The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) * * ¾

In 1935, 14 year-old Natty Gann (Meredith Salenger) lives in Chicago with her father Sol (Ray Wise) and her dog. She sneaks cigarettes in the bathroom, and gets into scuffles with the boys who are her friends. Natty is an old-fashioned tomboy heroine who is feisty and spunky. Her father, her one living parent leaves their Chicago home to work in the state of Washington at a logging job. He has to leave so quickly that there isn't time for him to say good-bye to Natty. With only an hour or so to get on the bus, he arranges with Connie (Lainie Kazan), the burly, bad-tempered landlady of the rooming house where he and Natty are living, to look after Natty until he can send for her. After overhearing Connie reporting her as an abandoned child, Natty is only temporarily daunted by this setback. She quickly takes matters into her own hands and runs away.

Sherman: Sol, you got no choice. It's a job.
Sol Gann: Yeah.
Sherman: Oh, no, Natty. (puppy yips in background) Do I look like an animal shelter?
Natty Gann: Don't worry, I'll keep this one.
Sherman: That's what you said the last time.

Natty hits the rails and heads west in a quest to find her father, and has many anecdotal bittersweet adventures. On her journey, she comes across all sorts of people, and very few are interested in helping her. Some of the cruel or kindly strangers she encounters take her in. There are many scenes of Natty barely making it through her scrapes as she rides in rail-road cars, backs of trucks, and hikes her way through the woods trying to find her way to Seattle. Her unpleasant encounters and various obstacles test her courage, perseverance, and ingenuity. She is tough enough to eat a wild rabbit for food, but still cringes when she has to gut it with her pocket knife. There are definitely some tense, scary moments on her journey. Natty's saving grace is that she finds parent figures along the way.

Logging Boss: What's the matter, Gann?
Sol Gann: They found my kid's wallet buried under a train in Colorado.
Logging Boss: Ah no.
Sol Gann: What the hell was she doing in Colorado?

To a great extent, this is a girl meets wolf love story, with some of the film's most satisfying moments being those between Natty and Wolf (Jed), the animal companion she encounters and befriends, and who quickly gives her his complete devotion and protection. They travel together for much of the movie. As Wolf, Jed the hybrid wolf (part dog) gives a brilliant and believable performance. Salenger is equally excellent, and she carries the movie nicely. Her scenes with Wolf are as moving as anything that takes place among the film's human characters.

Harry: Nice dog.
Natty Gann: It's a wolf. I'm cold.
Harry: Buck up kid, will ya?
Natty Gann: I'm bucking! (turns to Wolf) I'm bucking, right?
Harry: You're a real woman of the world, kid.
(Harry has just hauled Natty into the boxcar, where she was dangling dangerously over the edge)
Harry: You know, uh, you can get hurt that way.
Hobo: I thought that one was a goner. Rail meat. Little bits of blood and busted...
Harry: Leave the kid alone!
Natty Gann: You ain't seen Chicago, you ain't seen nothin'.
Harry: (opens the door to a barn, looks inside, then speaks to Natty) It looks safe. Come on. Come on! It's empty! Nothin' in here but a pig, and he sure don't care.

Louie: Shh. Hold your ears.
Natty Gann: What?
Louie: Don't listen.
Natty Gann: Don't be dumb. I've heard a man pee before.
Louie: Yeah? Where?
Natty Gann: None of your business.

She meets a farm wife (Verna Bloom), tough but nice juvenile delinquent Parker
(Barry Miller), and Harry (John Cusack) who similarly lost his own father years earlier and had to survive the harsh world of a drifter. The pair develop an innocent romantic attachment. Harry teaches her how to ride the rails and offers her his meager can of beans when she's hungry. Because of his fatherly kindness to Natty, it's a little off-putting when a romance blooms between the two. Harry's role is well acted and richly developed, but frustration comes from the misleading cover art and posters. The viewer would think that he's in almost every scene and carries the film with Meredith Salenger. Harry is half of this movie but still doesn't have enough screen time to warrant second billing above Natty's father or even the wolf. Still, Harry helps this film, keeping his fedora firmly in place with his small share of running, jumping and falling off of water towers. Meanwhile, her father has found out about Natty's disappearance and, seriously worried, sets out to look for her. There is genuine pathos in the final development of events.

THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN is a subtle road movie that captures the feel of the Depression era. The despair of the time looms over the entire movie, but equally present is a sense of hope in Natty's journey. It's not a perfect movie, but it's certainly an intelligent and thoughtful one, enjoyable but rather slow. NATTY GANN is both a period piece which captures the spirit of 1930's America and a coming-of-age adventure story for its title character. Though good-hearted it is relatively uninvolving, and the whole thing should probably be a good deal more wrenching than it feels. Granted, it follows the Disney formula but it has the cuts and scrapes from playing too close to the razor’s edge. It's rough around the edges and yet isn't a movie that you would be embarrassed to see with your kids. It's suitable for all audiences, but contains a little bit of strong language and a couple of mildly gory lumbering accidents.

The cast also includes: Scatman Crothers (Sherman), Bruce M. Fischer (Charlie Linfield), John Finnegan (Logging Boss), Jack Rader (Employment Agent), Matthew Faison (Buzz), Jordan Pratt (Frankie), Zachary Ansley (Louie), Campbell Lane (Chicago Moderator), Max Trumpower (Chicago Worker), Doug MacLeod (Chicago Worker), Gary Chalk (Chicago Worker), Dwight McFee (Chicago Worker), Peter Anderson (Unemployed Worker), Corliss M. Smith Jr. (Bus Driver), Hagan Beggs (Policeman), Ian Black (Hobo), Ray Michal (Hobo), Clint Rowe (Bullwhip), Frank C. Turner (Farmer), Jack Ackroyd (Grocery Clerk), Grant Heslov (Parker's Gang), Gary Riley (Parker's Gang), Scott Andersen (Parker's Gang), Ian Tracey (Parker's Gang), Jennifer Michas (Parker's Gang), Wally Marsh (Interrogator), Kaye Grieve (Matron), Hannah Cutrona (Twinky), Gabrielle Rose (Exercise Matron), Marie Klingenberg (Dormitory Matron), Stephen E. Miller (Guard), Robert Clothier (Railroad Official), Don S. Davis (Railroad Brakeman), Alex Diakun (Station Master), Tom Heaton (Railroad Deek), Harvey M. Miller (Railroad Deek), Sheelah Megill (Lady at Mill), Jeff Ramsey (Logging Driver), Gary Hendrickson (Logger), Wally Beeton (Logger), Doug Boyd (Logger), Bryan Couture (Logger), Al MacIntosh (Logger), Lorne LaRiviere (Logger), Bob Storms (Logger), Nancy-Rae Aaron (Girl Hobo), Rachael Clark (Destitute Child), David Paul Hewitt White (Unemployed worker), and hybrid wolf Jed (Wolf). James Horner composed the original music. Jeanne Rosenberg wrote the screenplay. Jeremy Kagan directed.

