cult film freak: don knotts

Showing posts with label don knotts. Show all posts

Written by James M. Tate / 2/14/2020 / No comments / comedy , disney , don knotts , elyssa davalos , harry morgan , morgan paull , sequel , tim conway , tim matheson

ELYSSA DAVALOS IN 'THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG RIDES AGAIN'

comedy, disney, don knotts, elyssa davalos, harry morgan, morgan paull, sequel, tim conway, tim matheson

ELYSSA DAVALOS IN 'THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG RIDES AGAIN'

Eylssa Davalos and Robert Pine in THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG RIDES AGAIN Year: 1979 The original APPLE DUMPLING GANG is one of those experi...

TIM CONWAY & GARY GRIMES STAR IN DISNEY'S ASS KICKING 'GUS'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Tom Bosley with Tim Conway in GUS Year: 1976</u></td></tr>
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Despite
 the fact it's about a Donkey kicking field goals... literally an ass kicking movie... GUS is one of the 
most entertaining Disney live action ventures made during the 1970's. 
The plot involves an underdog teen from some foreign land who is the 
younger brother of a perfect, square-jawed soccer star sibling, 
worshiped by his father. But Gary's Andy Petrovic has something that 
will make him famous without making him famous, but rather, his pet mule
 has all the talent: able to kick a football far into the surrounding 
forest. Although Gary's Andy is not altogether worthless.<br />
<br />
Gus only kicks
 after hearing the important word, spoken by Andy and, for the most 
part, Andy only: "Oyage!" Thus, mule and boy is witnessed by a football 
scout for a losing team called THE ATOMS played by Ronnie Schell, 
voice-star of the second best Disney venture, THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE, who was sent to the Petrovic farm to witness the older
 brother for his magic foot for the team's punter. But compared to the 
ball kicking jackass, Soccer boy means nothing.<br />
<br />
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</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_RdhcmMs6_cohPQx4An_UOiJu0MffOxtlpFopB9i3pUkuKfPUBrCZHqsk337ORL8OQ_dZ1tmvIoNm94bz3WtMHIt4cM7Zs4Eqv9Ov7aTH22AfI8u136BwchITl4xcROQFAcm2BHln-p3/s1600/60119418_704056560023523_3183284207648505856_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="671" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_RdhcmMs6_cohPQx4An_UOiJu0MffOxtlpFopB9i3pUkuKfPUBrCZHqsk337ORL8OQ_dZ1tmvIoNm94bz3WtMHIt4cM7Zs4Eqv9Ov7aTH22AfI8u136BwchITl4xcROQFAcm2BHln-p3/s400/60119418_704056560023523_3183284207648505856_n.jpeg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Signed by Tim Conway and Ed Asner</u></td></tr>
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The best scenes occur when Andy and Gus get slowly, 
awkwardly warmed up with the team and his fans, and like the first half 
of most Disney films, our title hero just can't loose. Eventually, Andy 
gets lost in the mix despite falling in love (and vice versa, which 
rarely occurs so quickly) with one of the cutest Disney ingenues 
ever, Louise Williams as Debbie, who, along with Don Knotts, is on the 
DVD cover (shown above) autographed by Ed Asner, as the team's grumpy 
coach who really has to put faith into this risky decision, while Tim 
Conway plays...<br />
<br />
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</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDt_Rfn-ehN6tzfcCYPyhFg8_w22vXtvVYiTWBLMB4gc-_kiTpwKLbmtHysqeO-1I25jjNI49lUmUaEkaTYH_YzhzXcX6O3HnBUSx3fQZROL4tO3KWKREEEQxS-7jRKpv8OW4Mc3DdzU/s1600/3.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDt_Rfn-ehN6tzfcCYPyhFg8_w22vXtvVYiTWBLMB4gc-_kiTpwKLbmtHysqeO-1I25jjNI49lUmUaEkaTYH_YzhzXcX6O3HnBUSx3fQZROL4tO3KWKREEEQxS-7jRKpv8OW4Mc3DdzU/s320/3.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>GUS Score: ****</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So let's center on the bad guys who 
rule one particular scene that intentionally steals the entire movie; 
Gus causing two hired thugs, Tom Bosley as Alpha Male ex-con Spinner 
with his dopey sidekick, Tim Conway's Crankcase, to chase the 
escaped-kidnapped donkey around in a supermarket. Wide-eyed when 
experienced on the big screen as a child, this fifteen minute scene, 
occurring while Gus is trying to return to a big climactic game.<br />
<br />
And 
hell, if this store scene doesn't bring a smile to your face, something 
is wrong. But poor actor Gary Grimes despises GUS for ruining an 
already fledgling, at that time, career... And yet, GUS doesn't 
hurt <i>our </i>career one bit, but provides an eclectic two-hours of 
one of the most bizarre, wonderfully campy and genuinely creative comedy
 films ever. And you CAN'T quote the film's star on that, but Cult Film 
Freak stands behind it fully: "OYAGE, Muthas!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_O4x1tAZ2vRnotQmYEa_y3YWD-jiV3E7mZBkZgMqi2bGBE5tRZcqhfD3pK59xFiblLIhdQJ9sUqCcoW-YGfeyt4bTWv8zVC7JYnsOLY8RzSwM495085qAb-CNJC_n4j8KKjUk_EhIqfO_/s1600/60348712_704054330023746_8234371601232035840_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_O4x1tAZ2vRnotQmYEa_y3YWD-jiV3E7mZBkZgMqi2bGBE5tRZcqhfD3pK59xFiblLIhdQJ9sUqCcoW-YGfeyt4bTWv8zVC7JYnsOLY8RzSwM495085qAb-CNJC_n4j8KKjUk_EhIqfO_/s1600/60348712_704054330023746_8234371601232035840_n.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Tom Bosley's skeleton fighting Gary Grimes' with a cat in GUS</u></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
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comedy, disney, don knotts, gary grimes, ronnie schell, seventies, sports, tim conway

