The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

This rambunctious Disney comedy was based on the novel By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman. Roddy McDowall plays Griffin, the very proper butler of Bostonian Bryan Russell. When Russell runs off to California during the 1849 gold rush, Griffin dutifully tags along. Master and butler team up with Shakespearean actor Richard Haydn, who owns a treasure map. Crooked judge Karl Malden (a master of many disguises), pilfers the map once Our Heroes reach San Francisco. While endeavoring to retrieve the valuable parchment, Griffin has any number of adventures, ranging from a bout of fisticuffs with ox-like Mike Mazurki to a romance with Russell's sister Suzanne Pleshette, a former debutante turned saloon singer. If Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin resembles an animated cartoon at times, credit should go to veteran Disney animator Ward Kimball, who provided the spirited cartoon transitions between scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • cc
  • Dolby Digital Mono sound
  • Widescreen (1.66:1) - enhanced for 16x9 televisions

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Roddy McDowall - Bullwhip Griffin
       Suzanne Pleshette - Arabella Flagg
       Karl Malden - Judge Higgins
       Harry Guardino - Sam Trimble
       Bryan Russell - Jack Flagg
       Hermione Baddeley - Irene Chesney
       Richard Haydn - Quentin Bartlett
       Liam Redmond - Capt. Swain
       Cecil Kellaway - Mr. Pemberton
       Joby Baker - Bandido leader
       Mike Mazurki - Mountain Ox
       Alan Carney - Joe Turner
       Parley Baer - Chief Executioner
       Arthur Hunnicutt - Referee
       Dub Taylor - Timekeeper
       Pedro Gonzalez - Gonzalez - Bandido
       John Qualen
       Burt Mustin
       Gil Lamb
       Dave Willock

• Director:

  James Neilson

• Producer:

  Bill Anderson, Walt Disney

• Screenwriter:

  Lowell S. Hawley

• Book Author:

  Sid Fleischman

• Cinematographer:

  Edward Colman

• Songwriter:

  Robert B.

• Composer (Music Score):

  George Bruns

• Songwriter:

  George Bruns, Mel Leven, Richard M. Sherman

• Costume Designer:

  Bill Thomas

• Choreography:

  Alex Plasschaert

REVIEW:

• "Endearing" is perhaps the most apt word to describe The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin, a very agreeable little Disney picture that skates along quite merrily on charm and personality. As with many of the studio's other live action films of the period, it has a tendency to get slightly sticky at times; however, Bullwhip has the good sense to just dip its toe in the gooey sweetness and decide that a little wade, rather than a full-fledged plunge into the depths, is all that it needs. Lowell S. Hawley's screenplay, based on a book by Sid Fleischman, lays out a fairly familiar family-movie story, but it includes a few little twists that add fun to the proceedings, and he keeps the focus on the characters and their relationships, rather than indulging in sidetrips that may present the opportunity for comedy but have little to do with the story. There's slapstick, of course, but far less than one would expect and generally well handled by director James Neilson; things are kept just enough in hand so that they don't derail the film. The cast is admirable, with Roddy McDowall everything a British butler should be and Suzanne Pleshette totally winning. Kudos also to Bryan Russell, who plays the young boy with a minimum of cutesiness. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi