Surf Party

20th Century Fox, 1964

Starring Bobby Vinton, Patricia Morrow, Jackie DeShannon, and Lory Patrick

Directed by Maury Dexter

Music by Jimmie Haskell; Lyrics by Bobby Beverly and By Dunham

Having looked at the original Beach Party movies, this week we're going to cover two of the films that followed in their wake. This is considered to be the first true Beach Party imitation, though it still owes a great deal to the earlier drama Where the Boys Are. Vinton and DeShannon were popular singers at this point making their acting debuts, backed by a cast of young hopefuls from the small and big screen. How does this lower budget tropical shindig stand up to the ones from AIP? Let's begin with Terry (Morrow), Junior (DeShannon), and Sylvia (Patrick) on their way from Arizona to Malibu Beach, California with their RV and find out...

The Story: The girls are there to learn how to surf and spend time with Terry's older brother Skeet (Jerry Summers) at his palatial beach house. They no sooner arrive in town than they run afoul of Sergeant Wayne Neal (Richard Crane), a no-nonsense cop who blames the surfers for all of the violence and noise in the town and forbids surfers from riding the waves under the pier. New young surfer Milo (Ken Miller) is desperate to join "The Lodge," Skeet's rebellious surfing club, and keeps ignoring Neal and trying to go under the pier. 

Len (Vinton), the operator of the local surf shop, is more concerned that if Neal closes the beach, he'll lose his business. Matters come to a head when Milo breaks a shoulder running into the pier and Len and Skeet start a fight at Casey's Surfer Cafe. To make matters worse, Skeet's not the big shot he claims to be, and Neal is breathing down his back and waiting for him to make any kind of mistake that'll let him get these surfers out of his hair for good.

The Song and Dance: For the first teen surf movie released after Beach Party, I was expecting something closer to Frankie and Annette than Where the Boys Are. This is actually pretty dark for these movies. Not only is a cop involved, he's not there for comic relief. There's two fistfights, it's insinuated that Sylvia and Skeet had or are about to have sex, and we actually see how dangerous surfing can be in the wrong place when Milo gets injured and it's not laughed off or treated like a joke. The three ladies are the stand outs as the girls who find themselves stuck between the Lodge, Len and his business, and the no-nonsense cop who wants them all to behave, or else..

Favorite Number: The girls get the first number in their trailer as they prepare for bed and they claim they're "Never Coming Back." Vinton sings "If I Were an Artist" twice, in his shop after the girls come to rent surfboards, and later towards the end of the movie right before they leave. Our first instrumental dance number is "Crack Up," performed with vigor by the Routers. The Astronauts, a genuine surf rock group, get the title song and "Fire Water." Wistful Terry sings "That's What Love Is" along with the radio in the RV as she tries to figure out her relationship with Len. Milo sings about the "Pearly Shells" he gives Junior as a necklace at Skeet's party. Junior leads Milo and the chorus in the gospel-style "Glory Wave" directly after.

What I Don't Like: Though this low-budget melodrama does have some nice photography on the real Malibu Beach, it lacks the genuine feeling of Where the Boys Are and the entertaining camp of the Beach Party films. When the movie isn't on the beach, it looks as cheap as it is. Fox couldn't have at least sprung for color? None of the men register, including Vinton beyond his one song. They're all so interchangeable, you wonder how the girls can tell them apart, let alone worry about them fighting each other. The songs are equally forgettable.

The Big Finale: An unusually dark and realistic plot for a 60's teen film is done in by the low budget and indifferent cast. Worth seeing only if you're a fan of Vinton or DeShannon or are looking for something different in your beach party movies. 

Home Media: On DVD from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives.

DVD

Animation Celebration Saturday - 1001 Arabian Nights

UPA/Columbia Pictures, 1959

Voices of Jim Backus, Dwayne Hickman, Hans Conried, and Kathryn Grant

Directed by Jack Kinney

Music by George Duning; Lyrics by Ned Washington

UPA debuted during World War II as a unit to make industrial training shorts. Former Disney artists felt the company focused too much on making cartoons that were close to reality and wanted to experiment more with form and content. When government contracts evaporated in the late 40's, they joined Columbia as their in-house animation unit. Not only did they have a unique, angular style that was in direct contrast to what other studios were putting out then, but their biggest stars Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing were human rather than comic animals. By 1959, UPA and Magoo were popular enough for them to jump into feature production. How does Mr. Magoo's sole theatrical film look today? Let's begin in old Baghdad as we're introduced to Abdul Azizz Magoo (Backus) and his lazy nephew Aladdin (Hickman) and find out...

The Story:  Magoo wants Aladdin to get married, but he resists the three maidens (The Clark Sisters)  his uncle sends after him. He finally falls for Princess Yasmina (Grant) when he sees her riding through the town. Yasmina has desperately agreed to marry the Grand Wazir (Conried) in order to restore the kingdom's treasury. Hoping to get rid of Aladdin and get the kingdom and the princess for himself, the Wazir pretends to be Magoo's long-lost brother. He intends to kill him in the cave where he finds a magic lamp, but Aladdin and the lamp get shut in the cave.

Rubbing the lamp reveals a genie (Herschel Bernardi) who can grant Aladdin's every wish. He releases Aladdin from the cave with enough jewels to convince the Sultan (Alan Reed) that he's a wealthy prince. The Wazir tricks Magoo into giving him the lamp, allowing him to whisk Yasmina and the palace Aladdin created for her to a desolate cliff near the sea. Magoo takes his friend Omar the Rugmaker's (Daws Butler) magic carpet after them to bring the two lovers together and keep Aladdin from the chopping block!

The Animation: The color is just stunning on the copy currently at Amazon, brighter than the marketplace of old Baghdad. We do indeed get examples of their flat, angular style, from the humans and their rubbery limbs to the largely black-and-white fantasy sequence where Aladdin falls for Yasmina. 

The Song and Dance: UPA really put out all the stops in this colorful confection. Hickman is an adorable Aladdin (especially when those ladies are chasing him), Conried has a great time as the scheming Wazir, and Bernardi lends the Genie a certain gravity, but it's really Magoo's show. He does have a few funny moments, whether it's mistaking his cat for a dog or directing that magic carpet through the numerous obstacles the Wazir throws in his path. 

Favorite Number: "Magoo's Blues" laments how Aladdin no longer listens to him as he prepares lamps to be sold and his cat Bowser chases the live yarn the Wazir gave Omar to make into a rug. We hear "You are My Dream" three times. The first puts everything but Aladdin and Yasmina in black and white as Aladdin falls so hard for her, he wanders around dazed in slow motion. Yasmina reprises it first, then the chorus picks it up as Aladdin climbs over the palace wall to see her and we get a barrage of brilliant flower graphics. The three little announcers play a tune right before and during the wedding that doesn't come to pass between Yasmina and the Wazir.

What I Don't Like: While he does have some funny gags, Magoo doesn't fit as well into Arabian Nights tales as he did American history or A Christmas Carol. The jokes with his bad eyesight sometimes go on for too long, especially in the beginning with the ball of yarn he thinks is a cat. Other versions of this story focus on Aladdin or the Genie, not Aladdin's guardian. The animation is well-done for UPA, but isn't for those who prefer the less limited and more realistic style at other studios. 

The Big Finale: Worth taking a magic carpet ride for if you love Magoo or the stylized animation of the mid-20th century. 

Home Media: On solo DVD from the Sony Choice made on demand Collection; is also a part of the Shout Factory release Mr. Magoo: The Theatrical Collection. It's currently free to stream on Amazon Prime with a subscription.