Music Tracklist:

01. Main Title (01:57)
02. Leaving (03:21)
03. Freight Train (02:45)
04. First Love (03:31)
05. Into Town (02:32)
06. Goodbye (02:22)
07. Rustling (03:07)
08. The Forest (02:01)
09. Early Morning (01:45)
10. Getting There (01:14)
11. Farewell (03:23)
12. Reunion – End Title (05:10)
13. Locked Up (03:12)
14. Hotel Escape (01:54)
15. Riding The Rails (01:29)
16. To Seattle (03:18)

On DVD you feel as if you're only seeing half the picture. And you are. Since THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN is a 2.35:1 widescreen film, and Disney has released it exclusively in Pan and Scan, the result is a loss of just under 50% of the image. The video quality on this DVD is horrible. It looks like an old, worn-out videocassette. The picture is extremely soft and grainy, and it feels as if the movie is about twice as old as it really is. Detail is awful, the entire video just feels soft and faded, like a dollar bill having been run in the washing machine. There are digital artefacts and other distracting flaws throughout, a number of framing problems that result from the pan and scan, and significant image loss. Furthermore, the wide photography of the images in nature that play a large role in the film's journey are rendered completely ineffective. You are constantly aware that the picture is heavily zoomed in and that you are missing much visual information.

It's a shame that the filmmakers spent time and effort to frame Natty Gann meticulously, only to have the movie drastically chopped up to fit the dimensions of a 4 x 3 television set. The quality of the film in general varies from crystal clear landscapes to grainy night and interior shots. Had Anchor Bay held onto the DVD release rights to this film that they once had, we would have undoubtedly seen a 2.35:1 widescreen transfer, and there is no way it could look as bad as the pan & scan transfer looks on this DVD. It's tragic that a great movie with some truly majestic outdoor photography and impressive set designs is released in a disappointing version. There's some hope that if this is ever released on Disney Blu-Ray that we'll get to see the non-cropped version of this for the first time in over 20 years.

Matching the video quality in terms of futility, the audio mix for THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN sounds like an old worn-out videocassette. The track sounds distant and lacks clarity throughout. It's almost as disappointing as the video. There are a number of instances where, if you haven't seen the movie before, you'll have to rewind to hear what was said. Either that, or there's the English subtitles which can decode some of the fuzzy dialogue. Like the other recent live-action catalogue Disney DVD releases, NATTY GANN has nothing in the way of extras. No trailer, no production notes, no making-of features, no cast and crew bios and notes. Absolutely barebones for this disc, which looks like it was made in the time it took to convert the laserdisc files to DVD. It has "rush job" written all over it. No effort was made to present the movie in a decent fashion. It's appalling that a DVD looking like this makes its way onto the market today.

Wolf (1994) * * ¾

Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) is a mild-mannered, middle-aged man who is a senior book editor for a publishing company. Driving home one night from a business trip in Vermont, he hits an animal on the road. When he gets out of his car to check on the condition of the animal, he discovers it to be a wolf, which bites him under a full moon. Randall is demoted from his job as managing editor of a publishing house when the company is taken over by wealthy business tycoon Raymond Alden (Christopher Plummer). Alden replaces him with Randall's own ambitious protege Stewart Swinton (James Spader), who also happens to be having an affair with Randall's wife Charlotte (Kate Nelligan).

Randall: I did it the old fashioned way.
Charlotte: What do you mean?
Randall: I begged.
Charlotte: I never loved Stewart. It was a mistake Will. I'm going to talk to him. Stewart, never for one moment, mentioned he loved me.
Randall: You think that makes it better? To betray me over and over again with a man that meant nothing to you? To know you betrayed me for nothing.
Charlotte: Don't be a smug...
Randall: Don't touch me! And keep away.

Randall begins undergoing a physical metamorphosis. He no longer needs reading glasses, his hearing is extremely acute, and he has a very keen sense of smell. He can smell tequila on the breath of a coworker from 20 feet away and hear conversations from across the lobby. Soon he starts feeling rejuvenated, revitalized, more aggressive, and becomes more assertive in fighting for his job back. Eventually, Randall also realizes that he is taking on the characteristics of a wolf. He is supported by his loyal secretary Mary (Eileen Atkins) and underling Roy (David Hyde Pierce), and gets his job back. Swinton is informed, in no uncertain terms, who is top dog. Randall also discovers that Charlotte has betrayed his love and devotion, causing him to leave her. It is a betrayal that is to have dire consequences for her.

Randall: I've been offered a choice between no job and a job no one would want.
Mary: Is the worm turning, Mr. Randall?
Randall: The worm has turned and it is now packing an Uzi, Mary.
Mary: It's about f**king time, sir.

Roy: How many investors do we have?
Randall: I don't know. Haven't called any yet.
Roy: But you want me to say it anyway?
Randall: Yes.
Roy: Second thing: Is any of this true?
Randall: Not yet.
Roy: You are my God.

Randall: You are such a polished ass kisser that it takes my breath away.
Swinton: I kiss 'em like I see 'em. (Randall urinates on his shoes) What are you crazy?
Randall: No! I'm just marking my territory, and you got in the way.

In the process of regaining his life, Randall falls in love with the boss's beautiful, headstrong daughter Laura (Michelle Pfeiffer), and she with him. The transformation of Randall into a werewolf is subtle, and there is very little use of special effects to enhance his metamorphosis. He conveys to the viewer what he is undergoing with a flick of the eyebrow, a twitch of the nose, and a curl of the lips. However, he also finds that he has the urge to hunt and kill at nighttime, and becomes terrified of the monster he carries inside. His first escapade as a wolf takes place at Laura's countryside cottage, where he wakes up in the middle of the night and hunts down a deer. In the morning he finds himself on the bank of a forest stream, dunks his head in water and realizes he has blood all over his face and hands. He then drives back to the city in a state of confused trepidation, his alarm at his animal characteristics leading him to ignore conventional medical tests.

