. Loam is a just man - one of those easily swayed lords of the English realm. He fancies that he desires equality as much as the average working class gent...and he does, to a point. In fact, it is his embarrassing "servant's tea party" that leads him to embark on a yachting voyage to the South Seas, along with his daughters, their suitors and the ship's staff. 

When a spot of inclement weather frightens the crew into bailing, the passengers are left floating in a lifeboat in the mid-Pacific to fend for themselves. Thankfully, their unflappable manservant Crichton ( Kenneth More ) and a servant girl ( Diane Cilento ) are dunked overboard with them....and it is Crichton who turns out to be their savior with his resourcefulness when they are marooned on a deserted island. As the toffs accustom themselves to island life they find a new social order emerging. The tables are reversed as Crichton becomes the lord of the land and they the servants; but when a passing ship comes to their rescue, Crichton must decide if they are to remain islanders or each return to their previous status. 


The Admirable Crichton, released as Paradise Lagoon stateside, was the first color adaptation of Barrie's beloved 1902 play, but not the first filming. There was G.B Samuelson's 1918 silent version, Cecil B.DeMille's lengthy 1919 retelling ( Male and Female starring Gloria Swanson ) and Paramount's Yankeefied take on the story, We're Not Dressing, released in 1934 and starring Bing Crosby and Miriam Hopkins. 

Lewis Gilbert displays a masterful hand at putting the shipwreck satire to film and Wilkie Cooper obviously delighted in photographing the island paradise, which the play could only suggest. His sumptuous Technicolor photography gave reason enough for Brits to leave their flats to see the film. 

The rich blue waters of Bermuda subbed for the unnamed South Seas island and a couple of well-placed artificial palms added to its appeal. The island sets are quite clever and were a precursor to the familiar bamboo sets of Gilligan's Island during the 1960s. 


It is really Britain's everyman, Kenneth More, however, who steals the show and makes this his own film. More isn't ones ideal image of a heartthrob that three gals would be pining over, but on a deserted island he takes on the appeal of a hero and his good points do indeed shine through. 

The always lovely Sally Ann Howes portrays the beautiful Mary, eldest daughter of the Loams, who finds she has lost her heart to her butler. Sally Ann Howes always seems to be running along a beach, but this time, alas, she is not singing "Truly Scrumptious". Cecil Parker is marvelous as Lord Loam; Diane Cilento ( Mrs. Sean Connery at the time ) plays the cockney Eliza, not unlike Eliza Dolittle; and Martita Hunt, Jack Watling, Peter Graves, Gerald Harper, Mercy Haystead and Miranda Connell round out the cast. 

The Admirable Crichton is a very entertaining and underrated little gem that has been cast adrift by the critics. It is hard to imagine watching this story unfold within the confines of a stage. It certainly was a tale meant to be filmed in Technicolor. 


Although Barrie attempted to write a comical study of the folly of civilization's class system, he left The Admirable Crichton without a moral. What comes through in this film however, is that the poor class have as much, if not more snobbery, than the rich. It is Mary who desires to remain on the island married to Crichton and living the blissful life of a pair of castaways but Crichton is stubbornly proud of his "position" and fails to conceive how the daughter of his employer can love him for himself when the setting is changed. In short, he behaves like an utter ass. 


This review is our contribution to the British Invaders Blogathon, being held at A Shroud of Thoughts. Be sure to check out all the other loverly posts being shared for this capital event. Click here to mosey over there.
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The Chalk Garden ( 1964 )

August 3, 2014, 8:51 pm
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"The only hold we have on this world is the truth"...

Only the occasional cry of seagulls pierce the silence at Belle Fountain, a secluded country estate overlooking the chalky cliffs of Dover, which shelters an unusual array of individuals, each of them yearning for growth in its stifling environment. Here, Mrs. St. Maugham ( Edith Evans ) lives in contented bliss amidst the opulent facade of a well-ordered life. She is a regal dowager hearkening from an era of refinement - a time when two glasses were used for one wine. 

Living with her is Laurel ( Hayley Mills ), her granddaughter, a precocious and slightly neurotic darling whom Mrs. St. Maugham feels is in need of yet another governess. The "poor helpless child" ran away from her mother after she chose to marry another man. Casting aside the reality of her mother's love, Laurel has hardened herself with an artificial maturity, relying on no one for comfort. Suppressing her emotions she is "plagued with the compulsion to burn the house down" and has an insatiable appetite for mystery. Together with their beloved manservant Maitland ( John Mills ) Laurel is collecting "The Great True British Crime Series". In her desire to rid herself of caregivers she undertakes to expose them...one by one. "Everyone has something in their past. Some dark and terrible secret, " she explains. "I find it out and tell it to my grandmother".


The haughty Mrs. St. Maugham dotes on the child incessantly and believes she is nurturing Laurel as fastidiously as she has her beloved garden; but her garden is growing in chalk. When Miss Madrigal ( Deborah Kerr ) arrives, without references, for the position of governess, Mrs. St. Maugham is willing to hire her solely on the basis that she was once put in charge of a garden. Her past, shrouded in mystery, proves to be a challenge to Laurel's probing detective skills. Madrigal observes in Laurel shadows of her former self - a child who surrounded herself in lies and fantasies.  It takes the quiet strength and wisdom of this enigmatic stranger to revitalize the garden and each of the inhabitants of Belle Fountain. Faced with the opportunity of altering the girl's future Madrigal attempts to reunite her with the one person she feels she needs most - her mother. 

"The flowers need nourishment...you can't give them what they do not have"

"Then you give them what they need. You're in charge of my garden"

"Am I? I wasn't sure. I'll do my best to help with your garden, and the child. Their problems are similar"

Enid Bagnold's "The Chalk Garden" is a wonderfully odd psychological mystery which thrives on the confines of its solitary setting. Ten years after its successful stage run it was brought to the screen in Ross Hunter's lush production. The skillful hands of screenwriter John Michael Hayes pruned and weeded the overgrowth of characters and tangle of Bagnold's original play to bring out the literary blossoms of wit that her "Garden" had to offer. Hidden within the bright and cheery tones of its Technicolor palette is a highly engrossing cat-and-mouse thriller, pleasing to both the eyes and ears. 

Director Ronald Neame displays a green thumb as he guides the story and its cast with a steady hand, keeping the suspense taut as, midway through, the film changes viewer focus from Laurel to Miss Madrigal. Arthur Ibbetson's slanting camera angles and Malcolm Arnold's marvelous score emphasize the tension of the film. Strains of The Chalk Garden reverberate in Arnold's 1975 score for David Copperfield. 

Gladys Cooper, who had originated the role of Mrs. St. Maugham on stage, was Hunter's original choice for the screen adaptation, but the clever Edith Evans hoodwinked the producer into casting her in the part instead. Hunter was immensely pleased with her performance, as were the critics, and Evans was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the role at the 1965 Academy Awards.


"Go ahead and cry Laurel. Cry as long and hard as you want.... God made tears to shed"

Hayley Mills gets to demonstrate her underrated dramatic acting ability in her second onscreen pairing with her father, John Mills. As Laurel, she plays the part with glib malice while retaining her childlike innocence. Sandra Dee was the original choice for the part of Laurel, but discovering that she was pregnant, had declined the role. 

The extremely talented Deborah Kerr is delightful as Madrigal, and although she does not possess a glimmer of mystery about her, manages to keep the audience in suspended bafflement until the conclusion. Felix Aylmer and Elizabeth Sellars round out the small cast in the role of Judge "Puppy" McWhirrey, one of Mrs. St. Maugham's former lovers, and her daughter Olivia, respectably.


The Chalk Garden is a simple story and yet one of multiple facets. Miss Madrigal's arrival at Belle Fountain disrupts the lives of each of the characters and through her they come to learn about themselves and grow as individuals. She instantly sees through Laurel's intricately tangled web of deceit and attempts to break down her barriers of falsehood by challenging her every lie. Laurel at first feels antagonistic towards her and then as the challenge of exposing her takes on the thrill of a game-hunt "Boss" Madrigal becomes a beloved enemy, until finally, near the climax, a surrogate mother and a true and trusted friend. In turn, Madrigal finds that the fear she dreaded most - exposure - has in truth set her free. 