DVD

DVD - Mr. Magoo: The Theatrical Collection

Amazon Prime

Musicals On TV - Damn Yankees (1967)

NBC, 1967

Starring Jerry Lanning, Phil Silvers, Lee Remick, and Jim Backus

Directed by Kirk Browning

Music by Richard Adler; Lyrics by Jerry Ross

Our next sports musical revolves around the players and those who watch them from home. Even after the original Washington Senators moved to St. Paul in 1958, DC residents still wanted a baseball team in their town. The Senators were revived as an expansion team...and proceeded to play even worse than before. They were still perennial bottom-dwellers when this adaptation of the hit Broadway show first appeared on a revived General Electric Theater. How does this handle the story of a man who would do anything to make the Senators into a winning team...even sell his soul? Let's begin at the home of that obsessive fan, Joe Boyd (Ray Middleton), and his patient wife Meg (Fran Allison) as the Senators lose another game and find out...

The Story: Joe's claim that he'd sell his soul to win the pennant brings in Mr. Applegate (Silvers). Applegate says he can make Joe into a fit young slugger who'll rejuvenate the Senators if he really is willing to sell his soul. Joe's a real estate salesman by trade who has enough sense to add an escape clause that will allow him to return to Meg at the end of the season. 

Joe's an instant success who does revitalize the Senators, but he also misses Meg badly. He even takes a room in her home to be near her. Applegate sends his best seductress Lola (Remick) to tempt Joe into straying. When that fails and Lola falls for him instead, Applegate plants a phony story that Joe is really a criminal. The Senators and Meg are willing to help prove he's no con man, but all Joe really wants is to be at home with his wife again. 

The Song and Dance: This scores with the excellent cast and the creative staging that makes the most of the low-budget sets and effects. Silvers is a very funny Applegate, especially in the trial, and ultra-sexy Remick is certainly believable as Applegate's most successful temptress. She's so enjoyable here, I wish she did more musicals. Square-jawed Lanning looks like a sports hero and sings his numbers beautifully, especially the two ballads, and the Senators are a hoot. The very 60's animation and graphics bring Monty Python's Flying Circus to mind, with their wacky use of silent movie footage, cut-outs, and stop-motion. 

Favorite Number: This time, we open with wives lamenting they lose their husbands to baseball on TV for "Six Months Out of Every Year" over the main credits. Joe says "Goodbye, Old Girl" in his letter to Meg before he leaves with Applegate. "Heart" makes heavy use of those psychedelic graphics stop-motion animation as Coach Buddy (Backus) encourages his team to do their best on the field. The graphics pop up again with "Shoeless Joe From Hannibal Mo" as sportswriter Gloria (Linda Lavin) and the Senators extort Joe as the next big thing. 

Joe has two lovely ballads as he tells Applegate and Meg why he misses his wife, "A Man Doesn't Know" and "Near You." Remick makes the most of her big numbers "A Little Brains, a Little Talent" and "Whatever Lola Wants," despite those weird graphics interrupting the former. Three members of the Senators harmonize about how "The Game" is great for their bodies, but not so much for their love lives. Silvers slides right into his take on all the notable figures he's corrupted, "Those Were the Good Old Days." "Two Lost Souls" starts out as Remick and Lanning singing, but ends oddly with the two doing a dance number amid a swirling, melting Chroma-Key background that is too distracting to let us see the decent choreography.

Trivia: TV debut of Linda Lavin.

The Senators remained bottom-dwellers until they finally moved to Dallas in 1972 and were renamed the Texas Rangers. Washington DC wouldn't get another baseball team until the Montreal Expos moved to DC in 2005 and became the current Nationals.

Broadcast as part of a brief revival of General Electric Theater. 

What I Don't Like: The production is cheap as heck, even for TV. The fans in the stands and most of the baseball team are cardboard cut outs! The graphics can be nifty, but they're more often distracting, especially when replacing what would have been a dance number in any other show. They're also extremely late 60's. Many people nowadays would call them downright ugly.  "Who's Got the Pain?" is really extraneous, but it's a fun song I wish they'd kept.

The Big Finale: This one tends to get strike-outs from many fans online who are expecting a more straightforward adaptation, but I think it's at least a straight line to first. If you love the cast or 50's and 60's musicals and are willing to give those weird psychedelic graphics a chance, this is worth checking out.

Home Media: This disappeared for decades until it turned up on YouTube, which to date remains the only place you can find it. 

YouTube

Cult Flops - Athena

MGM, 1954

Starring Jane Powell, Edward Purdom, Debbie Reynolds, and Vic Damone

Directed by Richard Thorpe

Music by Hugh Martin; Lyrics by Ralph Blaine

We celebrate the upcoming Olympics this week with two musicals revolving around sports, starting with this unique celebration of good health and bodybuilding from the mid-50's. This was originally intended to be a vehicle for Esther Williams, but when she went on maternity leave, the title daughter of a vegetarian bodybuilding coach became a singer for Powell. Damone was another popular singer at the time, and Purdom was being hyped as the next big star at MGM after the success of The Student Prince. How do they all work with the story of a conservative senator who falls for lovely Athena and her fresh-air lifestyle? Let's begin with girls mobbing the studio to see singing idol Johnny Nyle (Damone) and find out...

The Story: While Johnny worries about being sued by his former agent, his lawyer friend Adam Calhorn Shaw (Purdom) worries about the peach trees he just bought. He meets perky Athena Mulvain (Powell) at the nursery, where she gives him advice on how to deal with the trees. She even turns up in his yard to do the mulching herself. Her grandparents and seven sisters are major advocates of healthy lifestyles, including vegetarianism, anti-smoking and drinking, and exercise. They're also proponents of numerology and astrology, which is why Athena immediately claims that the stars have lead her to Adam, and they also direct her sister Minerva (Reynolds) to Johnny.

Adam thinks this is absurd at first. He's already engaged to wealthy and sophisticated Beth Hallston (Linda Christian). He eventually finds himself falling for Athena, even though her grandfather Ulysses (Louis Calhoun) disapproves of the relationship. He wants Athena to marry Ed Perkins (Steve Reeves), the bodybuilder he's preparing for Mr. Universe. Adam invites Athena to a formal dinner, but Beth angers her when she serves vegetables stuffed with meat, while Adam is equally angry when Grandpa complains about him at the Mr. Universe contest and Adam easily knocks Ed out. It would seem that Grandma's right about there being rocky times ahead, but it's Adam who ultimately gives up his career so that "love can change the stars."

The Song and Dance: This is one of the most unusual musicals MGM ever did. For one thing, it's interesting that it advocates health-conscious lifestyles more than two decades before they started to become more common. The only thing strange about how the Mulvains live today would be some of Grandpa's more out-there breeding theories. While she seems a bit out of place, Powell's doing her best as the most determined of the seven sisters, and Calhoun is hilarious as her body-obsessed grandfather. 

Favorite Number: We open at Johnny's TV show, with him singing "The Boy Next Door" on a neighborhood set to an audience of rapt female fans. Athena's "Vocalize" when she's mulching the peach trees later becomes "Harmonize" at the Mulvain family dinner. Johnny first encourages Minvera to "Imagine" a relationship with him at the family's health food store. He reprises it later near the end of the movie. 

Athena insists to her grandmother and sisters that "Love Can Change the Stars," which Johnny also sings later. "Never Felt Better" is the chorus number for Athena, Minerva, the sisters, and the bodybuilders when they make over Adam's home to be more open and plant-friendly. "Venezia" is Johnny's big Italian chorus routine at the night club. Athena sings the aria "Chancun le sait" from the opera The Daughter of the Regiment at the disastrous dinner party. 