Randall: What do you do?
Laura: Why do you care?
Randall: I don't. I was just making polite conversation.
Laura: I'd rather not discuss what I do.
Randall: You know, I think I understand what you're like now. You're very beautiful and you think men are only interested in you because you're beautiful, but you want them to be interested in you because you're you. The problem is, aside from all that beauty, you're not very interesting. You're rude, you're hostile, you're sullen, you're withdrawn. I know you want someone to look past all that at the real person underneath but the only reason anyone would bother to look past all that is because you're beautiful. Ironic, isn't it? In an odd way you're your own problem.
Laura: Sorry. Wrong line. I am not taken aback by your keen insight and suddenly challenged by you.
Randall: I've never loved anybody this way. Never looked at a woman and thought, if civilization fails, if the world ends, I'll still understand what God meant.

He visits an Indian healer, Dr. Vijay Alezias (Om Puri), who gives him an amulet intended to protect him from turning completely into a wolf. Alezias asks Randall to bite him as a return favor, as Alezias himself does not have long to live. On being asked by Randall whether he would "prefer demonization to death", Dr. Alezias replies that it would be a boon rather than a bane. He tells Randall that he is a good man at heart and so has nothing to fear. Dr. Vijay Alezias also explains that sometimes one does not even need to be bitten to change. Sometimes the mere passion of the wolf inside of them can transform them.

Dr. Alezias: The demon wolf is not evil, unless the man he has bitten is evil. And it feels good to be a wolf, doesn't it?
Randall: Indeed it does.
Dr. Alezias: Power without guilt. Love without doubt.

As his professional life is restored, Randall fires his young nemesis Stewart, deepening each others hatred for the other. Later, Randall inadvertently bites Stewart, who becomes a werewolf as well. Stewart ends up murdering Charlotte, in an attempt to frame Randall and seize back Randall's job at the publishing house.

Randall is shattered by his wife's murder, and thinking that it might have been his alter-ego state that killed her, goes back with Laura to her cottage, where he agrees to be locked up in the barn. Laura then gets a call from the police detective Bridger (Richard Jenkins) investigating Charlotte's murder, and learns that it was a canine attack that killed her. Alarmed that Randall might be the unknowing perpetrator, she goes alone to the police station to find out more. There she runs into Stewart, who makes an animal-like pass at her, revealing himself to also be a werewolf. Laura hurries off from the station, making arrangements for Randall and her to leave the country.

Swinton: Good evening Miss Alden. May I call you Laura? Laura, if you scream, I'll kill you. I'll just... break your neck, okay? If you find me so attractive, how about me f**king you to death right now darling, how would that be?
Laura Alden: I don't know I'll have to try it.
Swinton: I'm not a fool, Laura.
Laura Alden: I know that.

Swinton realizes that she has gone back, and follows her to the cottage and kills her two guards. After a brief struggle in the barn, where Randall is locked in, he tries to rape her. But Randall frees himself from his stall, and they battle as werewolves. Evil Swinton is then shot to death by Laura. Randall, meanwhile, turns into a complete wolf and runs off into the forest. Laura shows signs of a wolf's heightened senses when the police arrive, telling the lead detective that she can smell the Vodka on his breath. The last scene is a close-up of her face fading into dark, lupine eyes, preceded with previously-shown shots of an animal running wildly through the forest. It's a peculiar but great finale with a twist.

Jack Nicholson becomes a werewolf in this bizarre comedy-horror film directed by Mike Nichols. This is a contemporary thinking person's werewolf movie. If you are a horror film fan who likes excessive gore, as well as high-tech special effects, this is not the film for you, as there is very little of that in WOLF. This is a subtle, multi-layered, symbolic horror film that will leave you analyzing what you see. The opening sequences are beautifully filmed, and the moon and snow look gorgeous. It's an intelligent, literate story about a mid-life crisis and an interesting updating of the werewolf nonsense.

Film critics generally like it, but many viewers seem to find it dull and uninteresting, with elements of several genres thrown together in a big mess. It's a little dull in places, and probably could have been edited down by at least fifteen minutes. WOLF is much more intelligent than other werewolf movies, and does have a few interesting ideas and metaphors that haven't been done before. This thriller doesn't have any transformation scenes. When the hero turns into a humanoid wolf, he suddenly has muttonchop sideburns and his hair is messed up.

The cast also includes: Eileen Atkins (Mary), Ron Rifkin (Doctor), Prunella Scales (Maude), Brian Markinson (Detective Wade), Peter Gerety (George), Bradford English (Keyes), Stewart J. Zully (Gary), Thomas F. Duffy (Tom), Tom Oppenheim (Butler), Shirin Devrim (Party Guest), Allison Janney (Party Guest), Kirby Mitchell (Party Guest), Madhur Jaffrey (Party Guest), William Hill (Party Guest), Cynthia O'Neal (Party Guest), Timothy Thomas (Party Guest), Lisa Emery (Party Guest), Leigh Carlson (Party Guest), Alice Liu (Party Guest), Max Weitzenhoffer (Party Guest), Irene Forrest (Office Worker), Jennifer Nicholson (Office Worker), Jack Nisbet (Office Worker), Dale Kasman (Office Worker), Jeffrey Allen O'Den (Office Worker), Jose Soto (Gang Member), Van Bailey (Gang Member), Dwayne McClary (Gang Member), Elizabeth Massie (Alden's Secretary), Joanna Sanchez (Receptionist), Eva Rodriguez (Maid), Lia Chang (Desk Clerk), Starletta DuPois (Victim's Mother), Oz Perkins (Cop), David Schwimmer (Cop), Christopher Birt (Cop), Kaity Tong (TV Newscaster), Dorinda Katz (Shopper), Rawleigh Moreland (Party Guest / Publisher), and Michael Raynor. The original music was composed by Ennio Morricone. Jim Harrison and Wesley Strick wrote the screenplay. Mike Nichols directed.

The casting is inspired, the storyline is intelligent, and the pace alternates appropriately between day and night. What ultimately cripples WOLF is that the script seems to dry up as it goes along. There is a scene with the expert about half way through the movie that is filled with potential plot developments. Unfortunately, the internal logic soon begins to break down. Many of the possibilities suggested earlier never emerge and new random elements appear as the plot begins to spiral out of control, ending in a series of confrontations that are unsubtle, unsatisfying and weak.

Sophisticated to a point, this well-executed werewolf tale works due to its clever setting and enormous star power. Director Mike Nicholson keeps the action alive in the first half but the film peters out at the end with cheap theatrics and the overuse of slow motion. Michelle Pfeiffer has little to do as simply the love interest with a grittier than average personality. Better is James Spader as a smarmy colleague. Nicholson is in fine form, relying on his acting skills to spark interest instead of using make-up. Giuseppe Rotunno's sweeping camerawork sets the mood quite well.