"At our last meeting I died. It alters the appearance."

The Chalk Garden is rich and satisfying entertainment that has aged gracefully over the years. It provides the pleasure of the companionship of an old and dear friend, and like a glass of fine port, its tone improves with each subsequent viewing.

This post is our contribution to the British Invaders Blogathon being hosted by A Shroud of Thoughts. Be sure to check out all of the great posts on classic British films! 
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Cinema at the Square 2014

August 6, 2014, 5:09 pm
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Playhouse Square has recently announced the complete schedule for their annual Cinema at the Square classic film series and this years selections include quite a few juicy titles. 


For 17 years Playhouse Square ( Cleveland's Broadway theatre district ) has been hosting Cinema at the Square. The event gives audiences the chance to enjoy watching classic films the way they were originally seen - on a huge 20' x 47' Hurley Super Glo projection screen, complete with pre-show cartoons, travel shorts and Kimball organ music...all for the very reasonable price of $5 per ticket. And better yet, if you purchase a Flex Pass for $15 you get 6 tickets to the show. Whoa. Looks like we'll attending this year, for get a look at their line-up: 

Pretty in Pink ( 1986 ) - Thurs. Aug 7, 2014 7:30pm

The Birds ( 1963 ) - Fri. Aug 8, 2014 7:30pm

Mutiny on the Bounty ( 1962 ) - Sat. Aug 9, 2014 2:00pm

Casablanca ( 1942 ) - Sat. Aug 9, 2014 8:00pm

The Goonies ( 1985 ) - Sun. Aug 10, 2014 2:00pm

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It Happened One Night ( 1934 ) - Thur. Aug 14, 2014 7:30pm

Caddyshack ( 1980 ) - Fri. Aug 15, 2014 7:30pm

The Wizard of Oz ( 1939 ) - Sat. Aug 16, 2014 2:00pm

Roman Holiday ( 1953 ) - Sat. Aug 16, 2014 8:00pm

The African Queen ( 1951 ) - Sun. Aug 17, 2014 2:00pm
                                  






Cleveland Foundation is celebrating their 100th Anniversary and to celebrate the occasion they have given a gift to the community - all of the films showing on the final weekend are free to the public! 

Indiana Jones: The Raiders of the Lost Ark ( 1981 ) - Thur. Aug 21, 2014 7:30pm

The Karate Kid ( 1984 ) - Fri. Aug 22, 2014 7:30pm

The Sound of Music ( 1965 ) - Sat. Aug 23, 2014 3:00pm

Singin' in the Rain ( 1952 ) - Sat. Aug 23, 2014 8:00pm

The Muppets Take Manhattan ( 1984 ) - Sun. Aug 24, 2014 2:00pm

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In past years, showings took place on a daily basis ( at 2pm and 7:30pm ) for two weeks running but recently the schedule has been stretched out to three weeks with showings on Thurs., Fri., and the weekend. Granted, audience attendance was low on a Monday afternoon. 



The Palace Theatre, situated at 1615 Euclid Avenue will be converted into a movie theatre for this grand event. This beautiful theatre was built in 1922, seats over 2,700 people, and hosted some of the greatest vaudeville and musical entertainers that ever toured across America : Fanny Brice, Houdini, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Elsie Janis, Frank Sinatra, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington...and George Burns and Gracie Allen were even married here. 

For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit the Playhouse Square website : http://www.playhousesquare.org/events-tickets/cinema-at-the-square


It's a regal setting for a fun event and if you happen to be in the Cleveland area, don't miss attending Cinema at the Square. We'll see you there! 

Note:  The Palace Theatre was recently renamed the Connor Palace in honor of their $9 million donation. Shucks, it lost some of it's glamour now.
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MGM Hollywood's Greatest Backlot - A Book Review

August 14, 2014, 5:55 pm
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Authors Stevens Bingen, Stephen X. Sylvester and Michael Troyan have collaborated to create this fascinating look at one of the biggest and busiest sets in Hollywood. MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot is chock full of behind-the-scenes photographs that vividly bring to life the construction and workings on the sound stages and outdoor sets where Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced many of their greatest films. Disregard its misleading title because this book covers the entire studio, building by building within its 312 pages, including the Makeup, Sound, Art, Research Departments...even the famous Little Red Schoolhouse. Each department/set is conveniently grouped within sections labeled by the name of one of the four lots. 


The Jeer : Some of the images are pixelated screenshots and although an entertaining read, it may not hold the attention of the casual film historian unless they have an interest in art direction and set design ( who doesn't? ). 

The Cheer : Packed full with wonderful images of the sets in a hefty 11x9 inch size format, it makes for a great coffee table book. It has an easy to read layout and also features a marvelous appendix listing the films shot on the various backlots. 

The Skinny: The authors have brought to life a part of Hollywood history that will never come again, making it a must-have book for the MGM film buff or any one interested in the workings of a major motion picture studio.
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Set Design: Elephant Walk ( 1954 )

August 20, 2014, 9:15 am
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Elizabeth Taylor was caught in the middle of a love triangle and an elephant stampede in Paramount's 1954 adventure Elephant Walk. Dana Andrews and Peter Finch portrayed the two tea plantation owners vying for her affection. As lovely as Ms. Taylor was however, the real star of the show was the titular "Elephant Walk", Finch's sprawling "bungalow" in Ceylon, India. Built by Finch's father, it's name came from the fact that he had it constructed directly on the ancient old path that the elephants use to travel to their watering hole. He liked to be stubborn in that sort of way....but elephants can be stubborn too and they are not ready to give up their path so easily. 


Let's take a trek to the land of the monsoons and gawk at these glorious Technicolor screenshots of Elephant Walk, featuring the design work of Joseph McMillan Johnson and Hal Pereira. 

The film begins on a rainy day in England where we see Elizabeth Taylor as a book dealer ( the job doesn't suit her ) in the tiny village of Shillingworth. We only get to see a shilling's worth of the town in a rainy view of the window outside of Taylor's bookshop but the interior of this quaint little shop makes one love the village nonetheless. 


That's the wonderful British character actress Norma Varden who has her back turned towards the screen. Finch meets Taylor during one of this annual business expeditions to England and the two marry, whence he takes his new bride to Ceylon to live. 


"Why, I married a millionaire!" Taylor exclaims upon seeing the interior of her new home....as though she would ever marry a commoner. Finch whisks the happy bride over the threshold and then that's about it, as far as the marriageable bliss angle. Instead of consummating their marriage, her husband rather socialize with his pals on their first night home.  


The cronies come to stay every weekend and sponge off their ol' bean, enjoying "the gov'nas" Madeira, first class cigars, and of course...a rousing game of bicyclette polo ( you'll have to watch the movie to see how its played ), and Taylor realizes then that there are no British womenfolk for miles to have any tupperware parties with.


Johnson and Pereira did a marvelous job of designing a palatial manor befitting a British tea mogul. Black wood floors and heavy beam columns hearken the spirit of the imperialistic conqueror, while bare marble floors echo the coldness of Taylor's love life. 


The kitchen is especially grand. Taylor decides to preoccupy herself by taking over the kitchen and other "women's work"....but the chief caretaker, Appuhamy, highly disapproves. And one does not cross paths with Appuhamy ( unless you're an elephant ).


Even if she doesn't have a social life, she never has to worry about starving on the plantation. Take a look at that kitchen pantry!  


Finch takes a spill over the banister during one of the polo games and ends up with a busted leg. This puts him in an ornery mood and obeying doctor's orders, is confined to the upstairs bedroom. Elephant Walk must have at least a dozen bedrooms, but unfortunately, this is the only one we get to see. 


