Walt Disney's Pollyanna

Hayley Mills as Pollyanna.

Impeccably produced and exceedingly well cast, Pollyanna ranks as Walt Disney's finest live-action children's film. Set in 1913, it tells the story of 12-old-year Pollyanna Whittier, an eternally-optimistic orphan who comes to live with her stern aunt in the picturesque small town of Harrington.

Pollyanna's Aunt Polly is a wealthy spinster who pretty much runs the town (which was named after her family). Polly even provides notes and Bible quotations to the local minister, whose fiery sermons leave the local residents with sour stomachs every Sunday. The town is in need of some cheer and that's what young Pollyanna provides. She finds something to be thankful for even in the bleakest situations. When folks complain that the Sunday sermon ruins their fried chicken dinner, Pollyanna quickly notes that they can be glad it's six days until the next Sunday!

Agnes Moorehead as Mrs. Snow.

She also looks for the best in people, a trait that eventually endears her to an elderly recluse (Adolphe Menjou), a cantankerous hypochondriac (Agnes Moorehead), and even the minister (Karl Malden) who has lost his congregation. Pollyanna's "gladness" spreads throughout Harrington and results in the townsfolk defying Aunt Polly by holding a bazaar to raise money for a new orphanage. Polly appears to be the lone hold-out, but a climatic tragedy changes her outlook on life as well.

Based on Eleanor H. Porter's 1913 novel, Pollyanna could have been a sticky-sweet maudlin mess. Instead, it's a bright, energetic film that seems much shorter than than its 134-minute running time. Over 360 young actresses were considered for the title role before British newcomer Hayley Mills was chosen. Walt Disney's wife Lilly was partly responsible for Mills' casting, having seen Hayley in her film debut Tiger Bay (1959).

Jane Wyman as Aunt Polly.

Disney surrounded Mills with an exceptional cast, pairing her with Jane Wyman and some of Hollywood's best supporting performers (e.g., Malden, Menjou, Moorehead, and Donald Crisp). He then added promising newcomer James Drury (The Virginian), the always reliable Nancy Olson, and another Disney child star, Kevin Corcoran (who had earlier appeared in Old Yeller). As if that's not enough, TV fans can rejoice in the presence of familiar faces such as Edward Platt (Get Smart), Reta Shaw (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir), and Mary Grace Canfield (Green Acres).

The central performance, though, is what holds Pollyanna together and Hayley Mills shoulders the responsibility with ease. I'm hard-pressed to think of another child star who seemed as natural on the screen. Mills' acting earned her a BAFTA nomination (the "British Oscar") and she was awarded a special Academy Award in 1961 for "most outstanding juvenile performance."

Hayley Mills and Karl Malden.

Her best scene in Pollyanna is also my favorite in the film: Pollyanna encounters Reverend Ford (Malden) in a field where he is practicing one of his stern sermons.  She recounts how her father, a missionary, struggled to reach his congregation until he focused on finding the good in people. It's a simple point made with childhood innocence, but it strikes home with the minister. It's a lovely scene and reminded me once again that Karl Malden was one of the great actors of his generation.

I was surprised to read recently that Pollyanna was not a boxoffice success. Walt Disney blamed the film's title, which he thought may not have appealed to boys. That may be true, but Pollyanna is truly a film for all ages. In fact, I didn't realize just how good it was until I watched it as an adult.  I have seen Pollyanna many times over the years now and it never fails to entertain and deliver its message of good cheer and faith in one another.

Double Dog Daring with MGM's Lassie

Given the public's embrace of 1943's Lassie Come Home, it was inevitable that MGM would launch a film series featuring the lovable, clever canine. Most of the pictures were connected only in that the lead character was a collie named Lassie. However, Son of Lassie (1945) was a direct sequel starring Peter Lawford as Joe Carraclough, who was played by Roddy McDowall as a lad in Lassie Come Home.

Joe still lives on the Duke of Rudling's (Nigel Bruce) estate, where his father (Donald Crisp) tends to the kennels. The Duke's granddaughter Priscilla (June Lockhart) is obviously smitten with Joe, but by the time he gets around to confirming his affection for her, he's off to fly planes for the RAF.

June Lockhart, an unknown actor as Laddie, and Peter Lawford.