Trivia: Purdom had an affair with Christian during filming and later married her, though the union was short-lived.

"The Boy Next Door" is "The Girl Next Door" from Meet Me In St. Louis with the gender changed. 

What I Don't Like: Sometimes, this movie is too weird for its own good. Healthy lifestyles seem like a strange thing to base a major musical around. Real-life health advocate Williams would have made a lot more sense in the title role than the miscast Powell, and her swimming numbers might have given the film a much-needed lift. Purdom isn't any more interesting here without Mario Lanza's vocals than he was in The Student Prince. Richard Thorpe's disinterest in the whole affair is obvious from his pedestrian direction. Damone and Reynolds really don't have much to do beyond their numbers. The plot point with Johnny being sued by his agent is barely mentioned again after the first twenty minutes. Speaking of the numbers, most of them really don't have much to do with the story, and other than "The Girl Next Door," are dull and unmemorable. 

The Big Finale: I do give them credit for trying something different, but this is too weird to be one of the better MGM musicals. For major fans of Powell, Reynolds, Damone, or the big MGM shows of the 40's and 50's only. 

Home Media: The remastered Warner Archives DVD is currently out of print, but the Blu-Ray is available, and it's easily found on streaming.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Disney Short Subjects Special - Donald and the Wheel

Disney, 1961

Voices of Clarence Nash, Thurl Ravenscroft, Max Smith, and the Mellomen

Directed by Hamilton Luske

Music and Lyrics by Buddy Baker

Disney's last three shorts with Donald Duck were actually twenty-minute educational specials. Donald In Mathmagic Land was nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject in 1959, prompting Disney to put their popular duck into more of the same. Long-time Disney composer Baker had success with his score for Mathmagic Land and provided a full-on musical for this one, including vocal songs for voice actor and singer Ravenscroft and his group the Mellomen. How does this discussion of the importance of the wheel in society look today? Let's begin with the Spirits of Progress as they show us typical cave-duck Donald (Nash) and explain why he's important and find out...

The Story: The senior Spirit (Ravenscroft) insists that Donald is the one who invented the wheel after he sees a tiger roll down a hill. He and his hipster son Junior (Smith) take him through 3,000 years of transportation  history, then show him other uses of the wheel, from jukeboxes to oil derricks. Donald doesn't mind dancing with a pretty lady, but the traffic and machines overwhelms him. Even if it's not him, the senior Spirit still reminds him of just how important wheels are to our lives.

The Animation: This would be one of Disney's first productions in their new Xerox process, ably demonstrated by the simpler, sketchier backgrounds and Donald's thin-line design. They make use of something called Sodium Screen Processes that allow Donald to share the frame with that very human dancer. That sequence still looks pretty good, with Donald dancing around the lady, but the chroma-key that shows the outlines of the Spirits is a lot more obvious nowadays. 

The Song and Dance: While not as brilliant as Mathmagic Land, this one does have its own charms. Baker's jazz score is genuinely catchy, especially "The Principle of the Thing." No wonder he worked for Disney until well into the 90's. Ravenscroft and Smith's witty narration generally explains the concepts being discussed well, and Donald has a few funny gags in the beginning and with the live-action dancer in the jukebox. It's also interesting to be reminded how important the wheel was and remains to our everyday lives, and how this has changed through history.

Favorite Number: We open and close with Junior's scatting and his father explaining why "The Inventor of the Wheel" is such a big deal. "Wheels of Progress" covers transportation history, from Donald's simple cart on wooden wheels to modern automobiles on rubber tires. The two clicking gears Donald rides provides the backdrop for Junior and Senior's "The Principle of the Thing" as they show Donald the science behind how the gears move. We get three different types of music - slinky cool jazz, country hoedown, and classical ballet - as a dancer in costumes representing each steps prances with Donald on the disc in a jukebox. "Wheels, Wheels, Wheels" is the background for the sequence depicting Donald's typical day in the future and how everything from lawn mowers to satellites in space.

Trivia: Was released with The Parent Trap in theaters. 

What I Don't Like: This seems like a bit of an odd choice for Donald. There was never anything especially educational about him or his original shorts. Nor has all of the information given dated well. Though wheels remain important in transportation and in the production of many things, digital technology has stopped them turning in other industries. Junior's hipster argot in a few spots may be as hard for modern viewers to decipher as it is for Donald and his father. 

The Big Finale: Donald's three educational shorts are truly unique and are worth checking out for those looking for something a little bit different from Disney or their most famous Duck. 

Home Media: Alas, this can currently only be found on the limited edition and super-rare Chronological Donald Vol 4 Walt Disney Treasures set that is ridiculously expensive on Amazon. Your best bet is checking used venues or looking around for it on Dailymotion. 

DVD - Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol 4

Dailymotion

Cult Flops - Darling Lili

Paramount, 1970

Starring Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, Jeremy Kemp, and Gloria Paul

Directed by Blake Edwards

Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

Our second epic musical this week had an even more troubled production. Andrews was desperate to prove she was ready to be more than a magical nanny or a frivolous flapper. Edwards envisioned her in a small-scale World War I action romance with music, but Paramount had loftier plans. They wanted everything big - big musical numbers for Andrews, big budget, widescreen, elaborate costumes, location shooting in Europe, major leading man Rock Hudson as Andrews' co-star. 

Unfortunately, what they wanted and what Edwards wanted frequently clashed, and shooting the mid-air dogfights in rainy Ireland proved to be expensive and frustrating. Even after all the trouble and expense, Paramount didn't give the movie much publicity when it debuted, and it wound up being one of the biggest flops of the year. Did it deserve that fate, or should it have a second chance at redemption? Let's begin with Lili Smith (Andrews) against a black backdrop as she sings for an audience of London theatergoers and officers and find out...

The Story: Despite her singing sweetheart image, Lili is really a German spy who uses her popularity with the British and American fliers to gain information on their squadrons from them. She's especially interested in handsome pilot Major Bill Larrabee (Hudson) and asks him questions about his squadron, which she passes to her Uncle Kurt Von Ruger (Kemp). As Larrabee continues to court her, Lili finds herself genuinely falling for him. 

Lili's shocked when it turns out "Operation Crepe Suzette," which she believed to be a military plan, is actually a stripper (Paul). She's even more upset when the French send two officers of their own to spy on her and Larrabee, thinking he's the one doing the spying. She frames them and gets them arrested for treason and herself a Medal of Honor. Suzette, however, tells all, forcing Lili and Kurt to flee. Larrabee, however, can't forget his darling Lili, no matter who she is or what she did in the past...and he's not about to let her go down without a fight!

The Song and Dance: At least Paramount spared no expense on the production. The costumes are absolutely stunning, from Andrews' array of period-accurate gowns to the officers' uniforms and the leather jackets and caps on the pilots. That location shooting may have been a headache to film, but it looks lovely on-screen, especially the emerald greens of Ireland. I do give them credit for trying something original, given most musicals in the late 60's and early 70's were stage adaptations. Andrews gives it her all as Lili, even when the script is at its messiest, and Kemp is having his own fun as her slightly smarmy German "uncle."

Mancini and Mercer did come up with a genuinely good score. The haunting "Whistling Away the Dark" deserved its Oscar nomination. I also like "I'll Give You Three Guesses" and Paul's hilarious striptease number "Your Goodwill Ambassador." 