Those intricately carved edges around the doorways are gilded in a sparkling silver, which glitters enormously depending on the resolution of your television set. Outside the bedroom is a wide balcony with the perfect little wicker writing desk, which Taylor uses to pen letters to her mother back in Shillingworth-on-the-Thames. She isn't all together happy at the Ceylon stomping grounds since she found out about the spirit of Finch's old man residing there. 

Her only ally among the men folk is Dana Andrews, who wants her to run away from Elephant Walk and all its symbolic references to the past, and marry him instead. 

Andrews doesn't own an Elephant Walk, he owns a real bungalow instead...a small one: 


( Be sure to take advantage of our sloppy pastiche and click on the image for a larger view. )
Seeing what a swell place he has, she decides maybe it is best to leave Finch and go with Andrews instead, but.....


...a cholera breaks out on the plantation! Drats. Now Ruth and Dick ( that's Taylor and Andrews' characters ) are kept within the confines of the place and cannot leave. The plantation gets turned into a hospital and Elephant Walk becomes a veritable warehouse for medical supplies. 



After seeing how she handles the situation, Appuhamy comes to respect Taylor as the new mistress of Elephant Walk, but the elephants, led by Old Bull, are still resentful no matter who resides there. They want their path back and are willing to bust through the barriers to get to it. 

When Elephant Walk was released, Liz Taylor and its marvelous elephant stampede sequence were touted as the film's drawing features. We think the whole atmosphere of the film make it enjoyable to watch, and this of course, is due to the talents of its art directors and set decorators. 


The set decorators did a great job with all the tiny details. Just look at the wear on those old crates, and even the cups and saucers used in the house bear the Elephant Walk tea logo. The set decoration for Elephant Walk was handled by Sam Comer and Grace Gregory, two highly talented individuals who beautified the sets of White Christmas, Houseboat, Omar Khayyam, The Naked Jungle, Blue Hawaii and The Ten Commandments. 
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Nugget Reviews - 13

August 22, 2014, 5:15 pm
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On the Riviera ( 1951 ) 14k


When a famous industrialist's business interests require him to be in London his aids hire a nightclub entertainer to impersonate him at home on the French Riviera to convince his chief rival that all is well with his business. Danny Kaye, Gene Tierney, Corinne Calvet, Marcel Dalio, Clinton Sundberg. 20th Century Fox.  Directed by Walter Lang.

Usually 1950s remakes of 1940s musicals turn out to be duds, but this film is an exception. Danny Kaye shines in On the Riviera as the nightclub entertainer hired to impersonate the great industrialist ( also played by Kaye ). Gene Tierney's talents are wasted in a fluffy role, but she's nice eye candy just the same.

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Tall Story ( 1960 ) Elct.


A forward young woman attends college for the sole purpose of snagging a famous all-star basketball player as a husband. Jane Fonda, Tony Perkins, Ray Walston, Marc Connelly, Anne Jackson. Warner Brothers. Directed by Joshua Logan. 

Although Tall Story may emit some giggles, it's rather lackluster as a comedy...even a light comedy. The film is slow in pace and the black and white filming gives the impression that the director couldn't make up his mind whether it is supposed to be amusing or serious. Seeing Fonda and Perkins looking so young and giggly is the highlight of this film.

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The Golden Voyage of Sinbad ( 1973 ) 14k


Sinbad takes off on another voyage, this time in search of the third piece of an interlocking golden pennant which will restore the kingdom of his illustrious passenger, the Vizier....but Koura, the evil magician is out to capture this pennant as well! John Philip Law, Tom Baker, Caroline Munro, Douglas Wilmer. Columbia Pictures. Directed by Gordon Hessler. 

Sinbad films are always entertaining and this one really delivers in the field of adventure, but has some shortcomings in its dialogue. Tom Baker makes an excellent villian and John Philip Law is the most convicing Sinbad we've seen yet. It's a shame that Schneer & Harryhausen did not bring Law back for theirthird Arabian escapade - Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. 

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The Whole Truth ( 1958 ) Elct.


A film producer is framed for the murder of his leading lady but has a difficult time convincing the police that he even saw her dead body...twice. Stewart Granger, George Sanders, Donna Reed, Michael Shillo. Romulus Films. Directed by John Guillerman.

To tell the truth, The Whole Truth thinks itself a better noir than it is and leaves some loose ends dangling at the conclusion. Its setting is unique and the cast is good but overall it just fails to be memorable entertainment. 

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Laughing Sinners ( 1931 )  14k 


A Salvation Army officer comes to the rescue when a fun loving nightclub singer attempts suicide after her lover jilts her. Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Neil Hamilton, Guy Kibbee, Roscoe Karns. MGM Pictures. Directed by Harry Beaumont.

Crawford's star appeal is evident in this film, where she gets to display her singing and dancing ability, and Gable is adorable as the righteous Christian. However, films that attempt to preach Christianity against unrighteous folk always end up seeming like a sermon and never truly convince the audience. A good-hearted Andy Hardy film, or a Lassie picture, teaches more of the nature of Christianity than ten of these kind of films combined. Also, the ending of the picture implies that Crawford and Gable's characters will someday marry when they walk off into the sunset, but Salvation Army officers are not permitted to....do they ditch the order then? Maybe the screenwriter just didn't know about this. 

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The Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie Game

August 24, 2014, 4:47 pm
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This month's edition of the Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie Game we consider to be quite easy, but then again, scenes from favorite films are always easy to recognize...especially when you take the screenshot yourself! 

As always, if you are unfamiliar with the rules to the game or the prize, click here. 
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Swiss Family Robinson ( 1960 )

August 26, 2014, 1:05 pm
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"It was a good thing we set out to do. We were right, and all that hasn't changed just because we were shipwrecked."

Papa Robinson's plans of providing a new home for his family in the burgeoning colony of New Guinea go awry when the ship carrying them from Switzerland to the new land gets shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean after a fierce storm. Robinson ( John Mills ), his wife ( Dorothy McGuire ), and their three sons Fritz ( James MacArthur ), Ernest ( Tommy Kirk ), and Francis ( Kevin Corcoran ) find themselves abandoned by the ship's crew and left to survive on their own. They construct a raft and make their way to a nearby island where they build a home and make a new life for themselves, all the while awaiting to be rescued.

Swiss Family Robinson is loosely based on Johann Wyss' classic novel of the same name published in 1812. Wyss' story had potential but it lacked the action that Disney was seeking for this family adventure film. 


As director Ken Annakin recalled...

"While we were in the mountains near Zermatt shooting Third Man on the Mountain, I remember Bill Anderson saying to me that The Swiss Family Robinson was the subject Walt was toying with as a next picture. I read the book. It was very old-fashioned, and I wondered what Walt's approach was going to be. Bill Anderson and I returned to Burbank and we sat down with Walt. He said, 'Well now, let's throw the whole book out the window. Let's just keep the idea of a Swiss family emigrating, trying to emigrate to America. They get shipwrecked, but they are able to save all the things in the ship. They then make a life on an idyllic island, I think you ought to think of all the things you might like to do, all the animals you could use in an entertaining way. Let's make it a wonderful show for the whole family, with all ideas possible.'"

Walt Disney assigned sketch artist John Jensen to work with director Ken Annakin in creating a storyboard for Swiss Family Robinson. Every scene and every camera angle was plotted in detail. Disney then took the storyboard to screenwriter Lowell S. Hawley and told him to write a story based on what was drawn. It was a novel way to pen a script and turned out to be an excellent way! 

Swiss Family Robinson became Walt Disney's grandest live-action film to date. The entire film took 22 weeks to shot at a cost of approximately $4,000,000. It was also one of the few Disney pictures to be filmed in widescreen. No Hollywood studio sets were used in the making of the movie. It was shot entirely on the Caribbean island of Tobago, providing an authentic tropical backdrop for the intrepid family's escapades. A menagerie of animals were assembled - exotic birds, snakes, tigers, zebras, elephants, lizards and monkeys - and flown to the island to give the appearance that the Robinsons got stranded on a South Pacific island filled with wild creatures. 


