Early Disney Favorites

I was a teenager when I saw the first Disney movie that has stayed in my memory for all these years.  Within six years of that first one, I saw three more and this quartet, all animal-themed, still keeps me bound in the warm and satisfying feeling today as they once did.  I was schooled in such things as love, trust, compassion and strong bonds by watching animal movies... almost as much as having animals as my own pets.  If I ever need to connect to the innocence and happiness of my youth, slipping one of these four movies into the machine will do the trick.

Old Yeller (1957)
My favorite animal movie of all time is also one of my favorite movies of all time which means we've already done a posting on it before.  So instead of writing about it all over again, I offer you a click.  One aspect that made this film different, a little different from some other popular animal films, is that the animal does not get sold by the owners and then spends the rest of the film getting back home.  When this one opens, that big ol' yeller dog is just finding a home.

The best Disney mother of them all, Dorothy McGuire, plays a farm wife with two sons, Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran, and a husband who is away.  After the dog saves the family from numerous mishaps, he himself gets hydrophobie from a fight with a rabid wolf. 

Young hearts in darkened movie houses the world over began breaking when we spotted McGuire walking with a rifle toward the corn crib that's keeping the slobbering, snarling dog confined and we hear Kirk as elder son Travis say, no Mama... he was my dog, I'll do it.  The shot rings out in the night, my tears seem unstoppable, and I lost a little of my childhood.  

Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Disney loved making folks happy and he thought purchasing Johann Wyss's story about a shipwrecked family who sets up life on a deserted island would do the trick.  It had been done before (and would be again... and again) but this story in 1960 was ripe for the Disney touch.  And the truth is... about all they kept from the novel was the name of the family and the title.  For my money, this is the best of all movie versions and the book.  This was likely Disney's most expensive live-action film up to that time... and it shows.

McGuire, Kirk and Corcoran were happy to be working together again as a mother and her two sons.  And there's a third son played by James MacArthur and esteemed English actor John Mills plays the husband/father of the Robinson clan.  

Pirates (headed by Sessue Hayakawa) figure prominently in the story and Janet Munro plays a young woman, originally masquerading as a boy) whom the pirates have captured but who is rescued by the two older boys, setting into motion the finale.

The family is on its way to New Guinea when the ship runs aground in a storm.  They and a horde of animals are the only survivors.  As they make their way to shore on a raft they've built from paraphernalia on the ship, the late captain's two Great Danes join them, first by swimming and eventually on the raft.  The family has also rigged up a series of connected flotation devices, each one containing a different animal...  pigs, goats, a cow, etc., with various geese and ducks hitching rides.

Frequently when I am watching a movie I will find myself wondering how something gets done.  That is not as much today with CGI but certainly in the old days when, say, a herd of 600 cattle actually had to be 600 cattle.  I am aware that while some stunt doubles were very occasionally used in the film, most everything one sees is the real thing.  So all those animals had to be collected and put in flotation devices.  It took two weeks to film this 10-minute scene.

We'll discuss a few more scenes but before we do, let's handle some logistics to help color the whole affair.  It looks idyllic and that's part of the lure of this story.  Who hasn't been asked some question about living on a desert island?  Who/what would you want there with you, etc.?  Filming was done on the Caribbean island of Barbados.  It was primitive, hot as hell, biting bugs in abundance, nothing to do other than film and there was a large crabby British crew that complained constantly and occasionally got a little surly.

Adding to that are all the animals... not only the ones mentioned but once on the island, a tiger, ostriches, a donkey, hyenas, a zebra, a cheetah, a turtle, monkeys, flamingos and a baby elephant were needed.  If that weren't enough, the baby elephant had its mama as a chaperone, eight Great Danes played two, there were four zebras, six ostriches and 100 flamingos.  These animals needed handlers and the crew needed to build holding cages for all of them.  This was a story all by itself.  Of course, filming with an animal makes the shooting process longer.  Imagine what this gang required?