Favorite Number: We open and close with one of the simplest and most striking musical numbers in film history. "Whistling Away the Dark" begins with Lili, luminous in a black gown and diamond jewelry, singing the gorgeous ballad against a black background. Neither version has much to do with the story, but it's still a great way to start. After the theater is bombed, Lili does a medley of the World War I hits "It's a Long Way to Tipperary," "Pack Up Your Troubles," and "Keep the Home Fires Burning." 

Lili sings the cheer-up ditty "Smile Away Each Rainy Day" and the touching ballad "The Girl In No Man's Land" to a crowd of wounded veterans and pilots on leave, including Larrabee. Can-can girls do a lively and racy skirt-raising routine to an instrumental number while Lili is in the cafe with the officers, just before she encounters the very drunk pilot TC. TC insists on her reprising "Tipperary," which turns into a very drunk"Mademoiselle From Armentieres" with flyers hanging off her car on the way home. 

We see two very different versions of "I'll Give You Three Guesses." The first one is traditional and romantic, with Lili in white ruffles swirling around with young men in uniform. After she sees Crepe Suzette (Paul) sing "Your Goodwill Ambassador" in little more than a beaded bikini, she turns the second "Three Guesses" into a far hotter striptease. She and Larrabee join a group of little girls singing on the way home from school at one point. 

Trivia: There's at least two versions of this kicking around. I based my review on the original theatrical roadshow release that's currently at Amazon, but there's a much shorter Director's Cut currently on DVD.

Last full musical with songs by Johnny Mercer.

Andrews and Edwards married during filming. They would remain together until his death in 2010.

Edwards would later use his difficulties making this movie as the inspiration for his 1981 comedy S.O.B (which also featured Andrews). 

The movie went way over-budget, mainly because of those big plane fight sequences that took two years to film in Ireland. 

Oscar-nominated for Best Score, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Song. 

What I Don't Like: This is another musical with an identity problem. All the tinkering and trouble shows in a movie that has no idea whether it wants to be a war film, a romantic comedy, a mystery, or a sex farce. Hudson can sing well, but he's otherwise at sea in a musical and has no chemistry with Andrews. In fact, he doesn't really have that much to do other than be the love interest for Lili. The comic relief French spies in the second half are totally out of place with the war drama. Their shenanigans really bog the last hour or so down and are unnecessary. 

And yeah, so are the musical numbers. "Whistling Away the Dark" aside, most of them have nothing whatsoever to do with the movie and stop it cold. Edwards originally just wanted a few glimpses of Lili singing, but once again, the studio wanted big...and in this case, big probably wasn't needed. 

The Big Finale: There's some great music and scenery in this movie, and Andrews does her best...but it's mostly a mess. See it for the numbers if you're a fan of Andrews or the big musicals of the late 60's and early 70's. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming. The Warner Archives DVD is the director's cut; most streaming sites have the original theatrical roadshow version, including Amazon. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Cult Flops - Half a Sixpence

Paramount, 1967

Starring Tommy Steele, Julia Foster, Cyril Ritchard, and Penelope Horner

Directed by George Sidney

Music and Lyrics by David Heneker

This week, we're going to look at two big musicals from the late 60's and early 70's that weren't hits when they came out, but deserve reevaluation today. Half a Sixpence, based after the H.G Wells book Kipps, was always intended to be a vehicle for Tommy Steele, who was a wildly popular singer and dancer in England in the early 60's. It was a hit in London and did relatively well on Broadway, enough for Paramount to try Steele and his brand of manic energy on the big screen. How does he come across in this story of a young man who gains, loses, and regains a fortune look today? Let's begin as young Arthur Kipps (Geoffrey Chandler) is taken to become an apprentice draper and tells his best friend Ann (Deborah Permentor) he'll return to her someday, and find out...

The Story: Arthur "Artie" Kipps (Steele) inherits a million dollars from the grandfather he never knew. He invests in a show put on by his playwright friend Harry Chitterlow (Ritchard) and gives the now-grown Ann (Foster) half of a sixpence she gave him as a child. Kipps, however, has bigger ambitions than financing shows. He becomes enamored with wealthy Helen Walsingham (Horner), even rowing with men from her set in a regatta and letting her brother Hubert (James Villiers) invest his money. He initially rejects Ann in favor of Helen, until he realizes how much Ann means to him. Even then, he's still determined to show off his money, until he discovers the hard way that wealth can buy a lot of things...but real happiness with someone you care about isn't one of them.

The Song and Dance: Considering how overbearing Steele was in The Happiest Millionaire and especially Finian's Rainbow, he's a lot easier to take in his own vehicle. Here, his endless energy and toothpaste smile radiate charm and give the fluffy plot a must-needed boost. He's in almost every number, and he's never less than delightful in each and every one. No wonder he would remain popular in England through the 70's and continues to occasionally perform to this day. He's backed by a terrific production, with gorgeous historically-accurate turn-of-the-century costumes, choreography by Gillian Lynne that more than matches Steele's energy level, and stunning filming in and around the English countryside. 

Favorite Number: Our first song has the adult Kipps and his buddies commenting how their boss scrimps on materials but spends money on himself "All In the Cause of Economy" as they dress and prepare for their day. Kipps and Ann do a sweet version of the title song as they make their vow to always love one another in front of a merry-go-round. "Money to Burn" is the big chorus number at Chitterlow's show as Artie explains why he would buy a banjo if he had the cash. Ann claims at the beach as she and the shopgirls dress that "I Don't Believe a Word of It" when Kipps is late arriving...but when he does arrive, she claims "I'm Not Talking to You." 

"A Proper Gentlemen" is a chorus song that depicts Kipps' around-the-world journey via him goofing off in front of vintage postcards of famous monuments. Kipps laments "She's Too Far Above Me" after a rainstorm ends his attempt to woo Helen at an outdoor concert. "If the Rain's Got to Fall" is an adorable routine for Kipps, a group of ragamuffins, and the chorus outside before and during an actual rainstorm that ends with everyone splashing around in puddles. 

"Lady Botting's Boating Regatta Cup Racing Song" is the only song written for the film. Kipps sings it as a voiceover at the regatta as we hear his thoughts during the competition. "Flash Bang Wallop!" is the big wedding number, as Kipps, Ann, and the chorus celebrate with a huge dance at the tavern. Ann insists "I Know What I Am" after she argues with Kipps over how big their house should be. Kipps says "This Is My World" as he imagines their finished mansion filled with beautiful dancers in fine tuxes and gowns...until he sees Ann and realizes he's no gentleman. We end with Ann and Kipps reprising the title number in front of the merry-go-round again when they realize they only need each other to be truly content.

Trivia: This movie was such a huge critical and commercial flop, George Sidney quit directing all together.

Julia Foster was dubbed by Marti Webb, who starred in the original London production with Steele

The original London production ran for three years starting in 1963; the Broadway production ran almost as long. I don't think it's been seen in New York since then, but a revised version was a surprise hit off and on the West End in 2016, running over a year. 

What I Don't Like: For all the gorgeous costumes and location shooting, this movie is too big and too long. It would have done better as a more intimate musical. The chorus numbers in particular just go on and on forever. As good as Lynne's choreography is, there's way too much of it. The thin story did not need to be stretched out to two and a half hours. Of the cast, only Ritchard is anywhere near Steele's level, and his role is limited to 20 minutes in the beginning and end. Foster in particular can't muster the appropriate spunk for "I'm Not Talking to You" and "I Know Who I Am." Among the songs dropped from the original stage version were "Long Ago," a duet for Ann and Kipps, "The Old Military Canal" for the chorus, and a second number at the tavern, "The Party Is On the House." 

