Tonight's Movie: Aladdin (1992) Sing-Along at Disneyland

I had such a nice time at last week's Annual Passholder sing-along screening of THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989) that I returned tonight for ALADDIN (1992).

Even more people came out for this week's event at Big Thunder Ranch, with lines forming earlier. We were also told that there was no standby line tonight. Judging from both the crowd size and the response to the film itself, these screenings seem to be a big hit with Annual Passholders. I hope there will be more movies to enjoy at the park in the future.

The crowd was enthused and particularly got into singing one of my all-time favorite Disney songs, "A Whole New World." Sitting outdoors under the stars during this sequence added a new dimension of enjoyment.

As someone who's always favored THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989) and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991) the most from Disney's "Second Golden Age of Animation," I'd forgotten just how good a film ALADDIN is. It was a treat to rediscover the movie tonight after not seeing it for many years.

This tale of a street urchin who courts a princess with the help of a genial genie has a fast-paced, well-constructed 90-minute story with generous helpings of music and comedy.

Alan Menken wrote the fine score with Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, while the comedy is chiefly thanks to the talent of Robin Williams as the Genie. I found there's also a great deal of humor in other characters and particularly enjoyed rediscovering how much personality the animators were able to give the Magic Carpet, which has no face and no voice yet is a wonderful comic character.

Scott Weinger was a teenager when he voiced the title role. Linda Larkin voices Jasmine; I especially enjoyed Jasmine's take-charge personality. No shrinking violet princess she!

Aladdin and Jasmine's singing voices were provided by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga. Salonga later sang for the title character in MULAN (1998).

ALADDIN was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, who were both also among the contributors to the screenplay.

ALADDIN has been released on DVD and VHS.

I won't wait so long before I revisit this film again! Recommended as excellent Disney animation.

Today at Disneyland: Signs of Spring

Today I headed back out to Disneyland to enjoy another sing-along evening under the stars...more on that in a separate post.

It was a nice afternoon, and the springlike flowers were absolutely gorgeous.

For more photographs of what's blooming at Disneyland this month, please visit my post of February 7.

Mardi Gras is less than two weeks away! Here's some snaps of details which caught my eye in New Orleans Square this afternoon:

I am fortunate to have enjoyed another beautiful day in the park!

Tonight's Movie: Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958)

TOUGHEST GUN IN TOMBSTONE is a solidly entertaining low-budget Western starring George Montgomery as an undercover lawman in 1880s Arizona.

I write about "docu-noirs" from time to time, and I wonder if one might call this a "docu-Western," as a deep-voiced narrator pops in from time to time to explain the origins of the Arizona Rangers and help keep the story moving.

Montgomery plays Matt Sloane, whose name appears on wanted posters for the robbery of silver shipments. In reality he's a recently widowed lawman who's gone undercover trying to rid Arizona Territory of outlaws.

His project is complicated when his little boy Terry (Scotty Morrow), who had been staying with a friend of Matt's, is chased by the outlaw who knows Terry saw him kill his mother. The little boy is shot and ends up in the care of lovely young Della (Beverly Tyler), who becomes devoted to Terry despite his father's dubious reputation.

It's absolutely no surprise to anyone that Matt takes care of the outlaws within the film's 72 minutes and looks toward a bright future with Della and Terry; the pleasure is in the journey. It's a sturdy little Western which is nothing special yet provides a very pleasant hour and a quarter for those who love the genre.

Montgomery's earnest, plainspoken sincerity is most appealing, and he has a nice chance to show off his riding ability, making a jump onto his horse from a rock; IMDb lists a stuntman for the actor, but that shot was clearly Montgomery's work. And yes, as usual, Montgomery wears a great-looking black hat! As a matter of fact I think he might have worn pretty much the same wardrobe as in BADMAN'S COUNTRY (1958) which came out later that same year.

Beverly Tyler was born in 1927. Her film career began as an MGM ingenue in films such as THE GREEN YEARS (1946) and MY BROTHER TALKS TO HORSES (1947); she played Tom Drake's bride in MGM's film about the invention of the atomic bomb, THE BEGINNING OR THE END (1947). In the '50s she moved into TV work and played the leads in several crime films and Westerns such as THE BATTLE AT APACHE PASS (1952). In 1962 she married Jim Jordan, the son of Jim and Marian Jordan ("Fibber McGee and Molly"), and retired from the screen. She passed on in 2005.