The tiger is involved in three or four scenes but the best is when young Corcoran comes across the baby elephant and is trying to capture it.  At the same time the tiger spots them and advances in short spurts in preparation to attack.  Suddenly the two Great Danes appear and attack the tiger.  It is a ferocious scene which keeps me in a constant state of amazement wondering how these animals can pull off something so intense without one or more coming away injured.  Apparently it was the real thing.

There is that nasty scene where MacArthur and Kirk wrestle with a real anaconda, although a sedated one.  The swamp they were in was smelly, dark, thick and leech-invested.  Stunt people were used in this scene but the two actors still had to get in the muck for the closeups.

There is a race toward the end of the film where the three brothers and the girl (who now has the horny brothers acting like two tomcats on a front porch) ride an ostrich, donkey, zebra and the baby elephant.  It is a silly but amusing segment that someone said he was reminded of the Madhatter Tea Party.  Obviously, it was another difficult thing to film.  They could hardly get these animals to race, per se... it was more akin to imaginative editing.

The finale comes with the hilltop fortress that is built to ward off the returning pirates.  The explosions, logs rolling down the hill,  rocks being hurled, the pirates climbing up the seaside of the hill, the derring-do when a few pirates make it to the top, the tiger stashed in a pit all make for excitement, some of it comical.

The carpenters had to build quarters for the cast and crew to live along with those animals cages so it probably was a relief that not much at all had to be built for the actual film.  The one exception is a breathtaking one... the Robinson, multi-level treetop home.  Supposedly, of course, the Robinson men build it keeping McGuire from seeing it until it's finished.   When she is given a tour of the new digs, we find it as breathtaking as she does.  When she cries, we're not at all surprised.  What a pad.  So spectacular was it, that after filming the treehouse was moved to Disneyland for a period of time.

This is a delightful cast.  Due to the primitive location with nothing much to do, the six principals formed a true bond that appeared to last til the end of their lives.  Today, Tommy Kirk is the only one still alive.  

It is just the most delightful film, full of good fun, a sense of wonderment and brought to you by the folks who know how to do such things.

  

Big Red (1962)
Although Old Yeller is my favorite animal movie, it doesn't mean there aren't other very good ones, including other well-done dog stories, and this is clearly one of them.  If Irish Setters make your heart flutter, you are in for an extra special treat.

Though he has appeared in some great films and been very good in them, this is my favorite Walter Pidgeon film.  He actually plays a character I would have liked to have known.  He is a wealthy, Montreal-based sportsman and kennel owner.  While he is kind, he is closed off emotionally because his son was killed in combat and he is obviously still quietly grieving.  

On his estate lives a French-Canadian couple.  Emile Genest is the dog handler and his wife Janette Barnard is the cook.  They are a kind and amusing couple.  She lovingly gives Pidgeon the strong
dose of common sense she thinks he's misplaced.

Into their lives as the film opens comes young Gilles Payant who plays Rene, an orphan, down from what's called the wild country, after his uncle dies in his cabin.  The boy is looking for work.

He is hired and immediately forms a bond with Big Red, a gorgeous setter whose proper name is Ch. Redcoat Reilly of Wintapi.  Pidgeon and Genest give the boy, among other duties, the task of exercising the dog on a leash in the open fields and mountains nearby.  Soon it becomes apparent that Big Red is not performing well enough to enter the upcoming Winchester Dog Show and Pidgeon advises Gilles that if he doesn't perform, he will be sold.  It becomes apparent the dog's reluctance to do what he already knows to do is because of the casual and constant relationship with the boy.

The decision is made to take Red out of his kennel and into the big house with Pidgeon and away from the boy.  Gilles is told to stay away until after the show (he sleeps in quarters in the kennel) and that includes not coming near the house.

Pidgeon tells him... Red is a bench dog which means that his kind isn't used for any practical purposes anymore.  Setters were once great hunters but they're so good to look at that the hunting points were bred out.  I guess you might say they have lost their most important point, the sense of responsibility.  The kid isn't buying any of it although he remains quiet.

What he doesn't remain is away from the house.  Late at night the boy sneaks up and peers through various windows.  Red detects the him and runs from window to window.  They finally meet through a windowed door and speak for a moment.  When the boy wishes him well and leaves, in one of the film's most tension-filled scenes, Red goes wild running all over the home to each window and finally jumps through a closed window, landing on the ground, unconscious.