The Big Finale: This was dismissed in the 60's as overly sentimental, but I think it's worn rather well. For the most part, the sentiment now comes off as charming and adorable rather than too sweet. Fans of Steele and the big musicals of the 60's and 70's with time on their hands will really get a kick out of Kipps' adventures in the upper class.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - Descendents: The Rise of Red

Disney, 2024

Starring Kylie Cantrall, Malia Baker, Ruby Rose Turner, and Morgan Dudley

Directed by Jennifer Phang

Music and Lyrics by various

I thought Disney was done with this franchise, but never underestimate their obsession with their history and milking a series dry. That said, it's not often they dive into their TV history. Descendents apparently returned last year with an animated short that launched a revival of the series, this time focusing on Cinderella and the citizens of Wonderland. How does this latest visit to the world of Auradon Prep look, especially compared to the films that came before it? Let's begin with Uma (Chiana Anne McClain), daughter of Ursula, as she tells us how she is now principal of Auradon and plans on shaking things up, and find out...

The Story: Red (Cantrall) is the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora), who embraces her invitation to Auradon as a way to get out from under the thumb of her tyrannical and controlling mother. The Queen, however, uses the invitation as an excuse to stage a coup and take over the school. Red flees and uses a pocket watch given to her by Maddox (Leonardo Nam), the son of the Mad Hatter, to go back in time when her mother and Cinderella (Brandy) attended the school. Chloe (Baker) accidentally gets caught up in the watch's magic, and after arguing over the watch, eventually decide to work together to save their mothers.

Turns out not only did their mothers know each other when the school was called Merlin Academy, but Bridget (Turner) and Ella (Dudley) were best friends. Bridget was a perky go-getter who wanted to be friends with everyone, while Ella is more skeptical about royalty and those who abuse their privileges. Bridget inadvertently gets on the bad side of school bully Uliana (Dara Renee) when she steals her flamingo cupcakes and turns into a flamingo, causing her to plan a major prank on her at the school dance. Chloe and Red have to figure out how prevent that prank from happening, before any worse damage is done in the past and the present.

The Song and Dance: I give them credit for at least trying for something a little different. This feels like a fairy tale Back to the Future as the girls head to the past and see how different their mothers were when they went to Merlin Academy, as it was called then. Cantrell and Baker have a great time as the unruly Red who is determined to prove she's nothing like her dominating mother and sweet Chloe, who is shocked to discover her mother wasn't always royalty or perfect. Also great to see less-discussed Disney properties like Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella and The Sword and the Stone be included in one of their crossovers. The costumes remain colorful, bright, and gorgeous, with amazing gowns for the moms and tight jackets and leggings for their daughters. 

(Also, kudos to them for their heartfelt acknowledgement of one of the original characters, Carlos, and the actor who played him. Cameron Boyce died of a seizure shortly before the release of Descendents 3, and the short tribute was very sweet and thoughtful.) 

Favorite Number: "Red" destroys everything about her mother in her introductory number. Cinderella sings "So This Is Love" briefly from the original Disney animated film with the Prince as they give Chloe a very special gift. The Queen of Hearts insists that "Love Ain't It" when she stages her coup and takes over the school. The two girls claim it's the "Fight of Our Lives" as Chloe and Red fight over the watch after the arrive at Merlin Academy in a dynamic rap routine. Bridget tells everyone that "Life Is Sweeter (Wherever You Are)" as she hands around her pink flamingo cupcakes to the students and Uliana and her villains introduce themselves. 

After her accidental humiliation, Uliana vows the "Perfect Revenge" on Bridget. Bridget, for her part, is totally ignorant as she briefly shows off her new dance for the Castlecoming Dance, "Shuffle of Love," to the duo. Ella insists that one should "Get Your Hands Dirty" and make their own choice to Chloe when she wonders if she should help Red steal the cookbook from Merlin. We end with a reprise of "Life Is Sweeter"  as everyone celebrates Red's arrival at Auradon, and Uma admits that while we have a happy ending now, there could be repercussions from messing with the past in the future...

What I Don't Like: This one starts off fairly strong, with improved special effects and mostly decent performances...but like Lady and the Tramp II, the finale is a disappointment. After all the build-up, they don't show the all-important Castlecoming Dance or how Ella and Prince Charming fell in love. I know they're trying to set up a sequel, but it makes the end of this movie feel like less of an end and more like the movie is just stopping for a dance party. Wish it could have made more use of some of its characters, too, especially the villains, Merlin, and Faye, the original Fairy Godmother. 

A lot of this contradicts the original films. I do appreciate Disney acknowledging Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, but Brandy and Paolo Montalban don't look anything like the adult Cinderella and Prince Charming from the first three films. And what happened to the villains being banished to the Isle of the Lost? Plus there were Wonderland characters in the original films and cartoons. The movie also awkwardly writes out most of the original characters as traveling in other kingdoms. They could have at least tried to integrate that better, instead of info-dumping that information in the very beginning.

The Big Finale: The Back to the Future twist makes this one of the more interesting Descendants films, but the dull second half makes this mainly for fans of the Disney films it refers to or the intended 8 to 14 audience.

Home Media: It's a Disney Plus exclusive at the moment. 

Disney Plus

Back to the Beach

Paramount, 1987

Starring Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, Lori Loughlin, and Tommy Hinkley

Directed by Lyndall Hobbs

Music and Lyrics by various

Even after the Beach Party movies were no longer turning up at drive-ins, they continued to be popular on late-night television, and later on video and cable. By the mid-80's, surf culture had also made a comeback as nostalgia for the 50's and early 60's boomed, fired by a revival of surf rock artists like the Beach Boys and the popularity of the California beach scene. As the movies themselves became more widely seen again, Avalon and Funicello reemerged to appear in this parody of the originals, showing just how much comedy, musicals, and surf culture had and hadn't changed since the heyday of the original films. Is it still hip now, or is it terminally square? Let's begin, not in California, but in landlocked Ohio, as Bobby (Demian Slade) complains about how annoying his parents are, and find out...

The Story: Once the most beloved surfer on the California beaches, the Big Kahuna (Avalon) is now a car salesman. His wife Annette (Funicello) is bored and perpetually shopping, and black-clad Bobby wishes they were a heck of a lot cooler. Despite his dislike of water, they still take a vacation to Hawaii, first stopping in California to visit their daughter Sandy (Loughlin). 

Sandy is living with goofy, unemployed Michael (Hinkley), who makes his own surfboards. Her father is furious, until he encounters his old flame Connie (Connie Stevens) at a popular local hangout. Not only is she Michael's mother, but she still has a thing for Sandy's father. There's also the big lunk Troy (John Calvin) who keeps making passes at Annette. Meanwhile, a fed-up Bobby falls in with a biker group who eventually declares the beach to be their property. Michael is hurt when they raid the beach party, leading the Big Kahuna to have no choice but to hit the water one last time.

The Song and Dance: This is so dorky and is trying so hard to be what was cool in 1987, it almost flips around to become hip. Funicello and especially Avalon have a fine time as the couple who revive their marriage even as they recall their glory days, and Stevens enjoys her role as the not-so-"bad" woman. The costumes are among the most pure 80's of the entire decade, with everyone decked out in garish neons, fluffy polka-dot short dresses, enormous hair, and off-the-shoulder sweaters. 

