Old Yeller/The Absent-Minded Professor

December is upon us again and it’s time to do another Disney themed month. Ever since I started doing Disney month in December, I have been looking at just the animated movies from all different types. This time around, I will be changing it up and will now look at the live-action Disney movies. I know that I did a few over the past couple of years (The Santa Clause trilogy, Dick Tracey, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), but now I will look at all the ones that I have seen. Seeing how there are only 31 days, for almost the entire month, it will be two reviews a day. Let’s get it started with the 1957 classic, “Old Yeller.”

Kevin Carr started his review out by saying, “While I’ve seen many of the classic Disney animated features, there are many out there that I have missed. For some reason, I never saw “Old Yeller” as a kid. So, I’m not coming at the movie with the baggage of love or hate for it. I’ve heard it be a life-changing film for some, and reviled by others by how well and effectively it pulls on your heart strings.”

Carr continues, “However, finally getting a chance to watch this movie on DVD almost fifty years after it was made, I proudly stand up and say it is a classic.”

“Old Yeller” is a story about a family of farmers in Texas sometime after the Civil War. The father (Fess Parker) has gone on a cattle drive to raise money, leaving young Travis (Tommy Kirk) to be in charge of the house, taking care of his mother (Dorothy McGuire) and brother (Kevin Corcoran). However, Travis gets help from his neighbors, the Searcy’s (Beverly Washburn and Jeff York). While working the farm, a stray dog arrives to the family. At first, this dog causes trouble, but soon the family brings him in, and he bonds with the boys. It doesn’t take long for Travis to get close to the dog, who becomes the protector of the family.

I’m not going to see what happens at the end for those who haven’t seen it or doesn’t know it. (Besides, “Old Yeller” is a huge part of our popular culture that you know the ending even if you never seen the film. Carr said, “Just watch “Stripes,” and you’ll understand.”) It’s safe to say that you’ll need the Kleenex. It doesn’t matter who the person is, it’s hard not to get emotional at this movie.

However, as good as “Old Yeller” is, there’s sadly a weak sequel “Savage Sam” that was made, which we will look at tomorrow.

Next up we have “The Absent-Minded Professor,” released in 1961. Dennis Schwartz started his review by saying, “Disney produces a goofy lightweight Mack Sennett-like family comedy fantasy film that's joyfully directed by Robert Stevenson ("Mary Poppins"); it's written by Bill Walsh from a story by Samuel W. Taylor. It was nominated for three Oscars: Best Cinematography (Black-and-White), Best Art Direction, and Best Special Effects. How it lost in Special Effects to The Guns of Navarone is a real puzzler.”

Fred MacMurray plays Professor Ned Brainard, an absent minded crazy chemistry professor at the small-town Medfield College, who forgets to go to his own wedding twice, leaving the college secretary Betsy Carlisle, played by Nancy Olson, standing at the altar. The third time he misses it because his failed experiment explodes that accidentally gives him to see a rubbery substance with the vague quality of anti-gravity, which he calls Flubber (flying rubber). He finds new ways to use it. One of them is on the hell of his college basketball team’s sneakers, which gives them to jump higher than their opponents and to come from behind at halftime and beat the taller Rutland College, and inside the motor of his Model-T, which lets the car to fly.

Schwartz said, “The prof plans to let the government in on his secret to help them out, but he's waylaid by unscrupulous loan shark businessman Alonzo P. Hawk (Keenan Wynn), an oily alumnus of Medfield, who plans to call in his loan to the struggling college and thereby force it to close down.” He then plans to put in its place a real estate development that should be a bonus for him. However, Hawk sees the ability for great money in Ned’s creation and when the professor fails to go along with his greedy plans to blackmail the government to make a murder, he steals the Model-T before the military VIPs can see it in action. The professor also tries to save the college from financial trouble with his Flubber invention and win back his angry fiancé Betsy, who is now dating the self-centered English professor at Rutland College named Shelby Ashton, played by Elliott Reid.

Schwartz said, “In the end the prof takes back the special car, leaves Hawk jumping aimlessly around while "flubberized," and takes Betsy and his shaggy dog Charlie to Washington, D.C. in his flying car.” The flying car gets by the Pentagon’s strong defense security system and lands on the White House lawn, whereby the President greets him as a national hero. He thus saves the school and marries Betsy while in flight in his noisy old car.

Because it was successful, it was a really copied formulaic film, but no film in the series is close to as good.

Alright everyone, stay tuned tomorrow for the next reviews of “Disney Live-Action Month.” Much like the first two times I did this, I will be reviewing movies every day this month, which I haven’t done in about three years. It’s a long month ahead, so there’s a lot to get through.