TIM CONWAY & GARY GRIMES STAR IN DISNEY'S ASS KICKING 'GUS'

Tom Bosley with Tim Conway in GUS Year: 1976 Despite the fact it's about a Donkey kicking field goals... literally an ass kicking m...

Written by James M. Tate / 7/03/2018 / No comments / caper , comedy , darren mcgavin , david niven , disney , don knotts , jack elam , jim dale , kim richards , kurt russell , vic tayback , western

DISNEY TRIPLE FEATURES 'NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN' WITH 'HOT LEAD & COLD FEET' AND 'THE BAREFOOT EXECUTIVE'

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDI-9LIZoDzYgXpOaSrxeiQUwE5IF6ZCZUu-6jlIOT9SsACJRZN65AXWFnnJazRiE_EgJQbBJmjnkO2D1sE1qV8SGdSbOLn3luS3O_eMfw6og2pLGkuuUAyrkdkpQPd8zAloxb5B8EvFp-/s1600/adffce70-fcf7-0132-f422-0e18518aac2f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="703" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDI-9LIZoDzYgXpOaSrxeiQUwE5IF6ZCZUu-6jlIOT9SsACJRZN65AXWFnnJazRiE_EgJQbBJmjnkO2D1sE1qV8SGdSbOLn3luS3O_eMfw6og2pLGkuuUAyrkdkpQPd8zAloxb5B8EvFp-/s400/adffce70-fcf7-0132-f422-0e18518aac2f.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1976 Rating: **</u></td></tr>
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<u>NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN</u>: Disney flick with Don Knotts whose usual, more natural Tim Conway sidekick is replaced by Darren McGavin as one of two 
dimwitted brother-in-law safecrackers tangled with 
two prep-school kids...<br>
<br>
The girl being Kim Richards (your author's first crush, as made public on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, episode <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3448200/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast">The Curse of Carlton</a> taking place at an autograph show) who, along with familiar child actor face Brad Savage, ditch their stuffy 
grandfather David Niven at the airport, and the kids learn their 
thief-pals owe money to a crime boss (Vic Tayback) and to help they
 come up with a plan to fake a kidnapping. The ransom by wealthy gramps 
will bring in the money needed. Niven keeps avoiding the payments, 
knowing it's all a practical joke. And other than some car chases and 
Don Knotts chasing a pet skunk, that's about the gist of it. It all 
seems like a bunch of actors stuck in a constrained story. McGavin is 
miscast as Knott's straight man and Knotts isn't very funny as the 
doofus. There are better Disney flicks. Take CANDLESHOE, also starring 
David Niven (with Jodie Foster as the kid) and involving wily kids who, unlike this, have a decent, 
more interesting premise to follow.<br>
<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvMj6a2kXT4Qoilw_T0LhlDH7kgBp9F3JSnPz3Tk51aj45cAHrW9lFry1UGtpQ_88IKzzJBmru35K-qAzlJIvVZ2Pi5gC-funatVMciqMapzdh1l0pCpUsbBt9wKZ63XjiyHO9PjODHK-/s1600/51N7PTW482L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="349" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvMj6a2kXT4Qoilw_T0LhlDH7kgBp9F3JSnPz3Tk51aj45cAHrW9lFry1UGtpQ_88IKzzJBmru35K-qAzlJIvVZ2Pi5gC-funatVMciqMapzdh1l0pCpUsbBt9wKZ63XjiyHO9PjODHK-/s320/51N7PTW482L.jpg" width="223"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1978 Rating: **1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>HOT LEAD & COLD FEET</u>: Having
 watched this movie as a kid the only scenes remembered were of Don Knotts involved in unsuccessful take-ten-paces-and-draw 
showdowns. But the main storyline is about two brothers... played by the same actor, Jim Dale, a Disney regular and now very obscure... one a mean gunslinger the other a
 preachy do-gooder taking part in a race involving mini stream-engine 
trains, canoes down rapids and mountain-climbing, all in order to inherit a 
load of money from their crazy white-bearded father (also played by 
Dale... the white Eddie Murphy of his time)...<br>
<br>
The good brother wants the money for... good reasons (building a 
church with tough and pretty school teacher Karen Valentine and two 
savvy orphans) and the bad brother wants the money for — you get the 
idea. The town bullies and the crooked banker, along with Disney 1970's go-to Darren McGavin, are 
rooting for the villain because they have something to gain, sabotaging the good brother in a tortoise-vs-hare fashion throughout this semi-funny Disney film with enough happening to keep you interested, 
although the build-up, introducing the siblings in contrasting lives 
before they meet, fares better than the wacky race: which not only gets
 tiresome but neglects the other characters. And those Don Knotts scenes
 happen only sporadically; he's sort of a cameo-with-hiccups.<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSU5nxTHJMep86rXgAuK1pe0n0Duq6UNzKKhqJe_HmfFmXJeQRJHQiMkZkJtiGQCV18JsG7OI-9K7J96lBvWCqJujWx011E8ZC_tJYtFhgu8kQGcVtYF-KPi2ouTuNfnLhASLU8Vk5wo/s1600-h/barefoot+executive.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396993946615381298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSU5nxTHJMep86rXgAuK1pe0n0Duq6UNzKKhqJe_HmfFmXJeQRJHQiMkZkJtiGQCV18JsG7OI-9K7J96lBvWCqJujWx011E8ZC_tJYtFhgu8kQGcVtYF-KPi2ouTuNfnLhASLU8Vk5wo/s200/barefoot+executive.jpg" style="float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1971 Rating: *1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>THE BAREFOOT EXECUTIVE</u>: Disney's child-teen regular's regular Kurt
 Russell plays a climber. A dreamer. A junior college student working as a 
gopher at a television studio, and he wants to be a programmer but has no idea 
what shows are good... And most important — his girlfriend adopts a chimp who also sits and watches 
TV, with a twist...<br>
<br>
The chimp sits mesmerized when he likes a show, and goes bonkers 
when he doesn't. It turns out, the chimp has a pulse on what shows work 
and what shows don't as later indicated by the ratings. And if the 
same monkey were watching this film it'd commit suicide, and yet, somehow, it's not that entirely god-awful, with some entertaining chase scenes. But overall this standard 
by-the-numbers live-action Disney film that never really evolves just isn't worth the climb. 
<br>

caper, comedy, darren mcgavin, david niven, disney, don knotts, jack elam, jim dale, kim richards, kurt russell, vic tayback, western

DISNEY TRIPLE FEATURES 'NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN' WITH 'HOT LEAD & COLD FEET' AND 'THE BAREFOOT EXECUTIVE'

Year: 1976 Rating: ** NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN : Disney flick with Don Knotts whose usual, more natural Tim Conway sidekick is replaced by ...