Some of the cameos are pretty cute too, notably Don Adams as the Harbormaster the Big Kahuna talks into letting them have their shindig and Bob Denver playing the bartender as a certain dim sailor who is very glad he's no longer stranded on his self-named island. I'm also kind of glad the bikers seen at the end are played for genuine menace, and aren't nearly as goofy as Eric Von Zipper and his crowd were in the original films. This adds a little bit of heft to the out-of-nowhere surf contest ending. 

Favorite Number: We open with Bobby explaining how his parents used to be considered cool in the 50's and 60's, including real-life footage of Annette singing on The Mickey Mouse Club and Avalon performing his hit "Venus." The first real song is "Catch a Ride" over footage of California surfers (including one sitting on his surfboard!) hitting the waves during the credits. Dick Dale performs "The Loco-Motion" and then "California Sun," the latter featuring Avalon having so much fun that the number becomes the film's highlight. Funicello counters by holding a wild "Pajama Party" with her daughter at her home.

An updated version of "Wipeout" plays as the surfers slide down a pole and rush out to hit the big one...except a hungover Avalon. "Jamaica Ska" is Funicello's number with the chorus on the beach, joined by real-life ska and reggae band Fishbone. (Note the decidedly Minnie Mouse-like red polka-dot dress she wears at this point.)  Dale plays "Pipeline" while Avalon suggests a major beach bash for Michael to win back his girlfriend.

Aimee Mann and Till Tuesday sing "Signs of Love" during a dance number at the party while Michael admits to Sandy that he's ready to settle down. We get "Wooly Bully" as Avalon heads off the Harbormaster (Don Adams). Pee Wee Herman, of all people, sings and does his own idea of prancing around to "Surfin' Bird." "I Hate You" is the anthem for the punk bike group, which we hear when they're on the beach. 

Trivia: Frankie Avalon's real name is never used. He's always referred to as "The Big Kahuna" or "Annette's husband." Orion Pictures (and now MGM/Amazon) owns most of the Beach Party movies and the rights to the name. It's why Funicello doesn't go under Dee-Dee or Dolores, her usual names in those movies, as well. 

"I Hate You" was written for and originally heard in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. 

What I Don't Like: Did I mention how of-its-time this film is? This movie shrieks "1980's surf culture trying to be 1960's surf culture." The original films could be extremely strange, but this one occasionally dips into plain dumb, as with the annoying Troy who keeps pursuing Annette and Michael's nitwit surfer stereotype. They're trying for camp, but just come off as weird and shrill. 

The finale with the bikers suddenly declaring the beach to be their turf comes totally out of left field. The bikers barely interacted with anyone besides Bobby before this. It only exists to give the Big Kahuna a way to redeem himself and could have been led up to better. Bobby for his part didn't have much to do for most of the movie besides his narration sulking about how terminally uncool his parents are and one amusing sequence when he shows off a fake tattoo to his mother. 

The Big Finale: I honestly think Teen Beach Movie did a much better job parodying the Beach Party series more than a quarter of a century later. This is mainly for major fans of Funicello, Avalon, the stars or groups seen in cameos, or those who have fond memories of seeing it on cable and video in the late 80's and 90's. 

Home Media: Currently on DVD via the Warner Archives (who release select Paramount films) and streaming for free on Pluto TV.

DVD

Pluto TV On Demand

Pajama Party

American International, 1964

Starring Annette Funicello, Tommy Kirk, Elsa Lanchester, and Harvey Lembeck

Directed by Don Weis

Music by Guy Hemric; Lyrics by Jerry Stymer

Let's celebrate summer with the last official Beach Party movie I haven't gotten to yet. The Beach Party films weren't the only genre that appealed to teens in the early 60's. Science fiction continued its popularity from the 1950's, especially as the space race picked up steam. American International somehow crossed the low-budget sci-fi films of the time with its musical beach capers with this story of an alien youth who comes from Mars to invade the planet and ends up falling for a teen girl. Does it still work today, or should it be dumped in the pool? Let's begin on a Martian ship, as spy Go-Go (Kirk) gets orders from head Martian Big Bang (Don Rickles) to prepare for an invasion and find out...

The Story: Go-Go's jet pack malfunctions, leaving him hovering in the air. He's rescued by sweet widow Wendy (Lanchester), who takes him in. She's having trouble of her own. Her neighbor J. Sinister Hulk (Jesse White) and his goons Fleegle (Ben Lessy) and Chief Rotten Eagle (Buster Keaton) would do anything to find the million-dollar inheritance Wendy supposedly has hidden in her home.

Wendy directs Go-Go to the beach to hang out with human kids close to his own age. Connie (Funicello) is trying to get Wendy's nephew Big Lunk (Joel McCrea) to pay attention to her and flirts with Go-Go to make him jealous. Not only does it not work, but Go-Go falls for Connie, and Lunk starts to give Rotten Eagle's Swedish bombshell assistant Helga (Bobbie Shaw) a second glance. There's also Erik Von Zipper (Lembeck) and his biker Rats, who have no love for beach bums, aliens, or eccentric old ladies. It'll take the biggest pajama party in the history of California to get everything settled and convince Go-Go that Earth isn't such a bad place after all. 

The Song and Dance: Well, you can't say this one isn't creative. This is the only Beach Party-type film to dive into science fiction, and the only one where Tommy Kirk isn't blatantly miscast. He's a wonderful wide-eyed Go-Go, sweetly naive with Lanchester's dotty old dear and adorable with Funicello, and not a bad singer. Funicello for her part has a great time playing the slightly more worldly one, and Lembeck is having as much fun as ever mauling malaprops with his Rats. Some nice costumes, too. Check out the gowns and outfits during the fashion show sequence and those pajamas at the party in the finale. 

Favorite Number: We open with the chorus number "It's That Kind of Day" as the aliens witness the teens wriggling by the pool and at the beach, enjoying the sunshine and each other. Connie's friend Vikki (Donna Loren) sings "Among the Young" at the pool with the Nooney Rickett 4 as the kids dance and Candy (Candy Johnson) literally breaks glass and makes soda bottles pop with her hot moves. 

The head saleswoman at the dress salon (Dorothy Lamour) wonders "Where Did I Go Wrong?" when her models keep dancing instead of showing off dresses. Go-Go insists "There Must Be a Reason" he's falling in love, while Connie claims it's a natural feeling. She laments to her "Stuffed Animal" that boys can be a pain to figure out at her smaller pajama party with Vikki and Jilda (Susan Hart). Connie kicks off the title song at the bigger pajama party in the finale, eventually joined by the Nooney Ricketts 4. They also perform an instrumental dance routine, titled "Beach Ball" after the one that keeps getting thrown around.

Trivia: Inspired by a play written by cartoon legend Joseph Barbara, The Maid and the Martian, which had a successful run in LA twice during the 50's. 

Dorothy Lamour's last musical number in a film. Columnist and What's My Line? panellist Dorothy Kilgallen has a brief cameo when she lands on one of the Rats' bikes and introduces herself. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, for a movie called Pajama Party, this is seriously lacking in pajama parties. We only see the brief one Connie holds with her friends and the one in the finale. Second, this is one of the strangest stories in a series that's notorious for them. Nothing makes sense, even by Beach Party standards. Von Zipper and the Rats and Hulk and his goons seem to have come from an entirely different movie. Lamour's musical number at the dress shop seems to have been dropped in to give her a number and for a few jokes from Buster Keaton. (Who definitely does not resemble anything like a Native.) Most of the remaining cast doesn't have a whole lot to do, including McCrea's aptly-named Lunk. The music is mildly cute, but other than Kirk and Funicello's duet, nothing great.