Music for the movie was by Ennia Marricane. Editing was done by Sam O'Steen with distribution and production by Columbia Pictures. Filming locations were the Bradbury Building in Los Angeles, the General William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster, California, New York City, New York, Long Island, New York, Sony Picture Studios, Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York and Roxbury, Vermont. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. holds the copyright to the movie.

WOLF was released to US theaters on June 17th, 1994, with a run time of 2 hours and 5 minutes. The movie's gross at the box office was $65,002,597 domestically and $131,002,597 worldwide, while making another $34,000,000 on US rentals. The budget was $70,000,000. WOLF was initially delayed for six to eight months due to poor critical reaction to the third act. After re-shoots, however, critics thought the ending was more satisfying and thrilling.

The movie was released in South Korea on July 23rd, 1994, Argentina on August 4th 1994, the UK on August 26th, 1994, the Netherlands on September 1st, 1994, Finland on September 2nd, 1994, France on September 14th, 1994, the Phillipines on September 14th, 1994, Germany on September 15th, 1994, Australia on September 22nd, 1994, Spain on September 30th, 1994 and Sweden on September 30th, 1994. It also premiered on TV in Indonesia on January 15th, 2005.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) * * ¾

(first lines)
Pee-wee: Look out, Mister Potato Head!

Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens), a childish geek, loves his super-deluxe red bike more than anything else in the world and refuses to sell it to Francis Buxton (Mark Holton), a neighborhood rich kid. Francis pays someone to steal Pee-wee's bike while Pee-wee visits Chuck's Bikeorama and his girlfriend Dottie (Elizabeth Daily), resulting in a relentless campaign to find it. In a search for answers, Pee-wee visits fake psychic Madam Ruby (Erica Yohn) who lies and tells him that the bike is hidden in the basement of the Alamo. Pee-Wee embarks on a quest to find his stolen bicycle, and comes into contact with characters even crazier than he is. He hitches a ride with a man named Mickey (Judd Omen), a fugitive on the run from the law because he cut off a "do not remove under the penalty of law" mattress tag. Mickey abandons him after Pee-wee nearly kills the two of them by accident.

Mr. Buxton: Pee-wee, Pee-wee what is going on here.
Pee-wee: He's a thief, he stole my bike.
Francis: You liar. I swear I didn't do it, dad
Mr. Buxton: Pee-wee, this is a wild accusation. Do you have any proof?
Pee-wee: Well, not exactly.
Mr. Buxton: Pee-wee, the Buxtons are not thieves. We've been preparing Francis's birthday plans all day.

Pee-wee: Exhibit "Q". A scale-model of the entire mall. X marks the scene of the crime. These arrows here show the exact position of the sun at the hour of the crime. Jupiter was aligned with Pluto! The moon was in the seventh...
Chuck: Pee-wee!
Pee-wee: Please save your questions until I'm through, Chuck!
Chuck: Well, when will that be? A long time, we wait! We've been here for over 3 hours now, and I'm not sure if any of us can see what all this is supposed to mean.
Pee-wee: Supposed to mean? Supposed to mean!?

Madame Ruby: For twenty dollars I can tell you a lot of things. For thirty dollars I can tell you more. And for fifty dollars I can tell you everything.
Pee-wee: Tell me why I'm here first.
Madame Ruby: You're here because you... want something!

Pee-wee is picked up by Large Marge (Alice Nunn), learning at a truck stop diner that Large Marge was actually a ghost. Pee-wee meets Simone (Diane Salinger), a friendly waitress who wants to move to Paris. Her huge boyfriend Andy (Jon Harris) thinks Pee-wee and Simone are romantically linked, chasing Pee-wee and causing him to flee in a boxcar of a moving train. Making it to San Antonio he finds that the Alamo has no basement. Realizing his whole trip was a sham, he goes to the bus station to return home. Along the way he runs afoul of the "Satan's Helpers" biker gang after accidentally knocking over their motorcycles. Fearing they are going to kill him, Pee-wee asks for one last request and dances to "Tequila", winning the respect of the bikers. The bikers give him a motorcycle, but Pee-wee quickly crashes it, ending up in the hospital. There, he learns from a TV program that his bike now belongs to Kevin Morton (Jason Hervey), a child star who is currently filming a movie with the bike as a prominent prop.

Simone: Do you have any dreams?
Pee-wee: Yeah, I'm all alone. I'm rolling a big doughnut and this snake wearing a vest...
Simone: Ah! Pee-Wee! Ha ha! C'est magnifique! Voici Pierre.
Pierre: Bonsoir.
Pee-wee: Ditto. Here, brought you guys French Fries! Ha ha ha!
Simone and Pierre: Merci beaucoup, Pee-Wee!
Pee-wee: Merci-bleh-bleh!

Biker: Did anybody tell you that this is the private club of the Satan's Helpers?
Pee-wee: Nobody hipped me to that, dude.
Biker: It's off-limits!

Pee-wee sneaks into Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California and locates the set on which Kevin is acting. Pee-wee disguises himself as a nun in order to infiltrate the set and reclaim his bike. In a wild chase scene, he flees from the Warner Bros. security staff through a variety of sets. Various actors and props, including a boat-shaped car, a Santa Claus sleigh, and a man in a Godzilla costume, get swept into the chase. He also interrupts the shooting of a Twisted Sister music video for "Burn in Hell" from "Stay Hungry". Using the gadgets on his bike, Pee-wee manages to evade the guards and escape the studio. As he blissfully rides away, however, Pee-wee discovers a pet shop in flames. After heroically saving all the animals, even the scary snakes, Pee-wee faints on the store's doorstep just as the fire department and police arrive. Though the firemen consider Pee-wee a hero, the police place Pee-wee under arrest.

Kevin Morton: Well, is everything straightened out?
Jerry: We are ready whenever you are.
Kevin Morton: Doesn't it look like I'm ready? I am always ready! I have been ready since first call! I am ready! Roll!
Jerry: Quiet, please! This is a take. Roll, please.
Cameraman: Speed!
Kevin Morton: Action!
Jerry: Action!

Pee-wee is brought before a Warner Bros. studio executive who offers to buy the rights to Pee-wee's story in exchange for dropping all charges. Pee-wee agrees and attends the premiere at his local drive-in. All of the friends Pee-wee made during his trip come to see the film, and Pee-wee greets each of them. He ends with Dottie, having finally fulfilled her demands for a date at the drive-in. As a final act of vengeance, Pee-wee allows Francis to sit on his bike, who triggers the ejector seat and goes flying. Pee-wee's movie turns out to be a James Bond-style action film involving James Brolin and Morgan Fairchild fighting ninjas. Pee-wee has a cameo appearance as a bell-boy, but his dialogue is dubbed over with a funny deep voice. After watching for a few minutes, Pee-wee decides to leave, having already lived the real story, saying "I don't need to see it, Dottie. I lived it." Reunited with his bike, he happily rides away with Dottie.

