Westember II: Day 4 - Hoot Gibson in The Calgary Stampede (1925)

     In today's episode I look at the career of Hoot Gibson, highlighting The Calgary Stampede, his 1925 film for Universal.

     Tomorrow we will look at the life (and death) of another western film star. 

Westember II: Day 3 - Tom Mix in Sky High (1922)

 

     In the third episode of Westember II I take review Sky High, a film Tom Mix did in his early days at Fox. 

     Tomorrow we will look at the work of a different western star.

Westember II: Day 2 - Tom Mix in The Law and the Outlaw (1913)

     In the second episode of Westember II I take a look at one of Tom Mix's early pictures for the Selig Polyscope Company. 

     Tomorrow, we'll take a look at one of the actor's best movies during his stay at Fox.

Westember II: Day 1 - Tom Mix Biography

 

Today we look at the life (and legend) of Tom Mix, the greatest Cowboy of them all!

Tomorrow we will look at one of Tom's early movies. Stay Tuned!

Westember II - Introduction

After much preparation, Westember II has finally arrived! My plan is to focus on the work of 5 western stars, along with the Three Mesquiteers series, covering three films for each along with a short biography. I will also briefly cover 8 other stars with a combined biography and review of one of their movies.

Today's video looks at the beginnings of the series western with the films of William Anderson (better known as Broncho Billy) and William S. Hart, who's film, Hell's Hinges, I reviewed last year.

Tune in tomorrow when I will explore the career of Tom Mix!

Saturday Evening Cartoons: The Little Mermaid (1989)

     The Little Mermaid was released on November 17th, 1989. Written and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker it is the 28th Disney animated feature. An adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale it tells the story of a mermaid princess named Ariel (Jodi Benson) who falls in love with a human prince.

     From the start of the picture it is established that Ariel is dissatisfied with her life in Atlantica and she dreams of a life in the human world. Encountering Prince Eric (voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes) on a voyage to celebrate his birthday results, predictably, in love at first site but Ariel's obsession with the surface world makes this more believable then it might be otherwise. Eric, in return, falls in love when Ariel when she saves him from perishing in a shipwreck. Ariel's father King Triton (Kenneth Mars) is furious to learn that she has fallen for a human and forbids her to pursue the matter further. This compels the lovesick princess to turn to the sea witch, Ursula (Pat Carroll), and, in her desperation, she agrees to give up her voice in exchange for being changed into a human, an agreement which will result in her enslavement to the sea-witch if she is unable to win Eric's love. 

      Because of this, much of the second act is focused on her budding relationship with the Prince which, truth be told, is a delightful change of pace from the earlier Disney films with their often perfunctory treatment of the central romance. Eric is unaware that Ariel is the mermaid who saved his life and Ariel, left without her voice, is unable to communicate this to him. Nonetheless she perseveres and almost succeeds in obtaining true love's kiss, but Ursula sends her minions Flotsam and Jetsam to thwart her. She then takes on a human form herself and uses her magic, and Ariel's stolen voice, to place an enchantment on Eric and make him agree to marry her. 

      The third act is a little rushed as Ariel exposes Ursula's scheme too late, resulting in her enslavement and Triton agrees to take his daughter's place, leading the sea witch to declare herself the new ruler and grow to a monstrous size. Eric is able to defeat her by impaling her with the bowsprit of a wrecked ship. The real issue here is that Ariel never seems to learn a lesson from her rash choices early on, rather Triton, as the stereotypical overbearing patriarchal figure, apologizes for not supporting her choices. This would be ok if Ariel recognized her own faults, but no such admission is forthcoming. 

      The film certainly has less focus on the comedic shenanigans then earlier Disney fairy tales, which is fine. The comedy supplied by Ariel's aquatic friends is more then adequate. Samuel E. Wright is great as King Triton's uptight advisor Sebastian the crab and his consternation over Ariel's indiscretion's supplies a lot of laughs. Buddy Hackett's dimwitted sea-gull Scuttle provides a contrast to Sebastian both in his clumsy, clueless behavior and his support of Ariel's curiosity about the human world. The film also takes a little time for some hilarious slapstick complements of René Auberjonois's Chef Louis and his crazed pursuit of Sebastien, who he finds hiding out in his kitchen. 

     The Little Mermaid is the film that kicked off the Disney Renaissance, the roughly ten year period where the studio returned to producing animated features that were both a critical and commercial success. The studio had put the story in development as far back as the 1930's as part of a proposed package film that would feature various vignettes of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales. These plans had been all but forgotten when Ron Clements presented a two-page treatment of The Little Mermaid to Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg in 1986. 

     The studio had been struggling financially since Walt Disney's death in 1966, hitting rock bottom with the release of The Black Cauldron in 1986, a film that cost the studio $44 million (the most expensive film they had produced up to that point) and grossing a mere $21 million. Walt's nephew Roy Disney had been able to oust Ron Miller (Disney's son-in-law) as the company executive, and brought in Michael Eisner as Disney's new CEO and Katzenberg as the head of the film division. This put an end to the corporate squabbles that had plagued the studio for the better part of a decade and allowed them to maintain a much more steady group of filmmakers and animators to oversee their animation department. Wanting to increase the studio's animated output from one film every four years to one film every two years, Katzenberg gave Clements to go-ahead, and the film was set to be developed alongside Oliver & Company. 