The still here with Montgomery and Tyler shooting in opposite directions is apparently a publicity photo, as such a scene does not appear in the movie. For that matter, the scene above, with Montgomery and Tyler on the color lobby card, and the scene on the DVD cover also aren't in the movie. Either a lot of the film ended up on the cutting-room floor or there were quite a number of publicity photos!

The film's chief villain is played by Jim Davis; hearing that gruff voice come out of such a young face is almost disconcerting for those of us who know him from his years as Jock Ewing.

The supporting cast includes Don Beddoe, Gerald Milton, Harry Lauter, Charles Wagenheim, Lane Bradford, and Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. Hank Worden pops up to lighten things with a couple amusing scenes as a livery stable owner.

The movie was directed by Earl Bellamy from a script by Orville H. Hampton. The film was shot in black and white by Kenneth Peach, with the location work done on Southern California movie ranches.

TOUGHEST GUN IN TOMBSTONE is available in a good-looking DVD-R in the MGM Limited Edition Collection.

It's also been shown on the Encore Westerns Channel.

Previous reviews of George Montgomery Westerns: THE TEXAS RANGERS (1951), CRIPPLE CREEK (1952), GUN BELT (1953), THE LONE GUN (1954), MASTERSON OF KANSAS (1954), BATTLE OF ROGUE RIVER (1954), ROBBERS' ROOST (1955), CANYON RIVER (1956), GUN DUEL IN DURANGO (1957), and BADMAN'S COUNTRY (1958).

Tonight's Movie: The Tall Stranger (1957)

Having visited the Joel McCrea Ranch this weekend, it's no surprise that put me in the mood to watch a McCrea Western!

That film was THE TALL STRANGER (1957), a movie from the later part of McCrea's career which was brand-new viewing for me. THE TALL STRANGER was based on a book by Louis L'Amour.

McCrea plays Ned Bannon, returning home to the West after the Civil War. He has the misfortunate to stumble across some cattle rustlers during his journey; they shoot him and leave him for dead, but he's found and nursed back to health by the members of a passing wagon train. The wagon train includes the too-slick, calculating Harper (George Neise), a leader who may not have everyone's best interests at heart, and a pretty widow, Ellen (Virginia Mayo), who has a young son (Philip Phillips).

As the wagon caravan nears Bannon's home there is conflict with his angry half-brother (Barry Kelley), a rancher who nurses an old hurt. Bannon must find a way to make peace with his brother, track down the people who shot him, and figure out what's motivating Harper to stir up problems with the settlers. Bannon ultimately finds the answers to all his problems are connected.

This is an absorbing film with a good, well-plotted story. It's also of note that it's a relatively tough Western, with a couple of brutal beatings and the ruthless shooting of a horse.

The film is also surprisingly frank about the widow's true past and reasons for moving west. There's an almost unspoken love story between McCrea and Mayo's characters; I suspect McCrea was becoming reticent about playing love scenes at this point in his career. At a fast 81 minutes, I would have liked a bit more shared screen time for McCrea and Mayo, but that's my only complaint about this enjoyable film.

One of the movie's pleasures is nice supporting roles as "good guys" for perennial Western villains Leo Gordon and Michael Pate. They're both good parts, with Gordon an especially strong screen presence as the patient foreman and counselor for Ned's ornery brother.

Gordon and Pate had in common that they were also Western screenwriters. Pate cowrote the story for William Holden's ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO (1953), and Gordon, who had a longer writing career, cowrote the screenplay for a very likeable Victor Mature Western produced by John Wayne, ESCORT WEST (1958).

The cast also includes Michael Ansara as a truly evil bad guy. Ray Teal, always a welcome presence in Westerns, plays a wagon train leader. The cast also includes Whit Bissell, James Dobson, Adam Kennedy, and Robert Foulk.

THE TALL STRANGER was directed by Thomas Carr and written by Christopher Knopf. It was filmed in CinemaScope by Wilfrid Cline. The location work was all done in Southern California.

THE TALL STRANGER is an Allied Artists film which is not yet available on DVD in the United States. It was released on a Region 2 DVD in Spain.

THE TALL STRANGER has been shown in a surprsingly rough pan and scan version on Turner Classic Movies. I'd love to see it in a better print one day; perhaps, like other Allied Artists films of the '50s, it will be released in the future by the Warner Archive.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...The pace of the announcements for the TCM Classic Film Festival has been picking up as April nears. Most recently it was announced that the opening night screening will be a restoration of the Todd-AO version of OKLAHOMA! (1955) with star Shirley Jones in attendance. The soundtrack has also been restored. I'm especially hoping to see Kim Novak at a screening of BELL BOOK AND CANDLE (1958), Margaret O'Brien at MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944), and Maureen O'Hara at HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941). Over at Out of the Past Raquel has put together a list of all the festival announcements to date.