The success of the live stage show THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW in 1980 prompted Warner Brothers to hire Paul Reubens to write a script for a full-length Pee-wee Herman film. With imaginative sets and dream sequences that use claymation and pixilated models, PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE is a side-splitting comedy that references almost every Hollywood genre, especially the perennial favorite Road Movies. Former animator Tim Burton made his feature directorial debut with this delightful comedy, co-scripted by Phil Hartman, who also appears briefly as a reporter. They keep the story simple to concentrate on the characters. Pee-wee's most prized possession, his shiny new bicycle, is stolen, and he sets off on an obsessive cross-country journey, determined to recover it. Pee-wee's awkward and childish attempts to be cool and mature are hysterical, as when he tells his girlfriend Simone: "There's things about me you don't know, Dottie. Things you wouldn't understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you shouldn't understand.... I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel." Reubens is on-screen for the majority of the film, and he never fails to entertain. As Pee-wee, he can take the most innocuous lines and make them hilarious.

Pee-wee is never interested in women or the men who admire him. He loves only his bike. The bicycle functions, in fact, as the love interest of the narrative. An object of extraordinary beauty, attended by falling cherry blossoms and ethereal music, the bike is supremely desirable. Filming locations included Glendale, California, Pomona, Santa Monica, Burbank, Cabazon, and the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas. Burton and Reubens had tensions with Warner Bros. studio executives over the shooting schedule, and Burton hired CalArts classmate Rick Heinrichs for scenes involving stop-motion animation. To compose the film score, Burton brought in Danny Elfman, who had not composed a film before. Elfman already had the main title theme written before he signed on, and is now a top movie composer in Hollywood.

The cast also includes: Irving Hellman (Mr. Crowtray), Monte Landis (Mario), Damon Martin (Chip), David Glasser (BMX Kid), Gregory Brown (BMX Kid), Mark Everett (BMX Kid), Daryl Keith Roach (Chuck), Bill Cable (Policeman 1), Peter Looney (Policeman 2), Starletta DuPois (Sgt. Hunter), Professor Toru Tanaka (Butler), Ed Herlihy (Mr. Buxton), Ralph Seymour (Francis' Accomplice), Lou Cutell (Amazing Larry), Raymond Martino (Gang Member), Bill W. Richmond (Highway Patrolman), Ed Griffith (Trucker), Simmy Bow (Man in Diner), Jon Harris (Andy), Carmen Filpi (Hobo Jack), Jan Hooks (Tina), John Moody (Bus Clerk), john O'Neill (Cowboy 1), Alex Sharp (Cowboy 2), Chester Grimes (Biker 1), luis Contreras (Biker 2), Lonnie Parkinson (Biker 3), Howard Hirdler (Biker 4), Cassandra Peterson (Biker Mama), Bob McClurg (Studio Guard), John Paragon (Movie Lot Actor), Susan Barnes (Movie Lot Actress), Zachary Hoffman (Director), Lynne Marie Stewart (Mother Superior), George Sasaki (Japanese Director), Richard Brose (Tarzan), Drew Seward (Kid 1), Brett Fellman (Kid 2), Bob Drew (Fireman), John Gilgreen (Policeman at Pet Shop), Noreen Hennessey (Reporter), Phil Hartman (Reporter), Michael Varhol (Photographer), David Rothenberg (Hobo), Patrick Cranshaw (Hobo), Sunshine Parker (Hobo), Gilles Savard (Pierre), James Brolin (Himself - as PeeWee), Morgan Fairchild (Herself - as Dottie), Tony Bill (Terry Hawthorne), Dee Snider (Himself), Milton Berle (Himself), Terry Bolo (Biker Chick), Tim Burton (Thug in alley), and Cleve Hall (Godzilla, Biker Gang Member). Danny Elfman composed the original music. Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens, and Michael Varhol wrote the screenplay. Tim Burton directed.

Music Track listing:

1. "Overture / The Big Race (03:07)
2. "Breakfast Machine (02:36)
3. "Park Ride (01:14)
4. "Stolen Bike (01:44)
5. "Hitchhike (00:56)
6. "Dinosaur Dream (00:48)
7. "Simone's Theme (01:35)
8. "Clown Dream (01:58)
9. "Studio Chase (01:24)
10. "The Drive-In (02:02)
11. "Finale (03:12)

Also in the film are "Burn in Hell" by Twisted Sister and "Tequila" by The Champs.

PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE opened on August 9, 1985 in the United States in 829 theaters, accumulating $4,545,847 over its opening weekend. The film went on to gross $40,940,662 domestically, recouping five times of its $7 million budget, making it a financial success. The film was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Family Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical). The success of this movie prompted CBS to to sign Reubens to act, produce, and direct his own live-action Saturday morning children's program, PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE in 1986.

At the time of its release in 1985, the film received mixed reviews. Gene Siskel called it one of the worst films of 1985, but PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE developed into a cult film. Christopher Null gave positive feedback, calling it "Burton's strangest film." Variety compared Paul Reubens to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, while Empire called the film "a one-comic masterpiece" and "a dazzling debut" for Burton. Stephanie Zacharek of Salon wrote, "Everything about PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE, from its toy-box colors to its superb, hyper-animated Danny Elfman score to the butch-waxed hairdo and wooden-puppet walk of its star and mastermind is pure pleasure."

Warner Home Video released PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE on DVD in May 2000. Special features include audio commentary with Paul Reubens, Danny Elfman, and Tim Burton, premiere party footage, the original theatrical trailer, deleted scenes, and a compilation of story boards and sketches with a third commentary by the production designer. In the deleted scenes you'll learn the origin of "Amazing Larry", meet Boone the Bear, and see Pee-wee fling the boomerang bow tie he bought at the magic shop. The anamorphic widescreen picture is perfect, and it appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this single-sided, dual-layered DVD. The image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. This is the first time the movie has appeared in its original aspect ratio. Previous releases were full-frame and actually offered more information on the top and bottom. Sharpness is consistently good, with only some moderate softness that appears during a few wider shots. The print used for the transfer looks fairly clean, with some occasional speckling but no grain or more significant flaws such as scratches or hairs. This film features a lot of bold primary colors, and the DVD does a decent but unspectacular job of rendering these. Hues seem fairly accurate but slightly bland.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) * * ½

(first lines)
Rufus: Hi, welcome to the future. San Dimas California 2688. And I'm telling you it's great here. The air is clean, the water's clean, even the dirt, it's clean. Bowling averages are way up, mini-golf scores are way down. And we have more excellent water slides than any other planet we communicate with. I'm telling you this place is great! But it almost wasn't. You see, 700 years ago, the two great ones, ran into a few problems. So now I have to travel back in time to help them out. If I should fail to keep these two on the correct path, the basis of our society will be in danger. Don't worry, it'll all make sense. I'm a professional.

