The Gnome-Mobile

 

History and Review by Michael J. Ruhland

Year Released: 1967
Michael's Movie Grade: B

History

With the studio's cinematic focus having been on slapstick comedies, it had been quite a while since Disney had made a feature length fantasy film, despite this being the genre the Disney studio is most associated with. The Gnome-Mobile was a return to the fantasy genre. It also marked the last feature length fantasy film that Walt Disney himself would work on. 

For this return to fantasy filmmaking, the director would be Robert Stevenson, who directed two of Disney's best live action fantasy films, Mary Poppins (1964) and Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959). His other movies for Disney include Johnny Tremain (1957), Old Yeller (1957), Kidnapped (1960), The Absent Minded Professor (1961), In Search of Castaways (1962), Son of Flubber (1962), The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964), The Monkey's Uncle (1965), That Darn Cat (1965), Blackbeard's Ghost (1968), The Love Bug (1969), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Herbie Rides Again (1974), The Island at the Top of the World (1974), One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (1975) and The Shaggy D.A. (1976).

The cast is also full of familiar faces to Disney fans. The main kids in this movie are played by Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber, who are best remembered for playing the Banks children in Mary Poppins. This was the last Disney role for both of them. Their grandfather was played by one of the finest character actors ever, Walter Brennan. He will be immediately familiar to classic movie fans for his roles in such classic films as The Westerner (1940), Sergeant York (1941), To Have or Have Not (1944), My Darling Clementine (1946), Red River (1948), The Far Country (1954), and Rio Bravo (1959) among many, many more. He had previously appeared in the Disney film, Those Calloways (1965). After this movie, he would appear in the Disney film, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968). The Gnome-Mobile also marks the last film appearance of Ed Wynn. A wonderful comedian, Ed had been in such Disney films as Alice in Wonderland (1951, as the voice of The Mad Hatter), The Absent Minded Professor (1961), Babes in Toyland (1961), Son of Flubber (1962), Mary Poppins (1964), Those Calloways (1965) and That Darn Cat (1965). Ed Wynn would pass away before this film was released. 

This movie was a moderate success at the box office. Critics were mostly mixed on the film. Some praised it for its performances and special effects, while others criticized its story and characters. Howard Thompson called the film, "good natured but heavy-handed." Variety called it "amusing but uneven." Judith Crist just called it "a lot of fun." Roger Ebert (who gave this movie 3 out of 4 stars) captured the attitude towards the live action Disney films at the time. He wrote, "The kids are my colleagues in this enterprise. Once I made the mistake of seeing a Disney movie the first thing on a Friday morning when all the kids were in school. There were about nine people in the theater. Under conditions like that, what critic can decide if Disney is up to par? Disney films are made to please kids, not critics." In his book The Disney Films Leonard Maltin praised the film stating, "Perhaps time will open more people's eyes to the excellence of this zesty comedy-fantasy, which ranks among Disney's best." It was rereleased to theaters in 1976 and aired on the Disney anthology show in 1978. 


The car and a set from this film can be seen in the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI. Walt Disney was friends with the owner and donated them as soon as the movie finished filming.

Review

A very charming little fantasy movie. 

There is a lot to really like about this movie. The fantasy elements are very well done. This film does exactly what a fantasy movie should do. It makes it fantasy elements feel completely believable. Not only that but it makes us want to live in this world and like for an hour and a half, we have entered the world of the film. Part of this is the unpretentious storytelling and part of this is the special effects. Even all these years later, the special effects still look fantastic. While the animatronic animals don't look very real, the gnomes still look fantastic. Even though this is a smaller scale film than Darby O' Gill and the Little People (1959), this is just a visual handsome a film as that movie. This is not only seen in the special effects but also in the settings. The characters may not be complex, but they are likable. This is especially true due to the performances from Walter Brennan, Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice. They all bring a real charm to their performances, that just helps give the film a real likability. The big car chase scene here is excellent. It is exciting as an action scene and very entertaining as a comedy scene. It perfectly combines both the action and the slapstick to make a real highlight. 