His injuries so great, a decision is made to put Red to sleep but the boy will not have it.  When others aren't paying close attention, the boy steals Red away and takes him to his uncle's abandoned cabin.  At the same time, a female setter, Mollie O'Day, has arrived as a companion for Big Red.

The kid nurses the dog back to health and returns him to an astonished Pidgeon.  The youngster, caring but never the most obedient, elects to quit to atone for his sins.  A large scar is found on the dog from jumping through the window which results in no more shows so Pidgeon elects to sell both Red and Mollie.

As they are on the train to the new owner, they escape.  Mollie finds a cave which she uses to give birth to four puppies.  Red stands guard.  Soon he hears harmonica-playing and realizes the boy, who has learned of their train escape, has come for them.  And Pidgeon on horseback comes for the boy.  Soon a mountain lion enters the picture.  Pidgeon is thrown from his horse, his foot lodges under a rock and his rifle lands too far for him to use.  As the big cat is about to attack (do I really have to tell you?), it's Red to the rescue.  Once again, as in Swiss Family, there's a fierce fight between dog and a big cat.  How do they do it?

All ends well.  Pidgeon wants the boy to come back, live with him in the big house and go to school.  He will keep Red and Mollie and they shall have many babies.  Pidgeon needs to love the boy and the boy needs a father figure.  Everyone's happy.

Uncle Walt said that Red had the most wonderful temperament and was his favorite of all the animals at the studio.  (Sorry, Yeller.)  It was said he was the most steady of the gang.  While he certainly didn't have to go through any real glass, it was still standard breakable glass that is used frequently in films and required a brave and trusting dog to execute the stunt.  Equally impressive is how he faints after he lands.  And in the cabin, once he recovers, to have him walk as though he's just learning how again is simply awesome.



The Incredible Journey (1963)

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It is one of the most charming and fascinating films in the Disney canon, particularly in those early years.  Both adjectives come from the fact that the unquestioned stars are three animals... Bodger, a white bull terrier; Luath, a yellow Labrador retriever, and a sealpoint Siamese cat named Tao.  All are males and all make this an utterly watchable movie for kids and for the adults with the kid still firmly implanted within.  

This is indeed one of the lost animal stories except that it is nearly all that rather than just a section.  The two children of a wealthy Canadian family are concerned what will happen to the family pets when the family goes to England for the father to take advantage of a fellowship for a few months.  Luath (pronounced Lu-uh) is the father's companion, Bodger belongs to the young son and Tao is the daughter's cat.

Dad admits he hadn't given the care of the animals a thought.  But the issue is quickly resolved when family friend (Emile Genest, again, from Big Red), who lives 200 miles away in a woodsy home, agrees to care of them.  Through a series of misunderstandings, the animals think they are being left again when Genest goes off on a hunting trip and leaves them in the care of a housekeeper who had not yet arrived when he left.

The young, big yellow dog watches the geese flying out of the cold and decides to return home.  The older Bodger falls in line and the feisty Siamese brings up the rear after he completes a grooming session.

A wonderfully homey and needed narration by cowboy star Rex Allen adds flavor from start to finish.  It's fun, too, when he punctuates the story by informing what the animals are thinking or what they'll do or not do.

Of course the trip is rife with peril.  There's the mama bear and her cubs (with Luath coming to the rescue of her pals), the couple who takes in the dogs after Luath meets up with a porcupine (while Tao remains hidden outside).  There's Tao's close call with a lynx, Tao caught in a raging river,  and eventually found by a young girl who brings him back to life and wants to keep him, a hermit who takes in the trio, and various weather conditions.

Occasionally the telling of their journey is interrupted by Genest returning home and learning of the mishap and alerting the family and authorities.  They discuss the possibilities of the trio making it home.  All bets are on Luath coming back but not the cat and certainly not Bodger who may be too old and infirm for such a long, arduous trip.  He can barely walk in most scenes and frequent rests are needed.