Meanwhile, Joe's dog Laddie, one of Lassie's pups, joins the military too when Joe's father agrees to train a canine corps. Missing his owner, Laddie runs away and eventually stows away on an airplane piloted by Joe. When their plane is shot down over Nazi-infested Norway, Joe and Laddie must find each other and then find their way back home.

The bulk of Son of Lassie is a solid World War II adventure that reminded me of Powell and Pressberger's more impressive One of Our Aircraft Is Missing. Both films highlight the resilience of the inhabitants of occupied territories, who take great personal risks to aid the escape of Allied troops.

Peter Lawford and Pal as Laddie.

Lawford, in his first lead role, is a likable hero and assisted by a first-rate supporting cast. Unfortunately, there aren't enough scenes of him with June Lockhart and therefore their climatic reunion generates little emotion. On the other hand, the bond between man and dog is captured nicely and Pal, the canine star, is convincing as both the adult Laddie and his mother Lassie. (Lockhart, of course, would later forge her own relationship with her collie co-star, playing Timmy's mother on the Lassie TV series).

It's not Norway!

For what is essentially a "B" film, Son of Lassie reflects the typical high MGM production values. The breathtaking, colorful landscapes of  British Columbia and Wyoming substitute effectively for Norway.

After another war-themed series entry, the fine Courage of Lassie, MGM cast its canine star in Hills of Home (1948). This heartfelt story of a rural Scottish doctor reunited Pal and Edmund Gwenn from Lassie Come Home. The pair would appear together again the following year in Challenge to Lassie.

Gwenn's character was inspired by Ian
Maclaren's Doctor of the Old School.

In Hills of Home, the aging Dr. MacLure worries about what will happen in Glen Urtach when age forces him to eventually retire. His plan is to send bright young Tammas Milton (Tom Drake) to medical school in Edinburgh, but Tammas's family and sweetheart (Janet Leigh) aren't sold on the idea.

A lonely bachelor, MacLure accepts a collie in trade for medical services. What he doesn't know is that the dog is afraid to cross running water. Over time, MacLure's frustrations with his bonnie collie give way to love--and when it comes time for Lass to prove her worth, she comes through admirably.

Janet Leigh and Tom Drake.

Still, this is an intimate portrait of a country doctor told through a series of sketches and performed admirably by Gwenn, Donald Crisp as his best friend, and Tom Drake in one of his best performances. Many of the cast and crew appeared in previous and future Lassie films, to include: Gwenn; Crisp (Lassie Come Home, Son of Lassie, Challenge to Lassie); Drake (Courage of Lassie); Reginald Owen (Challenge to Lassie); and director Fred M. Wilcox (Lassie Come Home, Courage of Lassie).

MGM went on to make three more Lassie films. The Sun Comes Up (1948) starred Jeanette MacDonald in her last movie role. The aforementioned Challenge to Lassie (1949) was based on the true story of Greyfriars Bobby (a Skye Terrier). The film series ended with The Painted Hills (1951)--although the long-running Lassie TV series would debut in 1954 and rack up 352 half-hour episodes over the next 19 years. One of its stars, Jon Provost, recently shared his Lassie memories with us.

As an added bonus to promote the Cafe's new YouTube Channel, here's the opening scene from Son of Lassie (if your mobile device blocks embedded YouTube videos, click here to view it):

Classic Movie Dogathon: Greyfriars Bobby

In 1865, on Cauldbrae Farm, sheepherder Old Jock (Alex Mackenzie) travels to Edinburgh, since the family he works for can no longer afford to pay him. The family dog, a Skye Terrier named Bobby, has taken a liking to Old Jock, and the fiercely loyal canine follows the man for the 20-mile distance to Greyfriars Place. Old Jock, however, is an ailing man, and he succumbs to pneumonia. He’s buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, where Bobby evades the cranky caretaker, Mr. Brown (Donald Crisp), and sleeps atop Old Jock’s grave.