The humor in this film is never truly laugh out loud funny (the closest it comes is the car chase). This is more the type of comedy that will make you smile than the kind that will actually make you laugh. It does work very well on this level though. 

This film can admittedly drag a few times. These is especially true of the scene with the girl gnomes. The scene isn't as funny or charming as the filmmakers seem to think it is and it goes on much too long. This film also suffers from a rather weak villain, that does little but stretch out a simple plot. 

While this is not a perfect film, it is a very charming little movie. 

Film Credits

Director: Robert Stevenson.

Screenplay: Ellis Kadison.

 Based on the book The Gnomobile by Upton Sinclair

Cast: Walter Brennan (D.J. Mulrooney, Knobby), Matthew Garber (Rodney Winthrop), Karen Dotrice (Elizabeth Winthrop), Richard Deacon (Ralph Yarby), Tom Lowell (Jasper), Sean McClory (Horatio Quaxton), Ed Wynn (Rufus), Jerome Cowan (Dr. Ramsey), Charles Lane ( Dr. Scoggins), Norman Grabowski (Male Nurse), Gil Lamb (Gas Attendant), Maudie Prickett (Katie Barrett), Cami Sebring (Violet).

Producers: Walt Disney, James Algar.

Music: Buddy Baker.

Songwriters: Richard and Robert Sherman.

Cinematographer: Edward Colman.

Editor: Norman Palmer.

Art Directors: Carroll Clark, William H. Tuntke.

Set Decorators: Emile Kuri, Hal Gausman.

Costume Designer: Bill Thomas.

Costumers: Chuck Keehne, Neva Rames.

Makeup Artist: Pat McNalley.

Hair Stylist:  La Rue Matheron.

Assistant Director: Paul Cameron.

Second Unit Director: Arthur J. Vitarelli

Sound Artists: Robert O. Cook, Dean Thomas.

Matte Artist: Peter Ellenshaw.

Special Effects: Eustace Lycett, Robert A. Mattey.

Resources Used

The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin
http://www.thedisneyfilms.com/search/label/Gnome%20Mobile%20%28The%29
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-gnome-mobile-1967

The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin

 

History and Review by Michael J. Ruhland

Year Released: 1967
Michael's Movie Grade: B+

History

The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin was the last western to bear Walt Disney's name. True to the direction the Disney studio had been heading at this time, this film was much more comedic than the more dramatic Disney westerns of the 1950's. 

As well as the last western for Walt Disney, this would also be the last Disney film to be directed by James Neilson. Neilson's previous Disney films had included Sign of Zorro (1958), Summer Magic (1963), Bon Voyage (1962), and The Moon-Spinners (1964). The writer for this film was Lowell S. Hawley, who had written such Disney movies as The Sign of Zorro (1958), Swiss Family Robinson (1960), Babes in Toyland (1961), In Search of Castaways (1962) and A Tiger Walks (1964). He would later write the Disney film, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968). He also wrote various episodes of the Disney anthology show for TV. Though this is a live action film, there are a few animated interludes and special effects provided by the legendary Disney animator, Ward Kimball.

Roddy McDowall plays the lead here, though he had played a smaller role in That Darn Cat (1965), this is the first time he played a major role in a Disney film. He would later play large roles in the Disney films, Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and The Cat From Outer Space (1978). He would also voice Mr. Soil in Pixar's A Bugs Life (1998). His other Disney credits include doing voices for episodes of the TV cartoons, Darkwing Duck and Gargoyles. Suzanne Pleshette plays the leading lady. She had previously been the leading lady in Disney's The Ugly Dachshund (1966). Her other Disney credits include Blackbeard's Ghost (1968), The Shaggy D.A. (1976) and voicing the character Zira in the direct to video movie, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998). Outside of Disney, she is best known for playing Emily Hartley in The Bob Newhart Show and Annie Hayworth in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). The younger brother is played by Bryan Russell, who played the main role in Disney's Emil and the Detectives (1964). Also in the cast is character actress, Hermione Baddeley. She had previously appeared in Disney's Mary Poppins (1964). Her future Disney credits include The Happiest Millionaire (1967) and The Aristocats (1970) as the voice of Madame. Judge Higgens is played by the great Karl Malden, who previously played the Reverand in Disney's Pollyanna (1960). Malden is a very celebrated actor among film buffs for his great performances in such movies as A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), On the Waterfront (1954), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Patton (1970) and many more. TV fans also know him for the lead role in the series, The Streets of San Francisco. The character of Quentin Bartlett was set to be played Tony Hancock. However due to erratic on-set behavior, he would be replaced by Richard Hayden. Disney fans might know Richard Hayden as the voice of the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland (1951). 