The film opens in the future San Dimas, California, with agent Rufus (George Carlin) preparing to use a time-traveling phone booth to go back 700 years to 1988 to make sure that Bill S. Preston (Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves) remain together in the band "Wyld Stallyns", as their music is the core of the future's utopian society. There's only one problem: they can't play their instruments. Rufus finds that Bill and Ted are on the verge of failing their high school history class. Their hard nosed history teacher tells them that if they don't pass their oral history report, they will flunk out of school. This oral report involves imagining what historical characters would've thought of the present day and the local environment.

Ted: What are you doin' home, dad?
Capt. Logan: I'm looking for my keys.
Ted: Oh!
Capt. Logan: You haven't done anything with them, have ya?
Ted: No, sir.
Capt. Logan: I spoke to your principal today, Ted. He said you're failing history.
Ted: Me and Bill...
Capt. Logan: He also said that if fail history, you flunk out of school. You know what that would mean, don't ya, Ted?
Ted: That I would have to go to Oats' military acadamy, sir.
Capt. Logan: Uh huh. I spoke to Colonel Oats this morning. He's anxious to meet you, Ted. You pack your bags, Ted.
Ted: What?
Capt. Logan: You're going to military school, Ted.
Ted: But, dad...
Capt. Logan: No, I don't wanna hear it, Ted.
Ted: But...
Capt. Logan: Ted! You go home and pack your bags now.

If Ted fails, his father police Captain Logan (Hal Langdon) will ship him off to an Alaskan military academy, effectively ending the pair's rock band. As the two try to write a history report by asking customers at a local Circle K, Rufus introduces himself to them. Though Bill and Ted are skeptical of Rufus' claims, they are convinced when future versions of themselves land nearby and explain the situation to them. Rufus shows Bill and Ted how the time machine works by taking them back to see Napoleon Bonaparte (Terry Camilleri) preparing for battle. Rufus returns to the present and leaves the two with the time machine. After Rufus leaves, they discover that Napoleon was dragged with them back to the present, and they get an idea. To pass their history exam, they will go back in time and kidnap other historical figures and have them explain what they think of the San Dimas of the present. Bill and Ted leave Napoleon with Ted's younger brother Deacon (Frazier Bain) while they travel back to the past.

Bill: Okay, wait, if we were one of Europe's greatest leaders, and we were stranded in San Dimas for one day, where would we go?
Bill and Ted: Waterloo!
Ted: (after Napoleon explains his new waterslide war strategy) I don't think it's gonna work.
Napoleon: Non? (he slams his pointer down on a map) Triomphe Napoleon!

Bill and Ted first collect Billy the Kid (Dan Shor) and Socrates (Tony Steedman), who are both confused but eager to help the pair. When they travel to medieval Europe, they become smitten with Princesses Elizabeth (Kimberley Kates) and Joanna (Diane Franklin), but fall into trouble with their father the King. They manage to escape with the help of Billy and Socrates and continue traveling through time. Soon, they have collected Sigmund Freud (Rod Loomis), Ludwig van Beethoven (Clifford David), Genghis Khan (Al Leong), Joan of Arc (Jane Wiedlin), and Abraham Lincoln (Robert V. Barron). The passengers encounter brief technical difficulties, and when attempting to return to the present, end up returning on the previous day outside the Circle K with Rufus introducing himself to their past selves. Bill and Ted recount their experience to their past selves, and learn how to properly return to the present from Rufus in order to give their history report on time.

Bill and Ted: Hows it goin' ladies?
Princess Elizabeth: You're the ones we saw in front of the castle.
Ted: I am Ted of San Dimas, and, uh, I bring to you a message of love.
Princess Elizabeth: (giggles) From who?
Ted: From... from myself.
Princess Elizabeth: And what is this message you speak of?
Ted: Uh...
Bill: Lyrics dude, recite them some lyrics.
Ted: Oh, you beautiful babes from England, for whom we have traveled through time... will you go to the prom with us in San Dimas? We will have a most triumphant time!

Bill: (approaching Socrates) How's it going? I'm Bill, this is Ted. We're from the future.
Socrates: Socrates.
Ted: (whispering to Bill) Now what?
Bill: I dunno. Philosophize with him!
Ted: "All we are is dust in the wind," dude. (Socrates gives them a blank stare)
Bill: (scoops up a pile of dust lets it run out of his hand) Dust. (he blows the remainder away)
Bill: Wind.
Ted: (points at Socrates) Dude. (Socrates gasps)
Billy the Kid: Not bad, eh, Socrates? Where are we, dude?
Bill: England, 15th century.

Sigmund Freud: Hello. I'm Dr. Freud, but you may call me Siggy. What is a geek?
Bill: (responding to Freud's invitation to examine him) Nah. Just got a minor Oedipal complex.
Sigmund Freud: This must be a dream. You both seem to be suffering from a mild form of hysteria.

Abraham Lincoln: Fourscore and... (looks at his pocket watch) Seven minutes ago... we, your forefathers, were brought forth upon a most excellent adventure conceived by our new friends, Bill... and Ted. These two great gentlemen are dedicated to a proposition which was true in my time, just as it's true today. Be excellent to each other. And... party on dudes!

Bill: Dude, you gotta have a poker face, like me. (Ted stops grinning at his cards, Bill looks at his own cards)
Bill: Whoa, three aces!
Bearded Cowboy: What the hell's going on here, Billy?
Old West Ugly Dude: Are you a-cheatin' us kid?
Billy the Kid: Cheating? Me? (leaps up, flips table over screaming) Aah!

While trying to get the other historical figures accustomed to life in San Dimas by dropping them off at the local shopping mall, Ted learns that Deacon abandoned Napoleon at a bowling alley the night before. Bill and Ted go off to search for him, finding him enjoying himself at a local water park, "Waterloo". When they return to the mall, they find the other historical figures have been arrested by Ted's father due to the chaos they caused. The two try to figure out how to rescue them when they realize they can use the time machine to go back in time and plant elements, such as the cell keys, at the police station for their escape plan. They successfully free the historical figures and make it to the school on time for their report. The report is an outstanding success, and the two pass their course.