     The animation was a real return to form for the studio. They once again used live actors and actresses for reference, a practice they had abandoned in the years since Walt had died. The movement is animated in a really natural way and the underwater scenes are particularly impressive in this respect, with Ariel's flowing hair and the graceful swimming of the various undersea creatures. This film used more special effects animation then any of the studio's films since Fantasia in 1940. One of the animators estimated that over a million bubbles were drawn for the underwater sequences in this film. The play of light and shadow in these scenes and the sense of depth perception is really breathtaking and the animators utilized a wide variety of techniques including as airbrushing, back-lighting, and computer animation to achieve this.

      In many way The Little Mermaid is a transitional film as it was the last Disney feature to utilize traditional, hand-painted cel animation. A new method called called CAPS/ink & paint (Computer Animation Production System), developed by Pixar, would instead be used in Disney's films after this. The Little Mermaid itself used this method for one shot near the end of the picture Ariel and Eric's wedding ship sailing away. It also set the precedent for the Renaissance era of structuring the films like a Broadway musical. Songwriter Howard Ashman who became involved with the film in 1987, worked with Katzenberg, Clements, and Jon Musker to revise the story along these lines, structuring the story around the film's musical numbers. 

      Composer Alan Menken, who had worked with Ashman on Off-Broadway musical, Little Shop of Horrors, was hired alongside him to write the movie's music. The two would go on to write the songs for Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, and their work here anticipates those later masterworks. "Part of Your World" establishes Ariel's driving motivation for the rest of the film and Jodi Benson's vocal have an expressiveness and sense of longing one would tend to expect from a Broadway show rather then a animated film (perhaps this is less true now but, if so, Menken and Ashman are largely to thank for it). "Under the Sea" is certainly the most memorable song from the film, or from any Disney film for that matter, and Ashman's idea to make Sebastian a Jamaican crab instead of the English-butler archetype the writers had in mind really paid off with the Reggea/calypso style of the song helping to set the film's tone. Samuel E. Wright's expressive, driving vocals are just pitch perfect and the layered orchestration and exotic timbre give the song the unique tone I alluded to previously. "Poor Unfortunate Souls" helps to establish Ursula's villainy and is maybe the first great Disney villain song. Pat Carroll renders it wonderfully and her asides to Flotsam and Jetsam are particularly clever. "Kiss the Girl" hearkens back to the calypso style of "Under the Sea" but with a softer tone and smooth, flowing tempo, compared to the rambunctious feel of the earlier song. This befits the more romantic nature of this number in which Ariel's companions assist her in winning her prince.

     The Little Mermaid may not be as tightly plotted or as dazzlingly animated as the films which followed it but it remains a minor classic in the Disney canon thanks to it's superb soundtrack and it's seamless blend of zany comedy and heartfelt drama.

Western Wednesdays: The Eagle's Brood (1935)

     The Eagle's Brood is the second Hopalong Cassidy film. It was released on October 25th, 1935. Directed by Howard Bretherton and written by Doris Schroeder and Harrison Jacobs it is an adaptation of Clarence E. Mulford's novel Hopalong Cassidy and the Eagle's Brood. In it Hoppy and Johnny Nelson help a Mexican bandit to rescue his kidnapped grandson Pablo (George Mari).

     This film starts out a little slow, with the first act focusing on the murder of El Toro's wife and family and the rescue of his youngest son by Dolores (played by Nana Martinez, better known as Joan Woodbury). Hoppy doesn't even appear until more then 10 minutes in, but it picks up pretty quickly after this. El Toro (played by silent star William Farnum) saves Cassidy, whose a sheriff when this film starts, and on the outlaw's trail, from being drowned in quicksand so Hoppy feels honor bound to help him find his son. In a scene perfectly illustrating the integrity of the character as portrayed by Boyd he turns in his star declaring, "When you pinned that on me I took an oath. Today I broke it." (There's another scene later on where Hoppy goes to a bar and orders a drink: sarsaparilla!)

      Johnny Nelson, of course, insists on aiding Hoppy in his task and the two set out to retrieve young Pablo. The usual intrigue ensues culminating in a thrilling climax, with a wounded Nelson holding off the baddies after finding Pablo hiding in the mountains and Hoppy riding to his rescue. Gabby Hayes' character is killed once again and so is the ingenue this time around, continuing the tendency toward dark, violent content the series showed in its early days. Because of this there is little room for romance in this installment. Johnny does not even meet Dolores before she is killed, though he does, nonetheless, display some righteous fury over her murder. 

     Returning director Howard Bretherton does a fine job once again and cinematographer Archie Stout stunningly captures the Sierra Mountains, where much of the film was shot. The real draw here is the script by Doris Schroeder and Harrison Jacobs which gives all the character more depth then is usual for a film of this kind. The once high and mighty El Toro sets out, on his own, to rescue his orphaned grandson, but is selfless enough to save Hoppy at the risk of his capture. Because of this Hoppy himself is forced to give up his badge, a difficult decision for the stalwart hero, and is dismayed when Johnny follows his example without a second thought. Dolores, who is in bed with the main villain (Addison Richards' Big Henry), takes a tremendous risk in hiding Pablo from him, and gets a bullet for her efforts. Gabby Hayes' oblivious bartender is also allowed a dignified death, defying his boss to put in with Cassidy and Nelson, after they protect him from John Merton's hot-tempered henchman, Ed. Even Dorothy Revier's saloon girl, Dolly, is given a sense of vulnerability and pathos one wouldn't generally expect from such a stock supporting character.

     It may lack the polish of later installments and it does suffer from pacing problems but, thanks to a an unusually sensitive script and some exciting action in an awesome location, The Eagle's Brood is still a solid entry in the series. 

 Score: 8/10