RONNIE SCHELL VOICES DISNEY'S 'THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marlon Brando of Felines</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE:</u> Domestic cats seem 
like they're from outer space to begin with; with haughty mannerisms 
alone they're merely looking down on we mortal humans. So having a cat 
be from a more intelligent highly developed planet isn't much of a 
stretch.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qkq5sHU5xWQIu8Rlo2wT0CGy4x5woesgiNrHixRZwgpOs7D6oIMiJwfFASc1RaeB6EpLzrrb6C2WLWEdVV6NVFWU7Jnd9OayXSH9b4mXJzyBuCWzhqb68JwzNfbo7NY9aOTuP5Ise0w/s1600/1111.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qkq5sHU5xWQIu8Rlo2wT0CGy4x5woesgiNrHixRZwgpOs7D6oIMiJwfFASc1RaeB6EpLzrrb6C2WLWEdVV6NVFWU7Jnd9OayXSH9b4mXJzyBuCWzhqb68JwzNfbo7NY9aOTuP5Ise0w/s320/1111.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You left MASH. I'm richer!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The tabby hero in this averagely entertaining 
live-action seventies' Disney film merely has to act like a domestic 
house cat to seem like a highly intelligent Being, and with the aid of a
 collar full of lights that glows when it's allowing humans to fly or 
horses to win races, it's easy to see how the cat, nicknamed Jake, is 
feeling.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_Rlq7zszoOI2DWzVdLMgb7EPDAxbksaTSgsW0m3dMnfHwwXZwpuepDEGBxMEQq3R6Rqz1Aa504UmDCkCDeJeqnMkoMAladv1Jtc-5dNey0IFouhHSIcZFdsh-3e1vy4fF2BP6zfpc7k/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-02+at+10.07.18+PM.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_Rlq7zszoOI2DWzVdLMgb7EPDAxbksaTSgsW0m3dMnfHwwXZwpuepDEGBxMEQq3R6Rqz1Aa504UmDCkCDeJeqnMkoMAladv1Jtc-5dNey0IFouhHSIcZFdsh-3e1vy4fF2BP6zfpc7k/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-03-02+at+10.07.18+PM.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And for the most part, Jake (voiced by Ronnie 
Schell), is better than the film itself, which isn't too bad but kind of
 meanders along at times. The first half set-up as Jake adapts to 
Earth... following his would-be master behind Top Secret Military 
meetings (it was a UFO landing, after all)... fares much better than the
 last act as our heroes outwit government agents; these scenes are far 
too busy compared to when the Cat very simply helps his master, Ken 
Berry, the backup Disney man when their own Jimmy Stewart, Dean Jones, 
wasn't available.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolEJxK_yMuRLPyIBjKu5oeXdxOlFDCeA9VEQ6fg9UA-sr1LHHA2WP4XWK9HQ3cJ0jhkXmcrSfMrpeXXQDkgsoyd55eCOxwcTokrh5toV5MpKJuBxNGe5rdyawGfBpCDHv90aEKkcOdiM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-02+at+10.11.10+PM.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolEJxK_yMuRLPyIBjKu5oeXdxOlFDCeA9VEQ6fg9UA-sr1LHHA2WP4XWK9HQ3cJ0jhkXmcrSfMrpeXXQDkgsoyd55eCOxwcTokrh5toV5MpKJuBxNGe5rdyawGfBpCDHv90aEKkcOdiM/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-03-02+at+10.11.10+PM.jpg" width="120" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One scene when Berry plays an important game of pool 