The Big Finale: This ended up being better than I thought it would from the nutty premise, but it's still not the first Beach Party movie I'd introduce to casual filmgoers. Start them on Beach Party or Beach Blanket Bingo first. Fans of the series, its many imitations, or Kirk and Funicello will want to dive right in. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - Red Riding Hood (2006)

7 Arts International, 2006

Starring Morgan Thompson, Sam Stone, Lainie Kazan, and Joey Fatone

Directed by Randal Kleiser

Music and Lyrics by various

The wild success of the Shrek films made fairy tale parodies all the rage in the 2000's. We've already seen Disney's take on this idea, Enchanted, last year, but even low-budget studios made fun of stock fairy tale tropes. This B-level live action/CGI comedy crosses the satire with the teenage love of boy bands and rap and the CGI special effects that seemed to make anything possible, even turning a classic Brothers Grimm story into the tale of a little girl who dodges a very hungry wolf into a goofy action comedy. Does it work, or should it be eaten by the wolf? Let's begin in a colorless world, as Claire (Thompson) makes plans with her girlfriends to sneak out and see their favorite boy band, but is stopped by her bratty brother Matt (Stone) and her grandmother (Kazan) as she arrives with a very special book of fairy tales...

The Story: Anything Claire and Matt add to the story appears on the page, like Red Riding Hood (Thompson) riding a bike to Grandma's (Kazan), living in a lighthouse with her parents and brother Rusty (Stone), and dodging the Three Bullies on the bridge (Ashley Rose-Orr, Callie Waterman, and Andrea Bowen). The Wolf (Fatone) is actually a werewolf who is cursed to be perpetually hungry and will eat anything whole, people included. The Hunter) Henry Cavill) is after him for eating his parents. 

Red doesn't believe in the wolf and doesn't listen to her mother (Debi Mazar) telling her to stay on the path. When she's stranded in the woods after getting a flat tire, Rusty comes to her rescue...but then he's stranded. It'll take a combined effort between the two of them and the help of a Superman of a Hunter to keep Red and Rusty out of a wolf stomach!

The Song and Dance: First of all, I do like the Princess Bride-esque premise of the real grandmother reading to them and it happening in the kids' imaginations. It explains some of the weirder parodies, like Grandma being on a chat room and the wolf eating a TV news reporter and a boy scout group, among others. It's also nice to get a glimpse of Cavill, well before his stardom a decade later as Superman, and Mazar and Kazan have a great time as the concerned mother and free-thinking grandmother. The CGI is cheap, but it's also colorful and even frightening with the shadowy woods and the wolf attacking his victims.

Favorite Number: We open with "Love and Affection" over the animated credits depicting a comic version of the story we're about to see. Our first actual song is a black and white music video for "Coming Up," performed by real-life boy band Natural. Claire watches it while talking to her buddies about sneaking out, at least until Matt wants to play video games. "Spirit - Freedom" is our first number in the fairy tale world. Red and Grandma sing about how they appreciate having the freedom do what they please. Red hopes that "Maybe Someday" the Hunter will see her as more than a kid.

"I Can't Lie" Red explains to the Wolf when he encounters her for the first time. The Wolf sings the "Lil' Red Riding Hood" song from the 60's and argues with himself that "I Want Her Now." "Hey Grandma" is the Wolf's number with the kids while dressed as - and taking the appearance of - Grandma. He keeps chasing them with his fangs and jumping at them. It's a relatively scary moment in a movie that mostly plays its fantasy antics for broad comedy.

What I Don't Like: Which brings me to the movie's biggest problem - the comedy is a little too broad. This sounds and looks more like a Looney Tune than Shrek, or even Princess Bride. The silly sound effects and most of the performances, especially Fatone's hungry wolf, are so over-the-top, they really get annoying after a while. 

Red, on the other hand, is a snooty brat who refuses to do what her mother told her out of sheer contrariness. Her crush on the Hunter isn't terribly believable, especially when he turns up in the real-world at the end. He's probably in his 20's and she's about 13, making him way too old to be more than a crush...or as big of a deal as the movie makes it out to be. There's also the bad early CGI that makes everything look less like a fantasy and more like a cheap video game Matt's playing, dull songs, and constant references to chat rooms, e-mail, and boy bands that date the story badly.

The Big Finale: An interesting idea that could have used less over-the-top goofiness and more polish. It does seem to have its fans online who remember catching it on cable or DVD in the mid-late 2000's, but I thought it was just so-so. Would make decent background on a hot afternoon for bored pre-teens looking for something fun and goofy for their next pajama party.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, the latter currently for free with commercials at the Roku Channel.

DVD

The Roku Channel

Happy 4th of July! - Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure

Disney, 2001

Voices of Scott Wolf, Alyssa Milano, Jeff Bennett, and Chazz Palminteri

Directed by Darrell Rooney and Jeannine Roussell

Music by Melissa Manchester; Lyrics by Norman Gimbel

It's time to celebrate the 4th with friends, fireworks, and a reminder of how important our families are. This came out during the run of animated sequels Disney released on video from 1994 through 2008. Unlike most of these films, this one is not without precedence. Lady and Tramp's son Scamp and his three puppy siblings were familiar characters in comic books and strips from shortly after the release of the film in 1955 through 1988. This would be their first appearance in a movie since their brief cameos at the very end of the original film. How well do they work out in this story of how Scamp wants to break out and lead the wild life? Let's begin as the residents of their sleepy New England town welcome us to their homes and find out...

The Story: Scamp (Wolf) is tired of all the rules imposed on him by his parents and their owners, especially his worried father (Bennett). He wants to run wild with the stray dogs in town and have the same freedom they appear to. After he slips his chain, he falls in with a group of tough junkyard dogs. Their leader Buster (Palminteri) had once been Tramp's best friend, but he now resents him for having left his buddy for Lady. He gives Scamp a series of tests to prove he's worthy of being a junkyard dog. Scamp's delighted at first, until he falls for the gang's sole female member Angel (Milano) and his father confronts Buster, and he starts to wonder if freedom is really all it's cracked up to be.

The Animation: A major come-down. The characters move all right and have the same expressive faces as the original, but the backgrounds lack the detail that made the original so wonderful to look at. It looks more like the Mickey Mouse Works TV shorts of this time period than a feature-length animated film from the time. That's appropriate for its low-budget origins, but is disappointing compared to the exquisite animation of the original.

The Song and Dance: For all the familiar story, there are a few good things here. Milano makes a funny and charming Angel, while Bennett does well as the concerned Tramp. For all the cheap animation, they do manage to give it the same feel of elegance as the original, and it has a slightly slower and gentler pace that's actually rather charming. Angel's story - she's been adopted five times, only to be abandoned - is sweet and even sad. The music for the most part manages the appropriate period air, especially "Junkyard Society Rag." 

Favorite Number: We open with the residents of the New England town where the characters live as they tell us about their lives and the big 4th of July picnic coming up in "Welcome Home." Scamp (dubbed by Roger Bart) sings about a "World Without Fences" after he ends up on the chain, imagining himself roaming free with the strays who pass his home. "Junkyard Society Rag" is for the strays as they sing about their supposedly free life with no masters. 

"I Didn't Know I Could Feel That Way" is the big romantic duet for Scamp and Angel (dubbed by Susan Egan). They even end up eating spaghetti at Tony's like Lady and Tramp. "Always There" is the heartfelt trio for Angel, Scamp, and Tramp after Scamp ends up in the pound as Angel wishes she had a family, Tramp wishes he could talk to his son, and Scamp wishes he'd never left home. The movie finishes with a reprise of "Welcome Home" as Jim Dear (Nick Jameson) and Darling (Barbara Goodson) finally wash Scamp and Angel is officially welcomed into the family. "Belle Note" plays over the credits.