Bill: It is indeed a pleasure to introduce to you a gentleman we picked up in medieval Mongolia in the year 1269.
Ted: Please welcome, the very excellent barbarian...
Ted and Bill: ...Mr. Genghis Khan! (All the students applaud wildly for Khan)
Ted: This is a dude who, 700 years ago, totally ravaged China, and who, we were told, 2 hours ago, totally ravaged Oshman's Sporting Goods.

These two guys don't actually have to do anything to be funny. You laugh at them even if they're just standing there. It turns out they can be quite resourceful. Like a lot of teenagers, they just need motivation. It's hard not to like them, since they're about as good-natured kids as you're likely to find. Bill has the initiative, willing to take risks without hesitation because he doesn't have a clue of what he's getting into. Ted is a born romantic, a sweet-faced kid who all the girls think is really cute. Any time he sees a good-looking girl his heart leaps into his throat and stars flicker in his eyes.

At the end of the film, Rufus joins Bill and Ted as they practice and congratulates them on their report. Rufus brings in Princesses Elizabeth and Joanna, whom he rescued from their father, and explains that he's introduced them to the modern century, and that they too are destined to be part of Wyld Stallyns. As the four begin to play a cacophony of music, Rufus speaks the film's last lines: "They do get better."

BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE is a combination comedy and science fiction/fantasy that presents the viewer with an interesting premise: What if the actions and words of a pair of southern California teenagers are actually important to the survival of the world? This idea seems doomed to failure when we meet Bill and Ted for the first time. The two teens are nice enough guys but apparently are real airheads when it comes to academics. It works as a film because it provides us with humor on a number of levels. The film is actually great family fare because it doesn't contain a lot of profanity, gratuitous violence or sexual activity and provides audiences of all ages with a pleasant time. It is clearly an important influence on humor of the 1990s when you think of subsequent projects like WAYNE'S WORLD (1992).

This slacker comedy provides some good low-brow laughs. One of the silliest movies of all time, the humor is juvenile, and the teenage protagonists seem almost completely vacant-minded. The film aggravated some educators with its frivolous treatment of academia but brought praise from others for making history fun and palatable. It also stamped words like "bogus" and "gnarley" firmly into the 1990s slang lexicon. George Carlin's appearance as the time-traveler Rufus adds a little comedic legitimacy to this little film, which essentially boils down to engaging and well-paced silly, mindless fun with a fairly well-written script. The legacy of Bill and Ted can be traced to the slacker comedies of Adam Sandler.

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter make a great comedy team and their valley dude act and vocabulary becomes very humorous in the context of all of the historical figures we see. Could you imagine greeting Genghis Khan or Napoleon with the line "How's it goin', dude?" Another premise that works very well is the whole idea that the vacuous valley talk like "party on" and "be excellent" or heavy metal music from a teenage garage band actually becomes the mantras of a future society. Finally a lot of humor is made from taking famous historical figures and inserting them into contemporary American suburban society. When we see Napoleon downing a huge sundae at an ice cream store, or delighting to the tidal wave at a water theme park, Beethoven jamming on modern music synthesizers at a shopping mall, Billy the Kid and Socrates learning to play Nerf ball, and Joan of Arc getting into aerobic dance, it becomes an interesting commentary on our society and what the impact of common things we take for granted will have on the future. It provides us with the more subtle idea that maybe the perceptions and attitudes of this generation will have some importance in our future, and that the teenagers of today eventually may amount to something in our culture.

The cast also includes: Bernie Casey (Mr. Ryan), Amy Stock-Poynton (Missy Preston), J. Patrick McNamara (Mr. Preston), William Robbins (Ox Robbins), Steve Shepherd (Randolf Shepherd), Anne Machette (Buffy), (Traci Dawn Davis), (Jody Davis), Duncan McLeod (Old West Bartender), John Clure (Tattooed Cowboy), Jim Cody Williams (Bearded Cowboy), Dusty O'Dee (Old West Ugly Dude), Heather Pittman (Kerry), Ruth Pittman (Daphne), Richard Alexander (Bowling Alley Manager), James Bowbitch (John the Serf), John Karlsen (Evil Duke), Jeanne Hermine Herek (Mother at Waterslides), Jonathan Bond (Waterslide Attendant), Jeff S. Goodrich (Music Store Salesman), Lisa Rubin (Girl at Mall), Marjean Holden (Student Speaker), Claudia Templeton (Aerobic Saleswoman), Carol Gossler (Aerobic Instructor), J. Donovan Nelson (Mall Photographer), Marcia Darroch (Store Clerk), Steven Rotblatt (Police Psychiatrist), Ed Solomon (Stupid Waiter), Chris Matheson (Ugly Waiter), Mark Ogden (Neanderthal 1), Tom Dugan (Neanderthal 2), Ron Althoff (Security Guard), Clarence Clemons (The Three Most Important People in the World), Martha Davis (The Three Most Important People in the World), Fee Waybill (The Three Most Important People in the World), Phillip V. Caruso (Dance Photographer), Lee Hollingsworth (Student), Tricia Porter (Bowling Score Keeper), and Golan Ramras (Kid at Waterloo). David Newman composed the original music. Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon wrote the screenplay. Stephen Herek directed.

The film was shot in the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area, mostly in and around Coronado High School in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1987. This movie was actually made and planned for release in 1987, but due to the bankruptcy of the film's original distributor, the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, the project was not released theatrically until February 17, 1989. As a partial result of the delay, certain dates in the movie originally scripted as "1987" had to be redubbed as "1988". The copyright date of this movie is 1988 and the same date appears on the DVD cover.

Originally, the time machine was to be a 1969 Chevrolet van, but the idea was nixed as being too close in concept to the De Lorean used in the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy. Instead, the time machine was styled after a 1960s American telephone booth. Its similarity to the time-traveling British police box-shaped TARDIS of the BBC's television programme DOCTOR WHO is reflected in the "Cracked" parody in which the Doctor threatens to sue Rufus. However, the Bill & Ted telephone booth lacked the huge interior spaces of the Doctor's TARDIS.

