THE GHOSTS OF BUXLEY HALL (Dir: Bruce Bilson, 1980).

THE GHOSTS OF BUXLEY HALL (Dir: Bruce Bilson, 1980).

Originally screened in two parts on the long running Disney anthology series, at this point in its history broadcast on NBC under the Disney’s Wonderful World banner; The Ghosts of Buxley Hall is a throwback to Disney fantasy comedies such as Blackbeard’s Ghost (Robert Stevenson, 1968) and Charley and the Angel (Vincent McEveety, 1973). Failing military academy Buxley Hall is forced to merge with a cash strapped girls school, enraging the ghosts of founder General Eulace C Buxton, cohort Sergeant Major Chester B Sweet and wife Betina Buxley (played by Dick O’Neill, Victor French and Louise Latham respectively). Their focus soon shifts to aiding new student Jeremy (Red Daly) whose scheming aunt and uncle threaten both the future of the school and more importantly the well being of their nephew.

Although very much a product of its time The Ghosts of Buxley Hall is undemanding formulaic fun. It has a welcome, albeit slight, feminist message, although some may find gags involving smoking and alcoholism and some mild risqué humour involving a sex education class a little out of place in a family movie. With regards to modern audiences, I imagine this film is more likely to appeal to grownup children of the 1970s/80s than by actual children.

Is The Ghosts of Buxley Hall a good movie? Not particularly. Did I enjoy it? Yes, I kinda did. It felt nostalgic, raised the odd smile and kept me out of mischief for 90 odd minutes.

Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for more reviews of classic and vintage Disney movies! Link below.

jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com

The Ghosts of Buxley Hall (1980)

The Ghosts of Buxley Hall  (Dir: Bruce Bilson, 1980).  O riginally screened in two parts on the long running Disney anthology series

SUSAN SLEPT HERE (Dir: Frank Tashlin, 1954).

Frank Tashlin made his name as an animation director at Warner Bros’ Termite Terrace before graduating to live action slapstick comedies of questionable taste such as The Girl Can’t Help It and this movie Susan Slept Here.

As with much of Tashlin’s work Susan Slept Here is very much anchored to the decade in which it was made. The convoluted plot concerns Hollywood scriptwriter Dick Powell and 17 year old juvenile delinquent Debbie Reynolds who is given to Powell as a ‘gift’ on Christmas Eve in order to keep her out of jail during the festive period.

Recalling such better comedies as Billy Wilder’s The Major and the Minor and the Preston Sturgess scripted Remember the Night, Tashlin’s middle age male fantasy remains just about on the right side of good taste. Were this movie made today it would certainly raise eyebrows and maybe it did in 1954. If it was made today I doubt the subject would be given the light and fluffy rom com treatment.

As it is the movie is far more palatable than expected, thanks to the appealing performances of Powell and Reynolds and the assured direction of Tashlin who could turn out this sort of material in his sleep. The highly saturated Technicolor photography shows off the 1950s decor in all its garish splendour and Reynolds gets the opportunity to show of her considerable dancing skills in a very much of its period dream sequence.

To fully enjoy Susan Slept Here requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, not least to accept 55 year old Powell as the 35 year old object of Reynolds’ desire. It is by no means a classic but neither is it the vacuum of good taste I was expecting. Fans of its director and stars, particularly Debbie Reynolds, will probably find much to enjoy.

100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.

GANGSTER SQUAD: (Dir: Ruben Fleischer, 2013).

Don’t be fooled into thinking that this movie is the first film in the ‘La La Land’ franchise! In spite of featuring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in leading roles against a backdrop of Los Angeles, Gangster Squad is, as its title would imply, a pretty violent yet kinda glossy mob movie.

Josh Brolin heads up a fabulous cast including Gosling, Stone, Nick Nolte, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Peña in a fictionalised account of the LAPD’s attempts to wrest control of the city from Mob boss Mickey Cohen, a heavily made-up Sean Penn seemingly channelling Al Pacino’s Big Boy Caprice from Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty, 1990). The cast cannot be faulted. Neither can cinematographer Dion Beebe who utilises every conceivable shade of brown in a stylish recreation of 1949 LA.

However, as terrific as the cast is and as lovely as it looks, Gangster Squad is perhaps not quite the movie it may have been. With its dark, noir-ish themes and its vintage Los Angeles setting it kind of gives the impression of wanting to be LA Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997). While it is undoubtedly a quality production, it just isn’t as good as that masterpiece.

I love a 1930s gangster movie almost as much as I love a 1940s crime thriller, so I guess Gangster Squad had a lot of built-in appeal for me and I did enjoy it. It’s just that I have seen this sort of thing done better. As noir homage LA Confidential can’t be beat. If it’s a lovingly recreated 1930s era gangster flick you want, check out Joel and Ethan Coen’s superior Miller’s Crossing (1990).

Visit my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com for more movie reviews! Link below.

Movie number 30: Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates (Norman Foster, 1962). Originally shown in January 1962 in two parts on the television anthology series Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, Hans Brinker was released to cinemas internationally in 1964. An adaptation of the popular children’s novel by Mary Mapes Dodge, the movie stars Rony Zeaner as the titular Hans, a struggling Dutch artist who enters a skating contest in hope of winning the prize money to pay for an operation for his father who is injured while attempting to repair local sea defences.

Despite its TV origins Hans Brinker is, like virtually all Disney releases of its era, a high quality product. While it’s narrative is divided neatly in two halves and the fades for commercial breaks are noticeable I can imagine watching this on original release, probably as the second half of a double bill, unaware of its made for TV status due to its high production values. Shot on location on the Zuider Zee and in Rembrandt’s Amsterdam home and featuring a largely Dutch cast and crew it is markedly different in tone from Disney’s American product. It is a slow moving drama punctuated by the excitement of the storm battled dam rescue, a kidnapping and the inevitable skating contest. Davy Crockett’s Norman Foster directs in a low-key yet professional manner as befits the story.

While I found much to enjoy in this movie I will admit it is probably something of an acquired taste and possibly of interest more to Disney historians than casual viewers. However, if you are in the mood for low-key family drama cum Netherlands travelogue you could do much worse than seek out Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates.

Reblog if you appreciate him

THE LAND BEFORE TIME (Dir: Don Bluth, 1988).

In 1979 director Don Bluth famously led an animators walk out at the Disney Studios to form his own company Don Bluth Productions. Their first feature length venture The Secret of NIMH (Bluth, 1982) while critically well received was a commercial disappointment and it wasn’t until after Bluth released the groundbreaking coin operated video game Dragon’s Lair that Hollywood once again came calling.

The Land Before Time was to be Bluth’s third feature and his second, following An American Tale (1986), for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, co-produced by Lucasfilm. This surprisingly downbeat dinosaur adventure is something of a prehistoric Bambi meets The Incredible Journey as longneck Littlefoot, after the death of his mother and separation from his grandparents, teams up with a band of similarly lost young dinos to find their families in the fabled Great Valley.

Just as An American Tail was pitted against Disney’s Great Mouse Detective on original release, The Land Before Time found itself competing against Disney’s Oliver and Company in late ‘88. Unlike the previous meeting, Disney’s movie was box office champ on this occasion. However, I would argue that, on this occasion, Bluth’s movie is superior. Unlike the numerous made for video sequels, the original Land Before Time features some beautiful animation, and while its plot is quite basic and occasionally saccharine, it is sophisticated enough to engage adults as well as children.

At little over an hour The Land Before Time is short and sweet. Stick around for the end titles for Diana Ross’ lovely ballad ‘If We Hold On Together’.

100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.