The elaborate jungle sets, designed by John Howell, John Hoestli, and Peter Murton, took 5 months to build. The most impressive was, undoubtedly, the tri-level family treehouse which included a stove, hot running water, a skylight roof, and a pirate-proof living room....all the comforts of home. The treehouse became such a beloved edifice that it was given a permanent home at Disneyland, where it was re-constructed in 1962.


"The world is full of nice ordinary people living in nice ordinary little houses on the ground. But didn't you ever dream of a house up on a tree top?"

A previous film version of Swiss Family Robinson was released by RKO in 1940 starring Thomas Mitchell, Edna Best, Tim Holt, Freddie Bartholomew and Terry Kilburn. This adaptation focused on the father's desire to stay on the island and have his sons grow into capable men through the survival skills they were learning on the island, while his wife pined to go home to London to resume her social life.


Walt Disney's version had a much happier tone and the Robinson family displayed the proper attitude that one should have when getting stranded ( in any situation ) : to make the best of it.

As with most Disney films, casting was paramount and Swiss Family Robinson was filled with seasoned and attractive players.  John Mills is ideal as the patriarch of the family striking just the right note of commanding know-how, tempered with humor. Clearly he was a man not disappointed with the situation but thoroughly enjoying the whole escapade. 


Unlike Edna Best's portrayal of Mother, McGuire has her become a woman who supports her husband in his decisions and keeps quiet about the trials of the island...unless worry prompts her to cry out.


The lovely Janet Munro joins the cast as Roberta, the young woman whom Fritz and Ernst rescue from pirates when they take their kayak journey around the island. MacArthur and Kirk were certainly a drawing feature for the young female audience who no doubt would have loved to have been stranded on an island with the boys. Moochie is the only performer who gets out of hand in the film, and seems to be bent on getting himself, and the family, into danger. Rounding out the cast is the legendary Japanese actor Sessue Kayakawa as the leader of the pirates, and Cecil Parker as Roberta's grandfather.


Swiss Family Robinson was released just before Christmas, on December 21, 1960. Critic reviews for the film were mixed, with the New York Times calling it a "grand adventure yarn" while other reviewers found it overlong and the final pirate attack a slapstick travesty. Those critics had their blinders on and failed to realize that the film was made in the spirit of fun and reckless abandon. Nevertheless audiences realized this and they came in droves to see it. The film became the No.1 grossing picture of 1960, earning over 20 million dollars at the box office, nearly twice the return of the second top-grossing film of the year, Psycho.


Swiss Family Robinson gives audiences a ripping good adventure to enjoy and makes for ideal Saturday morning viewing. It has all the key ingredients of an entertaining film - a great story, perfect cast, stellar special effects, and beautiful cinematography. Through the Robinsons we can vicariously enjoy the life of castaways and live out the dream of having a sprawling tree pad...and all within the short span of two hours.  
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Movies in Our Time : Hollywood Mirrors and Mimics the Twentieth Century - A Book Review

August 28, 2014, 9:49 am
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Author and film blogger, Jacqueline T. Lynch has recently released a collection of articles from her blog, Another Old Movie Blog, in her latest book entitled Movies in Our Time: Hollywood Mirrors and Mimics the Twentieth Century available to purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This hefty paperback features reviews of over 50 films in the context of the time in which they were made, with a focus on Hollywood-made pictures. Gold Diggers of 1933, History is Made at Night, Shadow of a Doubt, Old Acquaintance, Love Letters, Since You Went Away, The Best Years of Our Lives, A Foreign Affair, I Want You, Storm Center, Peyton Place, and Strangers When We Meet are all reviewed and grouped into chapters such as "Before the Storm", "World War II", "Strange New World" and "The Fabulous, Frightening Fifties".


The Jeer : The articles should have been edited for this book edition and many read like a real-time blog, making you wonder what the author was referring to by "tomorrow" or "last week". It also would have been nice to see longer chapter introductions describing how the films fit in with the changing times. While the cover design is great, the back side leaves more to be desired and many of the photographs are highly pixelated. 

The Cheer : Lynch has an easy-flowing style of writing that keeps you entertained throughout numerous chapters. The majority of her reviews are just a few pages in length making it great for nightly reading. The reviews are very insightful and she sheds new light on some old classics. Among the more popular films ( King Kong, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Mrs.Miniver ), are thrown in some obscure titles too ( Keep Your Powder Dry, Dreamboat, Witness to Murder)....always a boon! 

The Skinny : Check out Jacqueline Lynch's blog Another Old Movie Blog first and if you like her reviews then you may definitely want to consider buying the book. Otherwise, try it in the ebook edition instead. 
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Stephan McNally - A Heavy of the West

September 3, 2014, 9:44 am
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Stephen McNally had been an actor for eight years before he played his first western heavy. His role in Winchester 73 in 1950 as James Stewart’s vicious, traitorous brother, Dutch Henry Brown, led to roles as either a heavy or a hero in 12 subsequent westerns in the ‘50s and ‘60s as well as guest star roles on some 16 TV westerns.

Born Horace Vincent McNally July 29, 1913, in New York City, he had aspirations of being an attorney but gave up that career in the late ‘30s, switching gears to avidly pursue acting. He began, using his real name, on stage with The Wookey in ‘41 for 134 performances at the Plymouth Theatre.

Arriving in Hollywood in ‘42 he continued to use Horace McNally in films such as Grand Central Murder, several Crime Does Not Pay MGM shorts, Eyes In the Night, and Laurel and Hardy’s Air Raid Wardens, among others.

Changing his name to Stephen McNally he was notably despicable in Johnny Belinda (‘48), then came his star-maker villainous role in Winchester 73. Signed to Universal-International his heroic side came through in Wyoming Mail (‘50), Apache Drums (‘51), Duel at Silver Creek (‘52) and Stand at Apache River (‘53).


However, I always found his edgy, hard-eyed manner, deep, close-cropped speech pattern and demanding snarl belied an inner viciousness that made him perfect as a heavy in Hell Bent for Leather (‘60) opposite Audie Murphy, Devil’s Canyon (‘53) with Dale Robertson, A Bullet Is Waiting (‘54) with Rory Calhoun and Requiem For a Gunfighter, producer Alex Gordon’s all-star western in ‘65.

Throughout the late ‘50s and into the ‘60s McNally worked heavily on television—guesting as an out and out heavy (or at best as misguided individuals) on "Wagon Train", "Texan”, “Riverboat”, “Laramie”, “Zane Grey Theatre”, “Rawhide”, “Branded”, “Gunsmoke”, “Texas John Slaughter” and “Iron Horse”.

In the ‘70s he primarily turned to working on cop shows such as “Ironside”, “Bold Ones”, “Mannix”, “F.B.I.”, “Rockford Files”, “Switch”, “Police Woman”, etc. For the ‘61-‘62 season he headed up his own crime drama as crusading newspaper reporter Paul Marino on “Target: The Corruptors”. At 67 McNally retired in 1980.

Although his name never became as etched into the annuals of movie stardom as many of his contemporaries, in the long run he left us an interesting array of characters with little redeeming qualities. He died of heart failure in Beverly Hills, CA, June 4, 1994.

Written by Boyd Magers. 

Boyd Magers is an author of numerous books about western films and writer and publisher of the bi-monthly newsletter Western Clippings. Check out his great website for more articles about western actors and to view a sampling of his vast lobby card collection! 
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TV/Movie Set : Lassie Come Home ( 1943 )

September 7, 2014, 4:33 pm
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For this month's featured TV/Movie set we chose the classic Lassie Come Home, not because it's a particularly noteworthy bit of set design, but rather because the movie has two oh-so-cute cottages....and because we happened to have a 'hole bunch o' loverly screenshots handy. 

The Fadden's Cottage

Lassie Come Home was the very first of the Lassie films and it was such a success upon its release that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made the collie a star of the studio and featured her in a series of pictures : Son of Lassie, Courage of Lassie, Hills of Home, The Sun Comes Up, Challenge to Lassie and The Painted Hills.