against mobsters, especially rooted for by Stevenson's gambling nut and 
aided by the cat's powers to make the balls go right inside the right 
holes, is a standout, despite an annoying Sandy Duncan as a forced love 
interest. Then, in the usual Disney "What goes right will get equally 
screwed up" occurs. All leading to a somewhat sluggish aerial chase led 
by an unconvincing villain in the otherwise great actor Roddy McDowell, 
taking away from the feline that matters, so well trained and who would,
 nowadays, be 100% CGI. Therefore, mucho props must be given to the 
on-set trainer, because if anyone's ever tried to train a cat... it's 
tougher than winning an argument with a woman i.e. downright impossible!<br />
<br />
<u>RATING</u>: ***1/2 <u> </u><br />
<u>TRIVIA</u>:
 Perhaps this is the only motion picture where both leaders of the TV 
show phenom M*A*S*H, McLean Stevenson (Henry Blake) as a flakey, 
gambling addict friend of Ken Berry, and Harry Morgan (Col Blake), as an
 uptight Military man, appear together • Ronnie Schell personally told 
yours truly that they gave him a cameo, so not only does he provide 
Jake's voice (Ronnie has one of the most recognizable movies in the 
biz), but he's an Army Intelligence man as well. This gave him a better 
paycheck overall. At the same time, a hyperactive Schell was begging to 
get a note passed on to Vicki Lawrence, which never occurred. Boy those 
shows are bizarre sometimes...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5j6nJBbBdURvLMbLptoG7aVxerCuqvOSb976C-NvcEwFS5NFD7NcgKfg_jvlIgY10LHWM8M04VOwwU9o_LavzVNgjghtxrqGj0kXdy9W8motso626vhbIvXcuRSuBukddLgmxVhAtduns/s1600/cat01.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5j6nJBbBdURvLMbLptoG7aVxerCuqvOSb976C-NvcEwFS5NFD7NcgKfg_jvlIgY10LHWM8M04VOwwU9o_LavzVNgjghtxrqGj0kXdy9W8motso626vhbIvXcuRSuBukddLgmxVhAtduns/s16000/cat01.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>KEN BERRY and THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE and here's a <span style="font-size: small;">REVIEW OF</span><b><span style="font-size: large;"> GUS</span></b>...</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja89xNZ8rbMZElSlMT9Ia6skh2T5QwQhHBykrvYuPqHEn5TiFiBJfBQTe6JSQZx2Gr28IJSblcgvRd75gJiLOhL7GyP0RbGRS2Q2X9caT5lhjqApvWhj1DjCNUl8WRCO7uCJCNiQF-wJ8lxaasNxZBmiyKX41pVMf1uNVdwTgTQvE83eng8CMakUBb5qvO/s1456/Screen%20Shot%202026-06-13%20at%208.46.01%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja89xNZ8rbMZElSlMT9Ia6skh2T5QwQhHBykrvYuPqHEn5TiFiBJfBQTe6JSQZx2Gr28IJSblcgvRd75gJiLOhL7GyP0RbGRS2Q2X9caT5lhjqApvWhj1DjCNUl8WRCO7uCJCNiQF-wJ8lxaasNxZBmiyKX41pVMf1uNVdwTgTQvE83eng8CMakUBb5qvO/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202026-06-13%20at%208.46.01%20PM.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ronnie Schell (with autograph) in THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE (with Ken Berry)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br /></p><p> </p>

