Forty years ago on 6/25/80 Walt Disney Productions’ last G rated comedy would be released. “Herbie Goes Bananas” is an important film in the history of the Disney studio, it being the last G-rated comedy they’d produce. In the preceding 6 months the studio had jumped into PG rated films with “The Black Hole” being released in Christmas of 1979. It was a signal of things changing at the studio, and in some ways “Herbie Goes Bananas” is an example of how they weren’t going back. It has been maligned as rock bottom Disney, and in many ways that is true, a major misfire, but it has some charms that are easily missed if one doesn’t get passed the questionable script. There is plenty to criticize, and, surprisingly, enough to admire.
Herbie is now stranded in Mexico, having been left there by Jim Douglas because in a Baja race Herbie’s girlfriend Lancia Giselle made a bad turn, and Herbie was never the same. Jim’s nephew Pete Stanchek (Stephen W. Burns) and Pete’s friend David Johns, DJ for short (Charlie Martin Smith), are picking Herbie up, not knowing anything about the car, just that it won some races, and that his Uncle Jim is giving it to him. Arriving in Mexico off a bus they are pickpocketed by a rascal orphan named Paco (Joaquin Garay III), who takes the wallet for the money, and puts the wallets in post office boxes, picking up another wallet from Shepard (Richard Jaeckel) who is trying to take ancient Inca gold from a Mexican ruin with mastermind Joe Prindle (John Vernon) and his henchman Quinn (Alex Rocco).
46 years ago on 12/22/74 the classic animated special from Lutheran Television “The City That Forgot About Christmas” first aired in syndication.
This quiet little film, animated on a lower budget, is one of the most beautiful animated specials in capturing the true meaning of Christmas.
With a wonderful cast it tells the story of a boy, Benji, who’s grandfather (Sebastian Cabot) is able to let him know how important it is to remember the significance of the Christ child, and not the other things that detract from it just being a holiday. Charles Nelson Reilly, Louis Nye, Casey Kasem, Robie Lester, and Joan Gardner also lend their voices to this beautifully made film that stays with one for life.
“Everybody, everybody, everybody wants to be a cat!” “Why did I listen to that O’Malley cat!”50 years ago today Walt Disney Productions’ animated classic “The Aristocats” opened in theaters. It had a premiere in LA on 12/11/70 but opened two weeks later.
One of the most important films in my life, it was “The Aristocats”, and two weeks later “The Apple Dumpling Gang”, that I saw in the Walt Disney Summer Film Festival in 1975 that made my knowledge of what paradise was like in film. With its wonderful songs, from the opening titles with Maurice Chevalier singing the title song, to “Thomas O’Malley” introducing the Phil Harris voiced character, to most of all “Everybody Wants To Be A Cat” the film is a joyous affair from beginning to end. The songs were written by the Sherman Brothers, along with Terry Gilkyson contributing “Thomas O’Malley”, and Floyd Huddleston and Al Rinker contributed “Everybody Wants To Be A Cat”.
Back in 1973 the Disney studio released an album titled “The Sounds Of Christmas” with Pete Renoudet (later Pete Renaday) as narrator and singer of the journey. It’s a depiction of a night at a household on Christmas night with Pete Renoudet as the father of the house, as well as playing Santa later on.
The title song was written by Pete Renoudet, a gorgeous heartfelt delight called “The Sounds Of Christmas”. It is an incredibly touching and deep song, telling of Christmases past. His voice is wonderfully rich, and it’s a pity he didn’t do more singing.
Tonight on TCM Richard Fleischer’s delightful classic “The Happy Time” from 1952, starring Charles Boyer, Louis Jourdan, Marsha Hunt, Linda Christian, Kurt Kasznar, and Bobby Driscoll in his last starring role.
It’s a warm tale of a boy discovering about girls at that certain age called “The Happy Time”, with charming performances by all. Bobby is wonderful, and it is probably the best performance by Louis Jourdan, but it is Charles Boyer who really stands out.
Unseen for decades, it finally resurfaced on TCM about 10 years ago. It’s on TCM at 1:45am (isn’t everyone up at that time?), but it’s worth catching.
“Oh what a fine party we’ll have when they all arrive, eh my boy?”
Tonight on TCM it’s an all Rankin/Bass feature production evening, with “Mad Monster Party?” getting it’s first prime-time broadcast on TCM, followed by the two other films they did through Joseph E. Levine’s Avco/Embassey Pictures.
First up is the all-time classic “Mad Monster Party?”, one of the greatest animated features of all time, with gorgeous songs by the great Maury Laws and Jules Bass. The voice cast has the greats Boris Karloff and Phillis Diller, Gale Garnett unforgettable as Francesca, and Allen Swift as almost everybody else.
The film has wonderful stop-motion animation, along with great songs, including the title song sung by Ethel Ennis, one of the greatest title songs of all time, simply spectacular. The other musical highlight is “It’s Our Time” sung by Francesca while conspiring with Dracula, a song that if you listen is an unbelievably beautiful love song, though used for scheming in the context of the film, showing the multiple levels that the songwriters were nurturing with their art.
Tonight on TCM it’s an all Rankin/Bass feature production