The Carraclough Cottage

Like a lot of other Hollywood canine stars, Lassie wasn't her real name and actually - gasp! - she was not a she but a he named Pal. Pal won the role after a nationwide search and played in the next five Lassie pictures, being admirably trained by his owner, Rudd Weatherwax. Pal's long line of heirs continued the Lassie acting tradition for him up until the late 1980s. Incidently, Rudd Weatherwax is one member of a large family of animal trainers and is the uncle of Ken Weatherwax, who is best known for playing Pugsley on The Addams Family television show.

Inside Lassie's home

Lassie Comes Home is undoubtedly the best of all the pooch's films and its simple story was often times remade by a number of studios in the coming years. In this film Lassie follows her beloved master, Joe Carraclough ( Roddy McDowall ) to school everyday and waits outside the schoolhouse at 4pm precisely, when Joe leaves school, to walk home with him. Everyone in the village knows what time it is when they see dear Lassie pass by. Her internal clock never fails her. Of course, her being a big dog makes her have a big appetite and Joe's parents ( Donald Crisp and Elsa Lancaster ) just don't have the money to support her, let alone themselves, being as poor as they are. 

Outside Lassie's home

So to solve this situation they sell Lassie to a kindly dog breeder, the Duke of Rudling, ( Nigel Bruce ) who takes her off to Scotland to groom for some upcoming shows. Lassie doesn't enjoy the duke's idea of prime accommodations however and decides to hike back to his master - it being only several hundred miles to home. On route to Yorkshire he meets a few kind souls who sustain him on his journey, one of them being Rowlie the "pots" man ( played by the adorable Edmund Gwenn ) and the Faddens, Daniel and Dally Fadden ( Ben Webster and Dame May Whitty ).

Who would sell a dog that can curtsy?
Pal was a real ham when it came to acting and - viewer beware - you need a good pile of kleenexs on hand to watch this film. If Academy Awards were given to animals then Lassie would have earned one hands down ( I mean, paws down ) for his performance here.

What a ham!

Like most MGM films of the 1930s-1950s, Cedric Gibbons was billed as the art director with Edwin B. Willis handling the set decoration. Gibbons and Willis had a particular flair for creating old and weather-worn sets and the both the Clarracough and Fadden cottages have the look of being handed down from generations past. 


As poor as Lassie's family was it looks as though they lived in a bigger cottage than the Faddens for they had two bedrooms, with Joe having a room of his own upstairs. Downstairs there was only the main room, a country kitchen with fireplace and a round dining table which doubles as a desk for homework and sewing work.

In the Fadden cottage there is the main room as well with a door leading to the kitchen or possibly to the bedroom. It couldn't be more than 800 square feet and yet how comfortable a home it is! Just the right size. For a couple and a dog, that is....


Another bit of interesting trivia : Ben Webster and May Whitty were husband and wife in real life and you can see their comradery in their scenes together. Reminds us of that other great acting couple, Stringer Davis and Margaret Rutherford. 


After they rescue the poor wee dog during a rainstorm, Dally asks her husband to bring her some milk to feed Lassie with and we get to hear this wonderful bit of dialogue : 

"That's the last of the milk Dally. Won't be any for your tea tomorrow morning"

"It won't matter Dan. I often think we do things just from habit. In America they say that they always drink their tea without milk"

"Well.... that's because they haven't learned any better"

Tsk, tsk, tsk...those Americans are something else. Can't even drink a cup of tea properly!


It's a wonder no one has undertaken to build retirement homes of this size for elderly ( or newlywed ) couples. Although with the amount of "stuff" most people have these days, this size home wouldn't even be big enough to store what the average person has in their garage. 
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The Enchanted Cottage ( 1945 )

September 12, 2014, 4:14 pm
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

The enchanted cottage...a harborage to a legend of eternal romance. A beautiful cottage left to live in contented independence of the centuries old structure it once belonged to; standing solid amidst the passages of time to cast its romantic spell on the strangers who pass through its portals. Ah! but not anyone can sense its enchantment...only chosen ones.

Our story begins on a cold wintry morning in a small New England town by the sea. Walking among the rustling leaves outside of this cottage is John Hillgrove ( Herbert Marshall )...a blind man. And yet, a man who can truly see, for he possesses the gift of inner sight; the ability to sense the true nature of a being, and to sense the magical aura an "enchanted" cottage, like the one before him, can cast. Being a composer, he seeks inspiration for his musical skill, and on this beautiful December morning Fate brings him to meet Miss Pennington ( Dorothy McGuire ), a young woman who will one day kindle his imagination with the musical strains of an emotion waiting to be set to music.

Miss Laura Pennington is our rather plain-looking heroine. A lost soul seeking a Home; a place of rest; a place where she can feel she belongs. She hopes to find it in her hometown. Returning after an absence of a few years she comes to the cottage to obtain the position of a maid.


Known locally as "The Witch", Mrs. Abigail Minnett ( Mildred Natwick ) runs the place, and having recently rented it to a soon-to-be-married couple, she's looking for a level-headed woman to help with the housework. Miss Pennington says she does not believe the rumor of the cottage being haunted and is readily given the job. It is not so much her superstitious disbelief that makes Mrs. Minnett hire her, but rather her confession to being lonely....a feeling Mrs. Minnett can sadly relate to.

That afternoon Mr.Oliver Bradford ( Robert Young ) and his fiancee ( Hillary Brooke ) arrive to look over the cottage. They are a young society couple and Oliver is obviously taken by the charm of the place and convinces his fiancee that it is the ideal location in which to spend their honeymoon. Within a week they plan on getting married, but that blissful day will never come, for War is declared soon after and being an Army pilot, Mr.Bradford is swiftly given his overseas departure orders.


Over a year later he returns to the cottage a changed man - a disfigured man. This time it is not a honeymoon oasis he is seeking but rather a place of retreat from his family, his fiancee and the society that brands him an outcast and tries to comfort him with pity. A broken man, he is searching for a new foothold on life. It is not only peace that he shall find at the enchanted cottage, but something even more wonderful.....lasting love.

Originally a stage play written by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero in 1923, The Enchanted Cottage was first brought to the screen in 1924 in a silent film production by First National starring Richard Barthelmess and May McAvoy. RKO released this film adaption in 1945, and Lux used the same cast in a radio play that year as well. Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire were a perfect team ( they had starred together two years earlier in another stage adaption, Claudia ) for this "enchanting" tale and each brings a unique quality to their roles - Dorothy, with her look of inner sadness and breathless timidness, and Robert with his kind and honest appearance that not even a facial scar can alter. Mildred Natwick is marvelous as usual, as the lonely widow with whom time has stood still. And best of all is the magnificent Herbert Marshall. This man is always a pleasure to behold. 

"Through the eyes of Love, one can see everlasting Beauty " is the theme of The Enchanted Cottage, and yet, lying just beneath the surface the film tells other tales. It's a story of kindness: a lonely woman welcoming a stranger into her home, befriending her, and sharing in her happiness and sorrow; a young woman reaching out to a man in need of compassion and sympathetic understanding. It's a story of acceptance: accepting your situation in life and wanting to see it in a brighter perspective; accepting others for who they are and loving them for it. Its a story of Time: the Past frozen on a calender for a widow to remember, the Present being days of war and personal hardship, the Future being the only bright star of hope and happiness. And most importantly, it's a story of truth: eyes that see the true, the real, in a blind world. John Hillgrove tells Oliver that his blindness has opened up new worlds for him allowing him to use senses that show things as they really are, making nature and human beings all the more beautiful to him.....


" Sometimes I feel that before I was blind, and only now I can see "

The Enchanted Cottage is an atmospheric romantic fantasy with lovely music by Roy Webb ( nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score ) and beautiful cinematography. It leaves a memorable impression on the viewer, and you will want to see it many times over.
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The Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie Quiz

September 17, 2014, 4:11 pm
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Lately we have been posting images with characters at a distance, and that could be impossibly difficult to recognize, so this time around we've got a plum ducky picture of a woman whom we're sure most film fans would instantly recognize. But remember, the idea of the game is to name the film...not the actor. Whoa-ho!