action, comedy, disney, don knotts, ed asner, gary grimes, harry morgan, ken berry, mclean stevenson, ronnie schell, science-fiction, seventies, tim conway, tom bosley

RONNIE SCHELL VOICES DISNEY'S 'THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE'

Marlon Brando of Felines THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE: Domestic cats seem like they're from outer space to begin with; with haughty ...

Written by James M. Tate / 1/15/2013 / No comments / comedy , disney , don knotts , elyssa davalos , harry morgan , morgan paull , sequel , tim conway , tim matheson

THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG RIDES AGAIN

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qId1DGLK1w1efq9kDdifuFEqISMUuePH76MG5J5fAfBimA2DjO0s3F7qveOmiwmnM7OyJCGva-g90VTcVKO6H7z_ZNTzg7CKApjIClZbeGpXkZ4EDjK-2Ek576NgZpYAgtV-qw1RVubv/s1600/title00_232603687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qId1DGLK1w1efq9kDdifuFEqISMUuePH76MG5J5fAfBimA2DjO0s3F7qveOmiwmnM7OyJCGva-g90VTcVKO6H7z_ZNTzg7CKApjIClZbeGpXkZ4EDjK-2Ek576NgZpYAgtV-qw1RVubv/s640/title00_232603687.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1979 cast: Don Knotts, Tim Conway, Tim Matheson, Elyssa Davalos, Robert Pine rating: ***1/2</td></tr>
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The original APPLE DUMPLING GANG is one of those experiences you remember as a kid for two reasons: Don Knotts and Tim Conway as two hilariously clumsy bank robbers. But upon rewatching you realize they aren’t in the movie enough.<br />
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Unlike using comic relief mascots sparingly in a successful manor (so not to ware out their welcome), like John Belushi in ANIMAL HOUSE, Sean Penn in FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH, or Michael Keaton in BEETLEJUICE, the comic duo are needed much more in the first Disney film that spends too much time on Bill Bixby and his orphans who deem themselves The Apple Dumpling Gang. That’s right… the Gang isn’t even named after Knotts and Conway – but in this superior sequel they keep the title for continuity’s sake.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggACr0G2O2KJ0d9n1tJvnPp894CS9qJpfs8s3zrEOWFouHRj4gzLOWw8vSQ-ARWxV9OQKGrLH_hErLARn5x01T-C8vY3krCLd_f4ovdeQUlgsPUj9cERLppuA5Y5l7RW73iO91i_vWJYUo/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggACr0G2O2KJ0d9n1tJvnPp894CS9qJpfs8s3zrEOWFouHRj4gzLOWw8vSQ-ARWxV9OQKGrLH_hErLARn5x01T-C8vY3krCLd_f4ovdeQUlgsPUj9cERLppuA5Y5l7RW73iO91i_vWJYUo/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elyssa Davalos and a shifty Robert Pine</td></tr>
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We begin with the two bumbling crooks Theodore (Knotts) and Amos (Conway) who’ve gone straight. Riding around on a faithful mule they enter a mining town to hit a bank: depositing money this time. But two scruffy bank robbers, posing as tellers, steal their loot and the adventure begins – mostly dealing with “The Apple Dumpling Gang” being mistaken as sharpshooters since they accidentally thwarted the legendary Sheriff Hitchcock (Kenneth Mars), who keeps on their trail in a Wile E. Coyote fashion.<br />