...Raquel recently wrote about enjoying MEET ME IN LAS VEGAS (1956) which I reviewed in 2010. I'm always delighted when someone likes one of my beloved MGM musicals!

...This week's YouTube find: LADDIE (1940) with Tim Holt, Virginia Gilmore, Joan Leslie, and Joan Carroll (Agnes in MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS), based on the book by Gene Stratton-Porter. I loved the book and am so happy to have the chance to see the movie, in just about any condition.

...Former homes of Deanna Durbin and George Sanders are for sale...photos at the links. And while we're checking out celebrity homes of the past, here's an Architectural Digest spread on Joan Fontaine's Brentwood home, lost in the Bel-Air fire disaster of 1961.

...One of my daughter's favorite professors at USC was the legendary Drew Casper, who has taught for over four decades at the School of Cinematic Arts. Given that, I really loved this column by a former student on how Dr. Casper helped to turn his fiancee into a classic film fan. For more on Dr. Casper, visit "A Day in the Life of Dr. Drew Casper" posted in 2012 on the School of Cinematic Arts website.

...Doris Day's MIDNIGHT LACE (1960) will be released on DVD this March in the TCM Vault Collection. Extras include an introduction by Robert Osborne, radio interview excerpts, and stills.

...The B&B from GROUNDHOG DAY (1993) is for sale.

...My friend Constance offers a list of "What to Read in a Blizzard or During the Long Winter." Ah, the happy memories of Carolyn Haywood's SNOWBOUND WITH BETSY! Speaking of children's literature, here are two articles on BETSY-TACY author Maud Hard Lovelace and her connection to Claremont, California.

...I'm intrigued by Kristina's review of Mark Stevens in TIME TABLE (1956) at Speakeasy. Stevens also directed.

...Thanks also to Kristina for linking to these amazing new Hitchcock posters by Laurent Durieux. I especially love the one for VERTIGO (1958), seen here.

...The entire seven-film FRANCIS THE TALKING MULE series is being released on DVD this April. The first four films were previously released in a Volume I set, but to my knowledge the final three films have not been released on DVD.

...Here are fascinating pictures of the early days of Venice, California, when it was filled with canals which are now paved streets.

...A film on Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn is in the works. Just leave me to my memories of WOMAN OF THE YEAR (1942)...

...One of my favorite Westerns last year was PANHANDLE (1948) with Rod Cameron. It was previously released by VCI as part of the set Darn Good Westerns Volume I. It's being reissued in March as a single title, along with several other Westerns and Hammer film noir titles which were previously out in sets.

...FIVE FINGERS (1952), a WWII suspense film starring James Mason and Danielle Darrieux, has just been released by the Fox Cinema Archives line.

...A recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. Must try this...

...The Criterion Collection edition of Hitchcock's FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940) will be out this Tuesday, February 18th. Be sure to check out this neat six-minute video giving an overview of Criterion's work to restore the film; there's also a look at the creation of the DVD cover art.

...Attention Southern Californians: The exhibit "A Royal Passion: Queen Victoria and Photography" runs through June 8th at the Getty Center. The Getty is also showing a series of films on Queen Victoria, including Anna Neagle in VICTORIA THE GREAT (1937) on February 22nd.

...Notable Passing: Child actress Ann Carter has passed away at the age of 77. Best known for THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944), she was in a number of other films including a brief but notable appearance as Veronica Lake's daughter in I MARRIED A WITCH (1942), playing Loretta Young as a child in AND NOW TOMORROW (1944), and appearing as Humphrey Bogart's daughter in THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS (1947).

...More Notable Passings: Baseball player and manager Jim Fregosi has passed away after a stroke at the age of 71. Fregosi guided the "Yes We Can!" California Angels to their first division championship in 1979...John Markulis, the owner of Puritan Bakery, has died at the age of 83. Puritan provides In-N-Out Burger with their hamburger buns...Bob L. Harris, the father of Ed Harris, has died at the age of 91. He was a member of the Ray Charles Singers and appeared in three of his son's movie and TV projects, including POLLOCK (2000), the Oscar-winning film which he'd suggested Ed should consider making...Character actor Richard Bull, best known as Mr. Oleson on the long-running LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, has passed on at 89. LITTLE HOUSE star Melissa Gilbert Tweeted a tribute, saying "working with you was such a joy."