As always, if you are unfamiliar with the rules to the game or the prize, click here. 

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Murder is Easy ( 1982 )

September 19, 2014, 3:09 pm
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" The person in question is just the last person anyone would suspect. And so long as no one suspects you...murder is easy "

Who would dream that an English respite could lead to danger and romance? That is exactly what happened for Luke Williams in the television adaption of Agatha's Christies' 1939 novel, "Murder is Easy". Onboard a train en route to London, the visiting American computer analyst meets a little old lady who confesses to him her suspicions of a murderer in her village, along with the name of the next victim. "I feel certain Dr. Humbleby will be next!" Soon after, she finds herself applied to the pavement in a most unladylike manner and, donning his deerskin hat, Luke sets off for Wychwood to warn Humbleby of his impending doom and unmask the culprit. 

Murder is Easy was originally released on January 2, 1982 on CBS. The television movie was one of several Agatha Christie productions ( A Caribbean Mystery, Sparkling Cyanide ), that producer Stan Margulies released in the 1980s. Negotiations for the rights to convert Christies' novels into TV features took three years and, once approved, Margulies immediately set to work in bringing the stories up to date to appeal to American audiences. 


Murder is Easy is headed by a stellar cast, featuring Bill Bixby in the lead role along with a slew of British stalwarts such as: Helen Hayes as Miss Fullerton, the little old lady; Lesley Anne Down as Bridget, the requisite love interest; Timothy West as Lord Easterfield, a man who is certain that God is pronouncing vengeance on his enemies; Jonathan Pryce as Ellsworthy, an antique dealer who deals in more than antiques; Olivia DeHavilland as Miss Waynflete, the clever neighborhood spinster; and Shane Briant, as the young needle-jabbing Dr. Thomas. A host of familiar English actors also have brief parts, notably Patrick Allen, Freddie Jones, Leigh Lawson and Anthony Valentine. Now what is the probability of finding a mystery with such a great cast?


Helen Hayes is delightful, but has a much too brief role as Miss Fullerton, the intrepid old gal on her way to confess a crime to Scotland Yard. With the inclusion of this film in the Agatha Christie Miss Marple DVD collection, some fans have mistakenly believed Murder is Easy to be a Marple mystery and found themselves in for a disappointment. Fullerton and Miss Marple share a lot in common however : Fullerton may have appeared to be a dotty old spinster but she had a keen eye for human nature and quickly recognized "that look in the killer's eye before striking". You see, after three times one knows. Alas, Miss Fullerton did not realize that the killer knew what she knew and the poor dear quickly becomes victim number four. 


"This story is quite strange," explained director Claude Whatham in the original publicity notes, "There is no murder at the beginning, just a number of unexplained deaths, which as far as our computer expert is concerned defies the laws of probability. So we have an air of menace, but without anyone to solve a murder. What I'm trying to get is something which is ordinary, but which looks slightly threatening. As far as the visual looks go, I would say it has the brightness you get before a thunderstorm. Everything looks idyllic, but it has an unreal quality about it. For the actors, there are two interpretations for what they do - one is normal, the other is slightly suspect."


Indeed, Whatham did a stellar job in keeping all of the characters looking suspicious. Every one of them has a plausible motive for killing and the available means. Luke Williams finds himself as baffled as the audience and turns to his "bread and butter", his trusty computer, to see if it can uncover the identity of the killer for him....but he finds it takes more than ram power to crack open this case.

The filming of Murder is Easy went underway on July 15, 1981 with the tennis match being the first scene filmed. Lesley-Anne Down had not held a racket since her school days but managed to pull off looking like a respectably good player. Down also was new to driving. She obtained her driver's license only a week prior to filming and, for one scene, was given a $70,000 Aston Martin to drive in keeping with her role as the lady of the manor - the manor being Ashe Manor, which was really filmed at Binfield Manor in Berkshire. 


The picturesque village of Wychwood was in fact the tiny hamlet of Hamleden, an old Roman settlement, with a population of only 150 inhabitants. The town boasts a Norman church, a pub, general store and butcher's shop, and that's about what we get to see in the film. Hambleden also appeared briefly in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Candleshoe.

Bill Bixby was delighted to be in England for the first time and took off during an afternoon lunch break to visit the nearby village of Bix, hoping it might be his ancestral home. It turned out to be a Roman named village, with "B IX" standing for Plot B Nine. Unfortunately, he didn't get to see much else of England except for some location driving.


Olivia de Havilland, who stems from an illustrious English family, was also happy to be on British soil and playing the role of an English lady, which oddly enough she had not yet done. She was also delighted to be performing with Helen Hayes, whom she had met only once before.


Helen Hayes arrived in London in a Concorde, flying for the first time in one with her young god-daughter. She was excited to be in London for the upcoming royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana and decided to stay after filming wrapped, to stand with the other tourists outside St. Paul's cathedral and get a glimpse of the preparations. 

The acting of all of these members is far from award-winning. Some of the dialogue is delivered with exaggerated emphasis, but somehow that makes screenwriter Carmen Culver's lines all the more memorable because of it. Who can forget such remarks as "Amy, we're wanting tea!" or "I'm beginning to remember now why I don't get involved with people"?


Murder is Easy is a charming and absorbing whodunnit. It features lovely location filming, a grand cast, and a plot filled with twists and turns. Overall it is a perfect mid-summer mystery to be savored on a warm afternoon with your beloved Wonkey-Pooh and a cup of Earl Grey. 
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James Robertson Justice - A Beloved Bear

September 26, 2014, 7:47 pm
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If ever there be a man who embodied the qualities one would expect of a highly-educated and distinguished lord of the manor, it be James Robertson Justice. His characters were often authoritative, unswerving, staunch and independent and they were not unlike the true nature of Justice himself. Buried beneath that great ginger beard was a man with a large and lusty passion for life. Like a true Scotsman, he had an equal appetite for pleasure and work. 

James Norval Harald Justice was born in Lee, South London on June 15, 1907. His father, James Justice, was a geologist who had been born in Scotland but turned his back on the country. The younger James saw little of his father growing up, owing to the fact that he was often away travelling the world. 

Justice attended boarding school at Marlborough College in Wiltshire and then preceded to follow in his father's footsteps, studying science at University College in London and geology in Bonn, Germany, but a spot of the highly contagious wanderlust got the best of him and he quit both schools early to try his hand at a variety of odd jobs, including selling insurance, working on a barge, digging sewers, playing rugby, working as a lumberjack, mining gold, teaching in Canada, joining the Mounties, and playing professional ice hockey in London. Another one of his endeavors included working as a reporter for Reuters while both Ian Fleming and Sir Peter Ustinov's father were employed there. It was around this time that Justice developed a love for linguistics, a passion shared by Peter Ustinov as well. He spoke at least seven different languages. 

James had a myriad of interests in addition to this, notably race car driving and falconry, becoming one of the founders of Sir Peter Scott's Wildfowl Trust. During the 1940s Justice met the Duke of Edinburgh through their shared love of falconry. As his friend, the Duke once said "James was a large man with a personality to match. He lived every bit of his life to the full and richly deserves the title 'eccentric'". 

In the late 1930s his wanderlust carried him to Germany once again and here he joined with the League of Nations police force. After the Nazis came to power, Justice turned to fighting in the Spanish Civil War, whence he grew his famous bushy beard. He finally returned to the foggy isle of Britain to join the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, where he was soundly pensioned off after sustaining an injury in battle.

It was during a visit to the Players Club theatre that Justice took up acting for the first time. He stood in for the announcer, Leonard Sachs, during a music hall performance and happened to be spotted by a talent scout in the audience. On the strength of that performance he was recommended for a part in the film For Those in Peril. Justice was 37 years old at the time. He realized that acting could be a very lucrative profession and for once in his life stuck with a job....and a job was all that he considered acting to be. As he often boomed, "I am not a star! I am in this profession to make money." He must have done fairly well, for he drove a Rolls Royce, hobnobbed with the Royal family, and threw lavish parties to entertain his friends. He was known for being very generous and, in the words of Elspeth Huxley, "he was a brilliant raconteur, indifferent to money". Alas, his generosity did not extend to helping his mother, who died of malnutrition just a few years after his father's death in 1953. 


