Swiss Family Robinson (1960), being shipwrecked on a Blu (1 Viewer)

[classicmovieguy]

Annette in later years said that she thought Tommy Kirk was the most talented of them all, and that he "never knew" how great he was. Sadly his private life blackballed his screen career. It was another time, and I doubt it would happen today.

 

[Radioman970]

Yes! Disney working their magic...on your wallet. ( in this case though, I'm happy with that).

I don't like their club so I'm bitter. I did pick up The Rescuers double on blu for less than $10 on amazon though. Now there's the example I'd like them to follow in the future! I'd buy all their stuff! Now, if I try to get Swiss any other way than the club a reseller will take even more than Disney does!

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

Just put in my pre-order on DMC. Ordered Swiss Family Robinson, Cinderella (2015) and Six Days, Seven Nights (DVD).
Cinderella was full price ($29.95) but got big discounts on the other two SFR: $9.98 and SDSN: $6.98.

 

[John Morgan]

I have a friend that works in restoration/preservation at Disney. I only see him for lunch about once a year, but last year (summer), he mentioned that 20,000 Leagues and Swiss Family Robinson were ready for blu ray. He didn't know when SWISS would be released, but was fairly confident that 20,000 would be out around Christmas. That never happened. He was also trying to get the go-ahead on DARBY O'GILL, which he said would be expensive. Well, we know now that SWISS is coming....Don't know about 20,000, but I just heard that Disney has restored DARBY. Is there some 20,000 remake coming up that may have swayed Disney to wait for that? Time for another lunch.

 

[Dick]

Well, for a time, David Fincher was attached to a remake. Don't know whether or not that fell through. David Fincher? Awesome!

 

[Alan Tully]

I enjoyed SFR when I saw it at the pictures all those years ago, but I'm not bothered about it now. In Search Of The Castaways, now that's a film I'd put myself out to buy...if it were playable on a region B machine. I don't know what the deal is with these Disney releases, are they locked to region A?

 

[David Norman]

I enjoyed SFR when I saw it at the pictures all those years ago, but I'm not bothered about it now. In Search Of The Castaways, now that's a film I'd put myself out to buy...if it were playable on a region B machine. I don't know what the deal is with these Disney releases, are they locked to region A?

I think the exclusives are region free -- Old Yeller is the only one I've seen that says for sure though.

 

[MatthewA]

Whatever charms Kevin Corcoran had as a child actor apparently vanished when he hit puberty*, and he knew it, so as an adult, he moved behind the camera. He's credited as the associate producer on Hot Lead and Cold Feet and has other similar credits here and there.

Annette in later years said that she thought Tommy Kirk was the most talented of them all, and that he "never knew" how great he was. Sadly his private life blackballed his screen career. It was another time, and I doubt it would happen today.

Merlin Jones was basically the Sheldon Cooper of the Kennedy/Johnson era, but with more social skills. Too bad that when he followed Annette to AIP, the roles he got were even worse than the worst of his Disney work. The scenes with Tommy and Ed Wynn were the best parts of Babes In Toyland, IMO, and the ones that were most relevant to what was actually going on in the world with the debate between whether kids were missing out by choosing machine-made toys over hand-made wooden ones. But imagine if your career went from Old Yeller to Mars Needs Women** in the span of 10 years. Hollywood wanted him to live a lie, and he didn't. Like the Blue Fairy told Pinocchio, "A lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face."***

If Walt had had a gay son, I'd like to think he'd have reacted better than his studio did. At least he let Tommy do The Monkey's Uncle. Ironically, that same year, Roddy McDowall made That Darn Cat, the first of six films he made for the studio.****

But yeah, Tommy should have been on that cover along with the rest of them. That design was the same as the Vault Disney DVD. Too bad the rest of the contents from that wonderful series got jettisoned.

*That happens alot with Disney kids, apparently. At least Tommy and Kevin made it past 40, unlike Bobby Driscoll and Matthew Garber. The irony of the circumstances of Tommy's firing is that the Disney-without-Walt era is when they really ramped up the beefcake. Especially in anything Bill Anderson produced.
**Mars Needs Moms, one of Disney's biggest commercial flops of the Modern Era (and the reason that Taylor Kitsch movie is now called John Carter and ditched the of Mars part), is a reference to that.
***The teen magazines talking about him dating girls were part of that lie machine. All those "dates" were just for publicity.
****And speaking of lying, all I can say in response to this lulu of a fishwife's tale, something some PR man and agent cooked up because it was 1953, this picture can say better.

 

[cineMANIAC]

I've decided to save myself the anguish of having to stay on top of things like automatic shipments and - - using a phone to order movies(!) - and just buy the ones I need from ebay. I'm not afraid of paying a little extra, plus there are no strings attached. I went through all of that when I was a member of Columbia House. I couldn't get outta that fast enough.

 

[Ejanss]

I've decided to save myself the anguish of having to stay on top of things like automatic shipments and - - using a phone to order movies(!) - and just buy the ones I need from ebay. I'm not afraid of paying a little extra, plus there are no strings attached. I went through all of that when I was a member of Columbia House. I couldn't get outta that fast enough.

Ah, Columbia House VHS...Remember when movie clubs were actually necessary?