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: The Stand at Apache River (1953)

Colin's most recent post at Riding the High Country was on Universal's THE STAND AT APACHE RIVER (1953). That post combined with my love for Universal's '50s Westerns prompted me to dig out my recording of the movie from Encore Westerns Channel, and I enjoyed it very much.

Lane Dakota (Stephen McNally) is a lawman intent on chasing down Greiner (Russell Johnson), a murderer, and bringing him in for trial. Dakota catches Greiner, who's been wounded by Apaches, and he takes him to the Apache River stage and ferry station, intending to stay until Greiner can travel.

Simultaneously arriving at the station are Valerie (Julie Adams, billed Julia here), who's come west to marry a fiance she hasn't seen in a year, and Col. Morsby (Hugh Marlowe), a martinet who hates Indians.

Naturally, just as all these folks converge on the station, it comes under siege from the Apaches, who are hungry and have left their reservation. Dakota and Morsby clash as they have conflicting ideas on dealing with the crisis.

There's also the station owner (Hugh O'Brian) who's been on a trip and must make his way home through the warring Indians; while he's away his lonely, bitterly unhappy wife Ann (Jaclynne Greene) has been casting longing eyes at her husband's assistant, the handsome, thoughtful Hatcher (Jack Kelly).

I agree with Colin that the movie tries to do a lot in a short 77-minute running time, which results in some storylines receiving short shrift; there are several interesting plot threads and not enough time to tell them all. On the other hand, one of the things I appreciate about a Universal Western is the brisk pacing, and if nothing else this film certainly moves fast! The movie should have been about 15 minutes longer, but what's there is a good film. The movie is a typically appealing Universal production with an attractive cast, solid production values, and nice color photography.

For years I mostly knew Stephen McNally from his earlier career days in smaller roles at MGM, where he was billed as Horace McNally. I've really enjoyed getting to know his work from his "Stephen" era in films such as the classic film noir CRISS CROSS (1949) and a very good Universal Western, APACHE DRUMS (1951); he's also in the cast of WINCHESTER '73 (1950), which I hope to see at UCLA next month. He's fine as the determined sheriff whose behavior is initially questioned by Valerie but who proves to be an ethical and capable leader when the chips are down.

Adams' Valerie is dressed in almost unbelievable finery for a long stagecoach journey west, but she quickly proves her mettle, tending to the injured and keeping the men fed as they keep watch, while Ann is too caught up in her own drama to care. Towards the end Adams also gets to demonstrate the screaming abilities she would show off again the next year in the sci-fi classic CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954). Again, the only drawback is that Lane and Valerie's story is resolved way too quickly, with Valerie writing off her fiance with "He'll understand."

One aspect where I part company with Colin is on Jaclynne Greene's performance as Ann. Greene is such a sour, sharp-tongued harpy that it was hard for me to understand why she would have not one but two men pining for her affections. Why would anyone want to spend time around such an unpleasant woman? Part of the issue is simply the part itself, but Greene's one-note performance grew tedious for me; her constant anger outweighs any sympathy which might have been engendered by the woman's plight. A burial plot visible in the background is an unspoken testament to her hard life.

On the other hand, my favorite MAVERICK brother, Jack Kelly, manages to convey quite a bit about his character despite an underwritten role. For instance, though there's no dialogue about his feelings for Ann until late in the film, when there's danger or controversy, he always looks over to Ann or goes to stand beside her. Why he loves her, on the other hand, remains a mystery! And he seems to be such a competent and reliable man that his final scenes in the film stretch credulity.

The movie presents a relatively balanced portrait of Indians, with their leader Cara Blanca (Edgar Barrier) proving to be more sympathetic than the inflexible Morsby. Forrest Lewis rounds out the cast as the stagecoach driver holed up with everyone else.

THE STAND AT APACHE RIVER was directed by Lee Sholem. The Arthur A. Ross screenplay was based on the novel APACHE LANDING by Robert Hogan. The film was shot in Technicolor by Charles P. Boyle; some of the movie was shot at California's Red Rock Canyon.

Like far too many Universal Westerns, THE STAND AT APACHE RIVER has not had a U.S. release on either VHS or DVD. It's been released on a Region 2 DVD in Spain.

THE STAND AT APACHE RIVER is shown from time to time on the Encore Westerns Channel.

Despite its imperfections, THE STAND AT APACHE RIVER provides enjoyable Western entertainment. If only there had been more of a good thing!

Tonight's Movie: The More the Merrier (1943) at the Joel McCrea Ranch

Today my husband and I had the pleasure of making our third visit to the Joel McCrea Ranch in Moorpark, California.