When this film was released to theaters, it received mixed reviews from critics. Some enjoyed the comedy and performances, while others felt the film was too slow-paced. The movie did poor at the box office and would in 1971 appear on Disney's anthology TV show.  

Review

A delightful Disney comedy. 

After the last couple live action Disney comedies, it is great to see one that made me laugh out loud as much as I did here. So much of this film is full of great gags. These gags range from clever satire to out and out slapstick. The slapstick gags are often in the pure Mack Sennett style. This is to say they are completely over the top and impossible. More than any other live action Disney comedy, this film feels like a live action cartoon. These slapstick gags are provided with so much energy, enthusiasm and complete lack of pretention that it is simply hard not to have fun watching it. The climatic fight scene is one of the pure highlights here. It provides wonderful slapstick gag after wonderful slapstick gag. Each on builds on top of the last to become more over the top, silly and funny. The satire here is also wonderful as this movie does a great job of parodying various movie clichés. This is especially shown during the brief animated interstitials, which are delightfully but knowingly old fashioned. Those interstitials also feature some ballad type singing that wonderfully parodies a trope common in Westerns at this time. The humor doesn't sacrifice our two main characters here. Both Griffin and his young partner Jack are delightful characters. Though they are not complex characters, they are very likable characters, that we enjoy spending this journey with. Like all Disney movies of this era, the film benefits from a simply wonderful cast. When it comes to the actors and actresses there is not a weak link here. 

This film does have a couple flaws though. One is that for such a silly comedy, it can feel a little overlong and repetitive at times. Also, while our two main characters are great, much of the rest of the characters are often times too sidelined for us to get to know or care about. 

If you enjoy the live action Disney comedies, you should have a lot of fun watching this one. 

Film Credits 

Director: James Neilson.

Screenplay: Lowell S. Hawley.

Based on the book By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman.

Cast: Roddy McDowall (Bullwhip Griffin), Suzanne Pleshette (Arabella Flagg), Bryan Russell (Jack Flagg), Karl Malden (Judge Higgins), Harry Guardino (Sam Trimble), Hermione Baddeley (Miss Irene Chesney), Liam Redmond (Capt. Swain), Cecil Kellaway (Mr. Pemberton), Joby Baker (Bandido Leader), Mike Mazurki (Mountain Ox), Alan Carney (Joe Turner), Parley Baer (Chief Executioner), Arthur Hunnicutt (Referee), Dub Taylor (Timekeeper), Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez (Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez).

Producers: Walt Disney, Bill Anderson, Lou Debney.

Music: George Bruns.

Songwriters: Richard and Robert Sherman, Mel Leven and George Bruns. 

Cinematographer: Edward Colman.
Titles and Things: Ward Kimball. 

Editor: Marsh Hendry.

Art Directors: Carroll Clark, John B. Mansbridge. 

Set Decorators: Emile Kuri, Hal Gausman.

Costume Designer: Bill Thomas.

Costumers: Chuck Keehne, Neva Rames, Emily Sundby.

Makeup Artist: Pat McNalley.

Hair Stylist:  La Rue Matheron.

Assistant Director: John C. Chulay.
Second Unit Director: Arthur J. Vitarelli

Sound Artists: Robert O. Cook, Robert Post.

Matte Artist: Peter Ellenshaw.
Special Effects: Eustace Lycett.

Resources Used

The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin.

http://www.thedisneyfilms.com/search/label/Adventures%20of%20Bullwhip%20Griffin%20%28The%29