When they make it to the wild Iron Mouth Range, only 40 miles to home, it is thought maybe none of them will make it due to the dark, dank and highly dangerous area due to other creatures. As they enter the range, the story switches to the family, now home, and having a birthday party outdoors for the son and with Genest in attendance.  The adults have all but given up hope for the animals' return.

I still recall the first time I saw the film.  I thought at this point... oh no, they aren't going to go all Old Yeller on us, are they?  The father says well, maybe Luath could make it, a young and powerful dog like that.  The girl isn't sure about Tao but the boy, looking unhappy and forlorn, has determined that Bodger is too old to survive such a long trip.

Suddenly the girl hears barking.  She is sure it's Luath and says so.  The father doubts it but he's encouraged to call out.  He whistles and from the top of a hill some distance away comes the jubilant Lab.  While all are cheering, suddenly Tao appears on the hill and the young girl runs to him.  There are kisses and hugs all around.  The boy stands back, comforted by his mother, and saying he knew Bodger wouldn't make it.  But God love Uncle Walt, mothers and apple pie, as the cameras switch back to the hilltop, there he is, a small white vision.  With lickety-split speed, Bodger runs faster than we've ever see him run, toward the young master who is now running toward him.

What crazy joy an ending like this brings to the kid in me.  I usually play it 5-6 times on my machine... until I'm asked to stop.  It is the same ending that was used in the Paul Walker sled dog movie, Eight Below.  

Opening this review using the word fascinating is due to how mesmerized I am (still) by how these animals are trained and put through their paces.  This isn't training just one dog to go from here to there but three of them.  Their moves must be synchronized.  Bodger had to learn how to walk slowly and seemingly with pain.  And most cat owners know that to train a cat to do the things this cat is asked to do is something akin to a miracle.  If nothing else, this Siamese had a number of water scenes.  Think about that.

The most pressing issue was getting the cat and the bull terrier to like one another.  They didn't... especially the cat.  When the studio bought Sheila Burnford's popular novel, in story conferences it was said that the animals had to have a warm and real affection for one another.  The cat would have a number of scenes where it had to rub up against the terrier.

The animals also had to be pre-accustomed to the countryside.  Training is one thing but so is the environment in which the animals must perform.  If they become spooked by anything around them, training can fly out the window.  And here's where we speak of that countryside.  Filming took place largely in the Canadian province of Ontario but also in the states on Oregon and Washington.  Wherever they were, it was a feast for the orbs.

Also compelling was the musical score by Oliver Wallace... basically light and lilting as an animal musical score must be.  Writing the score, for example, as the Siamese jumps from rock to rock in a stream is obviously done after viewing the scene... such perfection it was.

As you might guess, it wasn't just these three animals that were hired.  There were actually three bull terriers, two Labs and four Siamese cats.  Usually we will see one main animal (generally the best looking and the best trained overall) but some will specialize in fight scenes or work well with wild animals or better in water, etc.  The main Siamese playing Tao is actually named Syn and would go on to costar with Hayley Mills in That Darn Cat (1965).

Many movies have changed my life in so many ways.  I'd have to use all fingers and toes to count the places I've flown off to after seeing them in a film.  Perhaps I've bought clothes similar to what I saw a leading man wear or I might imitate something physical about them.  After seeing a few Ronald Reagan movies, I began raising one eyebrow as some form of exclamation, I guess.  After seeing Big Red I was determined to buy an Irish Setter.  It didn't work out but buying a Siamese cat after seeing The Incredible Journey did.  And did.  And did.  Over a 30-year period, I owned several Siamese cats.



And finally...

The animals mentioned in Swiss Family Robinson, Big Red and The Incredible Journey all came under the guidance of Disney's head animal trainer, William Koehler.  An employee of 21+ years, he worked on many projects (though for some reason not Old Yeller) and was on set with them.  That is not to say he did all the training himself but he was the one who told others what training the animals had to have.  He had a staff that worked for him and then there were some animals, not owned by the studio (and most weren't), that came with their own trainers.  In 1979 he wrote what I can only describe as a most joyful book, The Wonderful World of Disney Animals, fascinating in every detail.



Next posting:
Hayward in still another
guilty pleasure