In a bit of serendipitous timing, my latest article just published at the ClassicFlix site describes Joel's love for the ranch, where he lived for 57 years with his wife, actress Frances Dee.

Below is a scene near the ranch entrance; that's Wyatt McCrea, grandson of Joel and Frances, at the left. Wyatt has many happy memories of time spent at the ranch with his grandparents.

Here's the Visitors Center, which is also seen just behind Wyatt in the above photo:

This photo of Wyatt as a child hangs in the Visitor Center:

The photo can also be seen in the book JOEL McCREA: A FILM HISTORY, an updated version of the 1991 book JOEL McCREA: RIDING THE HIGH COUNTRY by the late Tony Thomas. Wyatt made revisions and wrote a new forward; it's a beautiful book, filled with marvelous pictures, and I highly recommend it.

The occasion for our visit today was a screening of one of my all-time favorite Joel McCrea films, the classic comedy THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943):

The docents at the ranch put out quite a spread for the movie, with candy, popcorn, and soda all included in the price of our admission tickets.

The film was shown in the Visitors Center, preceded by a 12-minute documentary on the ranch. What a treat to enjoy a comedy with an appreciative audience, all laughing together!

Raffle tickets were sold to raise funds for the ranch, and I was really delighted when one of our tickets won this ball cap and a beautiful calendar featuring posters from Joel McCrea and Frances Dee movies:

After the movie we spent time in the Vistors Center and walking the grounds. Here are a couple shots of the fine displays in the Visitors Center, which cover both the McCreas' Hollywood careers and life on their working ranch:

This was our first time to see the inside of the recently opened Milk House:

I was fascinated with this handmade butter churn. We learned on a previous visit that Alfred Hitchcock was a big fan of McCrea Ranch butter!

A chicken coop:

We were told this work table in the ranch shop was made by Jody McCrea:

Fans of McCrea and Dee, as well as those interested in California ranching history, should make every effort to visit the ranch.

As for THE MORE THE MERRIER, it's long been one of my very favorite films, and if I could describe it in one word, it would be "Perfect."

The story is the very best of multiple comedies dealing with the housing crisis in wartime Washington, D.C.; other comedies inspired by the problem are THE DOUGHGIRLS (1944), STANDING ROOM ONLY (1944), and JOHNNY DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (1944).

Connie Milligan (Jean Arthur) tries to do her patriotic duty by renting out the spare bedroom in her apartment, and against her better judgment she allows an older businessman, Benjamin Dingle (Charles Coburn), to move in.

Dingle spots handsome young Joe Carter (McCrea) apartment hunting and decides to rent half of his room to Joe in order to throw Connie together with Joe. Magic ensues.

Sometimes it seems as though almost every line in this 104-minute film elicits chuckles, if not outright laughs; it's a gem of comic timing, from Connie explaining the morning schedule to Dingle to the scene where he's locked out to the repeated gags about his missing pants and his forgetting Joe's name. McCrea and Arthur were never better, and Coburn won the Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor.

It's also one of the most romantic movies ever made, with perhaps the best love scene ever put on film, and that's no exaggeration. Sheila O'Malley expertly goes into great detail on the swoony "front porch" scene in a post at The Sheila Variations.

Despite having seen it countless times, I continue to notice and enjoy new things, such as the utter absurdity of Mr. Pendergast's toupee ("Mr. Pendergast has no hair!") or realizing Bruce Bennett is one of the FBI men who barges into the apartment and recognizing Ann Doran as one of Connie's friends swooning over handsome Joe.

For more excellent posts on the movie, please visit Another Old Movie Blog and Cinema Fanatic.

THE MORE THE MERRIER was directed by George Stevens. Prior to the movie we saw a segment about the film from the documentary GEORGE STEVENS: A FILMMAKER'S JOURNEY (1994). In the documentary Joel talks about getting to know Stevens and realizing what a "regular guy" he was, which led him to agree to make the film.

The movie was filmed by Ted Tetzlaff. The movie also stars Richard Gaines (NOBODY LIVES FOREVER) as Connie's fiance of 22 months, plus Frank Sully, Donald Douglas, Stanley Clements, and Grady Sutton.

A single woman living with one or two men may have lost its capacity to shock over the years, yet THE MORE THE MERRIER remains, as a friend said yesterday, "timeless."

THE MORE THE MERRIER is available on DVD. It was also released on VHS in the Columbia Classics series.

Previous visits to the Joel McCrea Ranch: November 5, 2011 and March 16, 2013.