It was possible to order rare surplus $100 rental-only tapes six months later to own at $29.95 club prices, if you were patient, but when every DVD started coming out at sell-through prices, it sort of took away the whole point of buying your movies anywhere else besides a store.


And if it wasn't for the rare Exclusive titles, Disney would have noticed clubs going extinct. I still think we're going to see some of those "exclusive" iconic live-action Blu's hit retail by the end of the year, but I'm leaving myself a club option just in case.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I managed to get POLLYANNA from Amazon about a month ago. I can wait until SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON turns up there. I have no interest in joining clubs to acquire titles I have marginal interest in.

 

[warnerbro]

Annette in later years said that she thought Tommy Kirk was the most talented of them all, and that he "never knew" how great he was. Sadly his private life blackballed his screen career. It was another time, and I doubt it would happen today.

Do you think that's why he is not on the cover?

 

[Radioman970]

Disney should put Song of the South, Mickey Mouse Club complete series, etc to get me in that [profanity removed] club!

 

[MatthewA]

Ah, Columbia House VHS...Remember when movie clubs were actually necessary?

They were also necessary if you wanted to see your favorite shows in their uncut form in a condition better than second-or-below-generation tape dubs, the only other such source in the late 20th century, especially if it was shot on tape to begin with and never kinescoped. Unfortunately, I had to exchange about 10% of those tapes because they wouldn't play correctly!

Do you think that's why he is not on the cover?

Nope. But they let him stay on the original laserdisc cover when Ron Miller was still around. He's even on the CED! And when Katzenberg and Wells were still around to rein in Eisner, whoever was in charge of these decisions kept him in the art they used for the 1990s VHS reissue and the Exclusive Archive Collection version. It's only the DVD that removed him. Even in the re-release poster after his departure from Disney, they still put him in the posters, just as they did for the original release.

The floating-head-over-a-generic-background template is a dreadfully ugly one to begin with. I thought the 1980s and 1990s covers were more appealing pleasing to the eye, and I always liked how the early 1980s originals used elements of the original posters, mainly the typeface designs.

 

[cineMANIAC]

The only way I'll join this club is if they do very elaborate sets with lots of extras and thoughtful packaging featuring original artwork. Frankly I'm scratching my head wondering why Disney would restrict these beloved films to exclusive clubs. Personally speaking, I don't think this makes any sense. Don't they want as many fans as possible to buy them?

 

[Mark-P]

I have a friend that works in restoration/preservation at Disney. I only see him for lunch about once a year, but last year (summer), he mentioned that 20,000 Leagues and Swiss Family Robinson were ready for blu ray. He didn't know when SWISS would be released, but was fairly confident that 20,000 would be out around Christmas. That never happened. He was also trying to get the go-ahead on DARBY O'GILL, which he said would be expensive. Well, we know now that SWISS is coming....Don't know about 20,000, but I just heard that Disney has restored DARBY. Is there some 20,000 remake coming up that may have swayed Disney to wait for that? Time for another lunch.

The restored version of Darby was on TCM about two weeks ago. Can you please let your friend know about the gaffe with the dubbed soundtrack so he can make sure that it doesn't happen on the Blu-ray?

 

[classicmovieguy]

Do you think that's why he is not on the cover?

I certainly hope not. Tommy was an active participant in the extras for the Vault Disney DVD - I just think it's an oversight that Disney hadn't bothered to resolve.

 

[Will Krupp]

Hollywood wanted him to live a lie, and he didn't.

Has he ever revealed who the actor was that he was involved with when he was caught out?

 

[MatthewA]

The only way I'll join this club is if they do very elaborate sets with lots of extras and thoughtful packaging featuring original artwork. Frankly I'm scratching my head wondering why Disney would restrict these beloved films to exclusive clubs. Personally speaking, I don't think this makes any sense. Don't they want as many fans as possible to buy them?

Then this article is for you.

Has he ever revealed who the actor was that he was involved with when he was caught out?

Not to my knowledge. I do know that the mother of the actor was the one who blabbed to Disney about their relationship. According to the book Tinker Belles and Evil Queens, the studio destroyed all their files on him. IIRC, this happened in 1964. They had a very big musical coming out that year with a lot of stakes, and if the public had gotten wind of the scandal, can you imagine what the repercussions might have been for the studio*? But I don't believe his firing was a unilateral decision.

His life story needs to be told in greater detail than it has been already.

*California's state legislature repealed its sodomy laws in 1976.

 

[classicmovieguy]

Has he ever revealed who the actor was that he was involved with when he was caught out?

Was it an actor? I thought it was just somebody he was having a relationship with, and the parents found out.


From the 'net:

While filming The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, Kirk started seeing a 15-year-old boy he had met at a local swimming pool. The boy's mother discovered the affair and informed Disney, who elected not to renew Kirk's contract. Walt Disney himself fired Kirk after receiving a complaint from the boy's mother. Kirk describes the situation himself: "Even more than MGM, Disney was the most conservative studio in town.... The studio executives were beginning to suspect my homosexuality. Certain people were growing less and less friendly. In 1963, Disney let me go. But Walt asked me to return for the final Merlin Jones movie, The Monkey's Uncle, because the Jones films had been moneymakers for the studio."