Justice may not have considered his past very exciting and instead enjoyed embellishing the truth by weaving stories to his friends about how he was a Scotsman by birth and was born under a whiskey distillery in the Isle of Skye. 

He began his career in films inauspiciously with a number of minor roles for Ealing Studios, one of which was Vice Versa ( 1948 ) directed by a young Peter Ustinov. Robertson Justice was perfectly cast as the gruff headmaster Dr. Grimstone. In real life, Justice was voted as Rector of the University of Edinburgh and served two three-year terms between 1957 and 1965. Later that year he starred in Whiskey Galore ( 1949 ), a film about the love Scots have for their drink. 

In 1952, Walt Disney cast James as the burly Little John in The Story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Like Alan Hale was to Errol Flynn, Justice was an excellent supporting member to the leading actor, Richard Todd, and the following year they were teamed up again in The Sword and the Rose. This time Justice portrayed King Henry VIII. In their final teaming - Rob Roy : The Highland Rogue - James donned the kilt and grew his hair long for his role as the Duke of Argyll, a proud Scotsman acting as a mediator between the British army and the hostile MacGregor clan led by Rob Roy ( Todd ). 

These were the roles that fit him best and in spite of his ease in comedy films, it was the dramatic pictures that really showcased his natural acting ability. However, as author Richard Gordon once said," Every performance was himself ".


In 1954, Robertson Justice was cast in the comedy medical film Doctor in the House. It was a low-budget production with a cast of relatively unknown actors, but it became the surprise smash hit of the year, launching Dirk Bogarde to stardom and spawning a series of similar sequels. Dr. Lancelot Spratt, the steam-rolling chief surgeon of St. Swithins, became Justice's most memorable role.

Off the set, he was continuing his enjoyment of lusty living. He married nurse Dillys Hayden in 1941, but only a few years afterward his roving eye fell on the beautiful Molly Parkin. She became one of his many mistresses in the coming years. When James and Dillys' only son, James Jr., drowned in 1949, at the age of four, their marriage fell apart and, although they remained married for nineteen more years, they were living separately. Justice used the payment he received for his role as Lancelot Spratt and purchased a cottage in Spinningdale, Scotland, where he lived for the next two decades and indulged in his hobbies of collecting hawks, moths and orchids.

During the mid-1950s, Justice was cast in a number of meaty roles, including that of Vashtar, the master builder in Land of the Pharoahs ( 1955 ), James MacDonald in Campbell's Kingdom ( 1957 ), and Captain Boom in Moby Dick ( 1956 ) which starred Gregory Peck. Justice lent his presence in a total of four films with the American actor, including David and Bathsheba, Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N, and The Guns of Navarone, which James also narrated. His powerful voice was in high demand by film studios at this time and he was selected to become the host of Scotland's very first television program This is Scotland in 1957. 

In the UK, Leslie Phillips was fast becoming one of the leading comedic actors and Justice was cast in a number of films starring the smooth-talking Phillips - Raising the Wind, Very Important Person, Crooks Anonymous, and The Fast Lady. 


Another delightful film he made during this time was the Miss Marple mystery Murder She Said ( 1961 ), starring Margaret Rutherford. Here Justice portrays the irrascible Lord Ackenthorpe, a man who enjoys the good life despite his poor financial state. In real life, Justice was nearing the end of this good life as well. In 1968, shortly after he had completed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ( as Truly's father, Lord Scrumptious ), his wife Dillys divorced him and shortly after sued him for not paying her £50 per month alimony. His beloved cottage in Spinningdale was sold in order to pay the lawsuit. 

Destitute, he turned to his friend Toby Bromley, heir to the Russell and Bromley shoe fortune, to help him out. Bromley offered Justice a cottage on his Hampshire estate and together the two went on to make several wildlife documentaries about their love of falconry.

1968 was a terrible year for Justice and he suffered from a severe stroke on top of it all. He was beginning to look and act like an old disgruntled bear. A series of strokes followed in the coming years and while he continued to make films, they were fewer in between. 


On July 2, 1975 James Robertson Justice passed away at the age of 68. Beside him at the time was actress Irene Von Meyerdorff, his lover of fifteen years, whom he had married just three days before.

Be sure to check out this video of Robertson Justice hosting the television program This is Scotland on Youtube.
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The Disney Films - A Book Review

September 29, 2014, 1:28 pm
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Author and avid-Disney fan, Leonard Maltin, wrote The Disney Films as a comprehensive guide to all films Disney. At the time it was a novel idea. Disneyania had yet to strike households across America. Today, books with similar subjects can be found in bookstores and libraries in every city, but nevertheless Maltin's original guide remains one of the best. Two hundred illustrations highlight excellent reviews covering each feature-length Walt Disney release from Walt's first resounding success, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( 1937 ) to the last film that he personally oversaw, The Happiest Millionaire ( 1967 ). Each review features behind-the-scenes facts, quotes from the directors, animators, and leading actors and box-office release information, making it a highly-entertaining read. Published by Crown Publishers in 1973.

 The Jeer : The 200+ images are great to look at, but it would really have been nice to see them in color. The fourth edition of the book is practically just a reprint of this original. 

The Cheer : Reading in-depth reviews of some of Walt Disney's rarer films, such as Moon Pilot and Dr. Syn, is a real treat. These films are almost always overlooked by "serious" critics. 

The Skinny : Leonard Maltin has written a book that is a must-have on the bookshelf of any true Disney fan. Today, you can pick up a copy for less than $5.00, which simply means there is no excuse for not owning one yourself. 
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Rob Roy : The Highland Rogue ( 1953 )

September 30, 2014, 9:08 am
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" It’s so easy to set the heather on fire, so hard to put it out "

The dying words of Lady Margaret MacGregor are a warning for her beloved son, Rob Roy, to cease his warring ways and make peace with his enemies. Ay, Rob Roy MacGregor, leader of the rebellious MacGregor clan, learns the hard way the truth of his mother's words. 

The setting is Scotland in the early eighteenth century. England has just crowned King George, who is by birth a German. The Scottish people are bitterly disappointed that James Stuart, the son of the exiled King James II, was not crowned instead and they rise in rebellion. England's armies march into the Highlands crushing every uprising until only the small but stubborn band of MacGregor clansmen are still willing to keep the flicker of rebellion alive. 

The King's secretary of state for Scotland, the Duke of Argyll, is sympathetic to Rob and all his fighting men, being a Highlander himself. But when the villainous Duke of Montrose discovers this weakness, he uses it against the Duke of Argyll to usurp his position. He then sets out to capture Rob Roy in the hopes of gaining favor with the new king.


Rob Roy : The Highland Rogue was not the first film depicting the life of the Scottish clan chief. In 1922 a silent version starring David Hawthorne and Gladys Jennings was released in Great Britain. Walt Disney's version brings the pages of history, altered as they may be, to life and through its beautiful cinematography, filmed on location in Scotland, it transports audiences into the heart of the Highlands. What scenes could not be found in Scotland were amply provided for by the marvelous brushstrokes of matte artist Peter Ellenshaw.

Richard Todd is excellent as Rob and he makes it clear to see why this roguish chieftain inspired such loyalty from his clan. Todd gets plenty of support from such talented players as James Robertson Justice, Glynis Johns ( as his beloved Helen Mary MacPherson ), Finlay Currie, and Jean Taylor Smith. Michael Gough and Geoffrey Keen also star. Members of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who had just returned from service in the Korean War were recruited as the MacGregor clansmen. 