What I Don't Like: My biggest beef with this, other than it more-or-less being a gender-reversed rehash of the original, is the finale. We do get a good action sequence with Tramp breaking Scamp out of the pound, but...nothing really happens after that. They barely confront Buster in the end, and I think he could have gotten into a lot more trouble than just his gang walking out on him. 

There's also the ridiculous dogcatcher who keeps chasing the strays. He's drawn to look like - and Bennett makes him sound like - Don Knotts. Hardly the intimidating dog catchers just barely glimpsed in the original. His antics are annoying and are basically filler. "Didn't Know I Could Feel That Way" stands out as an out-of-place late 90's power ballad amid the relatively period numbers, and none of the songs are especially interesting or memorable. And what age are Scamp and Angel supposed to be again? They're small like puppies, but Wolf and Milano make them sound like adults, and the falling in love thing doesn't help there either. 

The Big Finale: While not great, the heartfelt story and some decent characters help make this one of the more tolerable of the Disney direct-to-home-media sequels from the 90's and 2000's. Worth a look before your own 4th of July picnic for fans of the original or kids who love animal stories. 

Home Media: While it is on DVD and Blu-Ray, your best bet will likely be Disney Plus if you have a subscription. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus

Annie Get Your Gun (1950)

MGM, 1950

Starring Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Keenan Wynn, and Louis Calhern

Directed by George Sidney

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

Let's start the week of the 4th of July by celebrating some real-life American legends. Annie Oakley was a real person who toured the world with her rival, and then husband, Frank Butler doing trick shots in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. MGM bought the rights to the hit Broadway musical as soon as it's run ended.

The filming was anything but smooth. The original Annie, Judy Garland, was suffering from exhaustion an dealing with her drug problems and was eventually replaced by brash Hutton. They went through three directors and two Buffalo Bills after the first actor in the role, Frank Morgan, died shortly after filming began. For all that, how did the story of Annie, Frank, and their contemptuous relationship come off today? Let's begin with the arrival of Buffalo Bill's (Calhoun) Wild West Show to a small town in Ohio and find out...

The Story: Annie Oakley (Hutton) is the best shot in all of Ohio. She's so good, she accidentally shoots the bird off the hat belonging to Dolly Tate (Benay Venuta), one of the female performers in the Wild West Show. Manager Charlie Davenport (Wynn) offers her $5 to beat the show's major star Frank Butler (Keel) at a marksmanship competition. 

When Annie beats him hands down, Davenport and Butler convince her to audition for the Wild West Show. She's an unqualified success, and Frank is smitten...at least until Annie's star eclipses his own. He ends up joining Pawnee Bill's (Edward Arnold) show when he sees Annie's increasing popularity. 

Buffalo Bill's show tours Europe, and Annie is a smash with all the heads of state. She's even adopted into Chief Sitting Bull's (J. Carrol Naish) tribe. Frank's not as impressed and challenges her to another shooting competition. Annie's ready to beat him again, until Sitting Bull reminds her that "you can't get a man with a gun," or a relationship without sacrifice. 

The Song and Dance: For all the trouble they had making this movie, it didn't turn out too badly. I actually think charming Calhoun works out better as Buffalo Bill than blustery Morgan would have anyway. You believe Calhoun would go out and shoot buffalo and tame the west. Keel makes a smashing debut as Butler, equally believable singing and as the tough marksman who finds himself falling for the backwoods gal. 

The costumes in particular are gorgeous, from the ruffly dresses and ribbon-trimmed hats for the ladies who crowd around Frank in the opening to Annie's scarlet gown worn at the reception in England. Sidney does pretty well for someone who was brought in at the last moment to replace Busby Berkeley, especially with more intimate numbers like "They Say It's Wonderful" and the hilarious "Anything You Can Do." 

Favorite Number: We open with Dolly, Frank, and Charlie explaining how "Colonel Buffalo Bill" tamed the west and got their show together. Annie and her siblings explain how she's such a good shot in "Doin' What Comes Naturally." Frank tells Annie that "The Girl That I Marry" will be a dainty lady who will be pretty in his arms. Annie realizes after he leaves that "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun." 

Charlie, Buffalo Bill, and Frank tell Annie that "There's No Business Like Show Business" when she hesitates on joining the Wild West Show. We hear this famous anthem twice more, when Annie sees herself solo on the posters for the first time, and in the big finale as the two shows come together. She and Frank admit "They Say It's Wonderful" to fall in love, while Frank tells the men at the show that "My Defences are Down." "I'm an Indian Too" is the exhausting ritual that brings Annie into the Native tribe...or would, if she didn't try to hide from them! She exuberantly performs "I've Got the Sun In the Morning" for the heads of state in England. After challenging her to another marksmanship competition, Annie claims "Anything You Can Do," she can do, too, though Frank doesn't buy it.

Trivia: Judy Garland filmed "Doin' What Comes Naturally" and "I'm an Indian Too" before she was dropped from the production. They still exist and can be found on the DVD and Blu-Ray, along with a cut Hutton number, "Let's Go West Again." 

The original Broadway cast of Annie Get Your Gun in 1946 featured Ethel Merman in the title role and Ray Middleton as Frank. It was a smash hit, running over four years. There would be two short-lived revivals in 1958 and 1966, the latter featuring Merman. The heavily revised 1999 Broadway revival with Bernadette Peters and Tom Wopat also ran for four years, nearly as long as the original. It's been seen in London at least three times. The 1947 production with Dolores Gray outran the Broadway show, but three revivals were short-lived.

Annie made it to TV twice, in 1957 with Mary Martin, and in 1967 with Merman. Alas, the Merman version seems to be lost except for one clip and its audio. The Martin version does exist, and I'll likely cover it sometime later this year. 

Annie Oakley was a sharp-shooter in the 1880's and 1890's who did travel and perform with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. She did marry rival Frank Butler...but unlike what you see here, Frank knew his wife was the better shot and stepped down to manage her career. 

What I Don't Like: There's a reason the book for the 1999 revival was so heavily re-written. This show is neither good to its female characters, nor the Natives. In fact, one thing they got right in the 1999 revival was having Annie and Frank tie in that final match. It's more interesting and historically accurate. Hutton tries way too hard. Her belting and clowning works for comic numbers like "Indian Too" and "I've Got the Sun In the Morning," but her "Doin' What Comes Naturally" lacks intimacy, and she has no chemistry whatsoever with Keel except for when they're sparring in "Anything You Can Do." 

In the original show and 1999 revival, Dolly's sister Winnie and her boyfriend Tommy had a pair of major numbers that covered scene changes. They and their songs were deemed extraneous in 1950 and 1966 were deleted. Other songs that didn't make it into the film version include the ballad "I Got Lost In His Arms" for Annie, Frank's introductory number "I'm a Bad, Bad Man," and Annie's "Moonshine Lullaby" that she sings to her siblings on the train. Surprised they didn't retain at least the lovely "Lost In His Arms," which would have been gorgeous on Hutton and Garland. 

The Big Finale: Even with the multitude of problems and dated script, this is still worth checking out for fans of Berlin, Hutton, Keel, or the big MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's. 

Home Media: Legal troubles kept this off home media until the 1999 revival's overwhelming success prompted Warner Bros to finally release it in 2000. It's currently disc-only from the Warner Archives.

DVD

DVD - Silver Screen Icons: Broadway Musicals

Blu-Ray