Before long, Bobby has his routine down: He spends his nights in the kirkyard, and his days in the city, some of the hours spent at a diner that Old Jock frequented. The restaurant owner, Mr. Traill (Laurence Naismith), already acquainted with the terrier, feeds him each day – at Bobby’s own table. Bobby wins over everyone, from Mr. Traill to the city’s children and even Mr. Brown and his wife, who appreciate the terrier killing the rats in the kirkyard. It seems that everyone wants to claim Bobby as their own, but eventually it’s a matter of specifying ownership: the local authorities wish to identify an owner to pay an expensive licensing fee, or the stray dog will be taken away.

Greyfriars Bobby (1961), directed by Don Chaffey, is a Walt Disney film based on Eleanor Atkinson’s 1912 novel of the same name, from a true story about a dog in 19th-century Edinburgh who slept on his master’s grave for 14 years. Chaffey does a superb job of presenting Bobby as the film’s protagonist, keeping the camera at the dog’s level, particularly when no humans are around. Bobby is an adorable ball of fur, and there are endless shots of the dog sprinting across open land, a wonderful and delightful sight.

The movie is not as depressing as the plot might suggest. It’s an inspiring tale, not only of a dog’s loyalty and devotion, but also of the good which he instills into the people he surrounds. There’s a remarkable scene when the children, all of poor families, bring Bobby to Mr. Traill for a promised shilling. The man first feeds Bobby, and the kids are unquestionably envious that a dog is eating stew made with real chicken. Mr. Traill takes the children to the kitchen, and they have what he calls a picnic, an act which sparks a genuine relationship between the diner owner and kids. Likewise, the barely restrained animosity between Mr. Traill and Mr. Brown progressively dissipates the more time they spend with Bobby.
Highlights of the film: Old Jock sneaking Bobby into a lodging house in a knapsack; Mr. Brown’s never-ending allusions to the kirkyard regulation of “No Dogs Permitted” (even picking up Bobby at one point so that the wee dog, presumably, can read it for himself); Mr. Traill’s obvious unhappiness at the family taking Bobby back to the farm; and Mr. Brown’s wife coaxing her husband, who doesn’t hide his aversion for the terrier, into giving Bobby a bath.

Bobby steals the film, but the performances from the humans are solid all around. Naismith is especially good, particularly his scene in which he makes an argument in court against any person being Bobby’s owner and refuses to pay the fee out of principle. It’s also a treat to watch two patrons of the diner, both of whom make snide remarks about Bobby, being put in their place by Mr. Traill – including a veiled threat against a man who suggests striking the dog.

A kirkyard is not technically a graveyard, but a churchyard. This is why, in the movie, Old Jock’s former employer believes it “grand” that he’s buried there – it’s consecrated ground. (It’s chosen for the sheepherder because it’s the closest place for a proper burial.)
Crisp started in Hollywood as an actor and became a director during the silent era. He later returned to acting full time and had a successful career, earning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for How Green Was My Valley (1941). Naismith was a regular on the TV show, The Persuaders! with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis, and also had a small part in the 007 film, Diamonds Are Forever (1971).

Chaffey is perhaps best known for his fantasy films, including Jason and the Argonauts (1963, featuring Naismith as Argos, whose ship is the Argonauts’ namesake), One Million Years B.C. (1966) and Creatures the World Forgot (1971). He also directed episodes of notable TV series, such as The Prisoner (including the first episode), Danger Man (aka Secret Agent), The Avengers, Fantasy Island, Charlie’s Angels and T.J. Hooker.
Atkinson’s book also provided the basis for the 1949 film, Challenge for Lassie. Interestingly, actor Crisp appears in the film as Jock, companion to Lassie, the Bobby substitute. Another adaptation was released in 2006 as The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby. Bobby in this movie is a West Highland White Terrier, chosen in lieu of a Skye Terrier for purely visual reasons. Christopher Lee has a small but significant role in the film.

It’s very difficult not to associate a dog’s hanging tongue with a smile. When dogs are happy, the panting commences, and tongues invariably fall out. The canine hero of Greyfriars Bobby spends much of the film’s duration flashing his doggie smile, and it seems impossible not to smile along with him. Bobby is always by Old Jock’s side, despite not being the man’s dog, because as Mr. Traill says, “a dog chooses his own master.” Is the title of the movie a reference to everyone in the city as Bobby’s owners? It’s more likely that Bobby owns the city, from the people’s hearts to a monopoly on cuteness.

Click here to see the full schedule for the Classic Movie Dogathon.