This was Walt Disney's fourth live-action film shot in Great Britain. After WWII the assets of American companies were not permitted to be taken out of that country due to the economic devastation England suffered. Since Walt had made great profits overseas from the release of his animated films, he decided to set up a production team in the United Kingdom and use these profits to create more films. Richard Todd and James Robertson Justice had previously teamed up for The Story of Robin Hood and The Sword and the Rose ( with Glynis Johns ), both directed by Ken Annakin. Disney had hoped this film to be directed by Annakin as well but due to contractual obligations Annakin was unable to direct and Harold French stepped in instead, doing an admirable job.

Leonard Maltin considered the film to be "an uncommonly heavy-handed production" with the story doing "little to inspire the audience", but Maltin must have seen Rob Roy with blinders on to give it such off-the-mark criticism. It is an engrossing and briskly paced adventure film filled with well-developed characters. Only the rather abrupt ending leaves more to be desired.


Rob Roy : The Highland Rogue was loosely based on the life of Rob Roy, a Scottish Robin Hood, who became a legend in his own times when a book about his daring rebellions was published in 1723. Even King George I was moved enough to grant him pardon for his crimes. In 1817 Walter Scott wrote a novel about the exploits of this man. This production was based on neither Scott's interpretation nor historical fact, but nevertheless screenwriter Lawrence Watkin wove a grrrrrand tale about the life of this bold renegade.
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Nugget Reviews - 14

October 6, 2014, 5:07 pm
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The Adventures of Robin Hood ( 1938 ) 24k


When Prince John takes over the throne of England in King Richard's absence, Sir Robin Hood of Locksley, dons the green tights and rallies up the Normans to fight against Prince John's tyrannical rule.  Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Alan Hale, Claude Rains, Eugene Pallette, Patric Knowles. Warner Brothers. Directed by Michael Curtiz.

There just isn't any adventure film more entertaining than this gem! Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and the whole cast were in their prime and they clearly were enjoying their roles. The beautiful cinematography, especially during the Sherwood forest sequences ( filmed in Bidwell Park, California ), make this a storybook tale come to life. 
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That Certain Age ( 1938 ) 14k


A young girl falls in love with a visiting reporter at her family estate. He tries his best to snap her out of her puppy love. Deanna Durbin, Jackie Cooper, Melvyn Douglas, John Halliday, Irene Rich, Nancy Carroll. Universal Pictures. Directed by Edward Ludwig. 

Ah yes, the puppy love age. In this case, who could blame Alice for falling in love with the dashing Vincent ( Melvyn Douglas )? Sigh. The film starts off rather slow but picks up in pace midway through with Durbin singing the lovely tune "My Own". Cooper was just seventeen when this film was made and he plays again with his co-star from The Champ ( 1932 ), Irene Rich. That Certain Age marks the final film appearance of silent actress Nancy Carroll, who was rumored to have received more fan mail than any other actress in Hollywood during the 1930s.
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Stanley and Livingstone ( 1939 ) 14k


New York Herald reporter Henry Stanley is assigned to deepest darkest Africa to discover whether Dr. Livingstone is still living or not. The Herald's competing newspaper, The London Globe, claims he is dead. Spencer Tracy, Charles Coburn, Walter Brennan, Cedric Hardwicke, Nancy Kelly, and Richard Greene. 

Spencer Tracy really enjoyed picking meaty roles in the 1930s. This one he got to sink his teeth firmly into and did quite well with it....until his character came to the realization of the importance of spiritual matters. Here, Tracy floundered and couldn't quite convince the audience of his transformation. Acting can only go so far, Mr. Tracy. Walter Brennan and Charles Coburn are splendid supports, and overall this is a really fine adventure film. Makes one feel like trekking across Africa even today!  
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Wife, Husband and Friend ( 1939 ) 18k


A woman decides to take up opera singing, against her husbands pleas of protest. She discovers she is a flop, and in the mean time, her husband finds he has quite a voice hidden within him! Loretta Young, Warner Baxter, Binnie Barnes, Eugene Palette, Cesar Romero. 20th Century Fox. Directed by Gregory Ratoff.

Warner Baxter was such an underrated talent. He was a most versatile actor and excelled in musicals, mysteries, and dramas alike. Here, he plays for laughs and, once again, is great. After the success of Wife, Doctor, and Nurse ( 1937 ), Young and Baxter teamed up for this spoof and they proved to be a winning duo. Too bad they didn't make more films together. Nunnally Johnson penned the screenplay to this amusing screwball, which was remade as Everybody Does It ( 1949 ).
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A Date with Judy ( 1948 )  18k 


Judy Foster falls in love with the new soda jerk in town, much to the chagrin of her steady beau, Oogie. Whilst in the rapture of puppy bliss she discovers that her father is seeing another woman...a rumbo teacher! Jane Powell, Scotty Beckett, Robert Stack, Elizabeth Taylor, Wallace Beery, Selena Royle, Carmen Miranda, Xavier Cugat. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed by Richard Thorpe.

Some movies have a special place in your heart just because of the memories they bring to mind. This film we often watched on a Saturday morning while our mother gave us breakfast in bed. We'll forever classify it along with Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer and Good News. Re-watching it recently, we find it to be just as fun as we remembered, if not more so. Beery is such a lovable papa...maybe he wasn't at all like his character in real life, but he sure knew how to act like a lamb. Two thumbs for this film's "feel good" quality alone. Simply delightful. 
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Hollywood Home Tour - Claude Rains

October 12, 2014, 6:19 pm
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The Hollywood Homes Tour was temporarily cancelled the last few weeks owing to motor trouble, but now the bus is fixed and revving to go and Al, our driver, is here to tell all the passengers where the bus will be taking them next. 

357 Rt. 109, Sandwich, New Hampshire

"Hello everybody! It's good to be back in the driver's seat today, and to thank you for your patience, I've got a real treat in store. We will be going on an extended journey for this outing. In fact, we won't even be anywhere near Hollywood. So if you want to take a bathroom break please do so now, because we will be on the road for 46 hours. We're off to Sandwich, New Hampshire! Did I not tell you that you will be getting your money's worth for this ticket price?

"If you want to grab a sandwich, it might be a good idea to get that now too, for who knows if they serve sandwiches in Sandwich. In spite of the long hours, it is well worth the road trip to drive past the home of one of the greatest character actors Hollywood ever saw the likes of - the great Claude Rains. 

"Rains began his acting career at the age of 10 when he performed on stage in his hometown of London, England. By 1914 he was in New York working at New York Theatre Guild, and by the end of the 1920s was in Hollywood, where he stayed for the remainder of his career after becoming a smash success in the 1933 Universal horror classic The Invisible Man. 

"As much as he loved acting, he never desired to live among the glitter and glamour of Hollywood. Rains always wanted a farm and in 1933, at the age of 44, he used his savings to purchase a 50-acre farm in Hunterton Hills of New Jersey. Once he was raking in the big-dough he upgraded to a 320-acre estate in West Bradford Township, Pennsylvania where he, his fourth wife, and only daughter, lived from 1941-1956.

"It was after Rains married his sixth wife in 1960 that he decided to move to New Hampshire. His friend Charles Uhle, was a summer resident of Sandwich and often invited Rains to visit him there. The quaint town touched his heart and he purchased this stately country house at the junction of Little Pond Road and Rt.109 in 1963. He believed in honoring the integrity of historic homes and kept much of the house as it was when he purchased it, except for updating the kitchen and turning an ice house into an art studio for his wife Rosemary.

"Rains is an avid reader and this house boasts a bookshelf that reaches from floor to ceiling with books that Rains cherishes. He also takes pride in the yard and, as you can't see ( because it is autumn ) it is brimming with magnolias, hydrangeas and lilacs. Townsfolk claim he often takes long walks but since we won't be staying long I'm afraid we probably will not be catching a glimpse of him outside the house. Too bad, for they say he wears a cape, broad-brimmed hat and dark glasses so as not to be recognized. Perhaps he really is invisible under that disguise!

Up-to-Date Info :Claude and Rosemary Rains died in the late 1960s and are buried at Red Hill Cemetery in Center Harbor, New Hampshire. On his stone is the epitaph "All things once/Are things forever/Soul once living/lives forever"
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