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Tim Matheson, as a young private in a Calvary Fort being marauded of supplies, drives the necessary plot; Harry Morgan runs the show with his right hand man played by CHIPS sarge Robert Pine; and providing the love interest (to Pine and then Matheson) is the gorgeous Elyssa Davalos as Morgan’s classy daughter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiW-81BpCnqSW9riewR9t_EVumLJtJd3mCt4nANUyARz0J-ulUqEeK62iabs2n9I99VVlJSb2DaxBvtwDmh4c2pXo3iEiX-FssgyfsiKVkpcd416G19uvkhPSQ5Ag4OS0CB4_ANHefemMv/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiW-81BpCnqSW9riewR9t_EVumLJtJd3mCt4nANUyARz0J-ulUqEeK62iabs2n9I99VVlJSb2DaxBvtwDmh4c2pXo3iEiX-FssgyfsiKVkpcd416G19uvkhPSQ5Ag4OS0CB4_ANHefemMv/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elyssa Davalos as Miss Millie Gaskill</td></tr>
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Theodore and Amos go from the Fort to a prison to an underground lair run by Jack Elam and his henchman. There are plenty of locations and twists and turns and, while some of the gags aren’t drop dead hilarious, there’s enough going on to keep you entertained till the climax involving a speeding train heist. <br />
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Great stuff and proof that sequels <i>can</i> be better.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVUYxlMiIlaJE41QXbI7i_MPAu2hIRiULqkRVXDMULRzS0aG4SwbG79chVOOqwwSeznYRiTIkU2uAbGiuC6IbzMHfelXab5DmmtxV-gMdW7f6RqlIZWS-AmXB50rfU3fNQaomfKH3mITv/s1600/title00_232819344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVUYxlMiIlaJE41QXbI7i_MPAu2hIRiULqkRVXDMULRzS0aG4SwbG79chVOOqwwSeznYRiTIkU2uAbGiuC6IbzMHfelXab5DmmtxV-gMdW7f6RqlIZWS-AmXB50rfU3fNQaomfKH3mITv/s640/title00_232819344.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harry Morgan leading Morgan Paull and Robert Pine</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zsusxX3KbMRKqzU7snb2wNJ1E58eMzm_94ogZF0JDgUEWXEzwF4nULmov04D4OPDcxMBEvNJvGkSeIwOffo0CnjiVcIv7gSpsRuC-xCDRTI6mz44cifSxh8-nFEHmSJ6oCwa4qX18kO1/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zsusxX3KbMRKqzU7snb2wNJ1E58eMzm_94ogZF0JDgUEWXEzwF4nULmov04D4OPDcxMBEvNJvGkSeIwOffo0CnjiVcIv7gSpsRuC-xCDRTI6mz44cifSxh8-nFEHmSJ6oCwa4qX18kO1/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The late Morgan Paull following Richard X. Slattery's orders</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNqRZCxgDXhFzPUNJUIz8yMzwFIbudBKb7V-fYP90yzBDTuVIzxcp9ERtcwEZsVvgDIpO19KdCAvn8MY_ZVNdm4pS-Qc9I2BN5d4nX3Jzo3ZSagdX-A9GZJgi3IzemNiQD546D3ct3wTg/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNqRZCxgDXhFzPUNJUIz8yMzwFIbudBKb7V-fYP90yzBDTuVIzxcp9ERtcwEZsVvgDIpO19KdCAvn8MY_ZVNdm4pS-Qc9I2BN5d4nX3Jzo3ZSagdX-A9GZJgi3IzemNiQD546D3ct3wTg/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lovely Disney ingenue Elyssa Davalos rides a train</td></tr>
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comedy, disney, don knotts, elyssa davalos, harry morgan, morgan paull, sequel, tim conway, tim matheson