As is often the case with movie soundtracks with rock music in them, the songs are arranged in a different order than they are heard in the movie. The sequence of the songs in the movie is as follows:

6. I Can't Break Away (Big Pig)
4. Dancing with a Gypsy (Tora Tora)
5. Father Time (Shark Island)
7. Dangerous (Shark Island)
9. In Time (Robbi Robb)
10. Two Heads Are Better Than One (Power Tool)
2. Boys and Girls Are Doing It (Vital Signs)
1. Play With Me (Extreme)
8. Walk Away (Bricklin)
3. Not So Far Away (Glen Burtnik)
10. Two Heads Are Better Than One (reprise) (Power Tool)

Two spin-off TV series were produced as BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURES. The first, an animated series, featured the voices of Carlin, Winter, and Reeves, ran for 21 episodes in 1990 and 1991. A later live-action series, featuring none of the cast from the movie, included Evan Richards as Bill and Christopher Kennedy as Ted, and lasted seven episodes in 1992 on FOX. Video games from Game Boy, NES and Atari Lynx were released, very loosely based on the film's plot. A PC title and nearly identical Amiga and Commodore 64 port were made in 1991 by Off the Wall Productions and IntraCorp, Inc. under contract by Capstone Software and followed the original movie very closely.

BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE was followed in 1991 by the sequel BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY. Like the first film, it stars Keanu Reeves as "Ted" Theodore Logan and Alex Winter as Bill S. Preston Esq. The film's working title was "Bill & Ted Go To Hell" and it is slightly better than the original.

The movie opens in the future, where Chuck De Nomolos (Joss Ackland) steals a time traveling phone booth, and then sends robotic duplicates of Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) back to the past to prevent their band "Wyld Stallyns" from winning the Fourth Annual San Dimas Battle of the Bands, thereby removing their influence on history. Rufus (George Carlin) attempts to stop De Nomolos' plan but ends up lost in time. In the present, Bill and Ted struggle with their band Wyld Stallyns. While former 15th-century princesses and current fiancées Elizabeth (Annette Azcuy) and Joanna (Sarah Trigger) have become skilled on their instruments, Bill and Ted are still inept. De Nomolos' clones capture Bill and Ted, and kill the pair by throwing them over a cliff, then take over their lives, including ruining their relationships with the princesses.

The real Bill and Ted find themselves facing Death (William Sadler), the Grim Reaper, who challenges them to a game for their souls. They realize they have no chance of defeating him, and instead give Death a "melvin" and flee. Bill and Ted try to find someone who can help them in their ethereal state, first by possessing Ted's father, Captain Logan (Hal Landon Jr.). He says, "I totally possessed my Dad!" He possesses another police officer, and then tries to call out at a séance held by Ted's stepmother Missy (Amy Stock-Poynton). However, at the séance, they are mistaken for evil spirits and cast down into Hell. The two are sentenced by Satan (Frank Welker) and forced to live their own personal versions of Hell. The two realize their only means of escape is to play the Reaper in a game for their souls.

The Reaper brings them out of Hell, and lets them decide which game to play. The pair select several games, including Battleship, Clue, electric football, and Twister, each time winning and requiring the Reaper to insist on a rematch. Eventually the Reaper acquiesces and lets the pair command him. Bill and Ted realize that the only way to face their robotic counterparts and get to the Battle of the Bands is to find the smartest being alive to build them a more powerful set of robots. The Reaper takes them to Heaven and introduces him to Station (Frank Welker), an alien that is able to split itself into two smaller versions of itself. The group returns to present-day Earth, and gather the necessary parts for Station at the local hardware store. As they race to the Battle of the Bands, Station completes powerful robotic versions of Bill and Ted. Station's robots are able to defeat De Nomolos' clones before Wyld Stallyns are due to take the stage. De Nomolos arrives from the future in the time machine, intent on defeating the band himself over a worldwide television broadcast, but Bill and Ted are able to get the upper hand with their friends' help. Rufus, who was able to return to the future and then travel to the present, helps to secure De Nomolos while encouraging Bill and Ted to get on stage and play.

As Bill and Ted reunite with their fiancées and prepare to play, they realize that their musical skills still are lacking, and the four of them disappear briefly in the time machine, reappearing moments later but aged several months. During this time, they have not only learned how to skillfully play their instruments but both couples have married and have offspring. Wyld Stallyns, joined by both the Reaper and Station, play their world-changing music to a global television audience thanks to De Nomolos' interference. During the end credits, fictional newspaper and magazine articles describe the worldwide impact of the Stallyns' music towards the utopian future.

Capricorn One (1978) * * ¾

The setting is the late 1970s, and the first manned mission to Mars is on the launch pad ready to blast off. We hear the voice of a radio announcer give the solemn details of what was eaten at breakfast by the three astronauts who begin their journey to Mars this day. The sequence lasts perhaps 10 minutes, and it's very promising. It's funny and accurate in all the banalities we have seen on TV of NASA rockets into outer space. Then CAPRICORN ONE gets down to its real narrative. It is the story of a phony USA Mars landing, faked by employees of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, because the mission's life-support system is faulty. To scratch the mission would mean the end of the nation's space program. So says Dr. James Kelloway (Hal Holbrook), the mission's director, as he tries to convince us--as well as the mission's three astronauts, who've been removed from their space capsule at the last minute.

Lt. Col Peter Willis: Hey, Dr. Kelloway. Funny thing happened on the way to Mars. Anybody hungry? Oh, the marvels of American science. Here we are millions of miles from earth, and we can still send out for pizza.

Congressman Hollis Peaker: (At the launch of Capricorn One Peaker notices the Vice-President ogling a woman through his binoculars. He points to the launch pad) It's that big, tall, white thing over there. You can't miss it.

NASA realizes that a faulty life support system has doomed any chance of a successful flight, so for political and financial purposes they decide to fake the landing rather than cancel the mission. Minutes before the launch, the bewildered crew of Col. Charles Brubaker (James Brolin), Lt. Col. Peter Willis (Sam Waterston), and Cmdr. John Walker (O. J. Simpson) are removed from the capsule and flown to an old abandoned United States Army Air Corps base deep within the desert. The televised launch proceeds on schedule, but the public is unaware that spacecraft Capricorn One does not have a crew.

At the remote base, the astronauts are informed they will fake the television footage from Mars and it is their patriotic duty to participate. Initially they refuse, but authorities imply their careers and the lives of their families are at stake if they do not cooperate.

Col. Charles Brubaker: This is really wonderful. If we go along with you and lie our asses off, the world of truth and ideals is, er, protected. But if we don't want to take part in some giant rip-off of yours then somehow or other we're managing to ruin the country. You're pretty good, Jim. I'll give you that.
Dr. James Kelloway: You think it's all a couple of looney scientists, it's not! It's bigger. There are people out there, forces out there, who have a lot to lose. They're grown ups. It's gotten too big, it's in the hands of grown ups!

The astronauts remain in captivity for a period of several months and are filmed "landing on Mars" within a studio located at the base. The conspiracy is known to only a select few NASA officials, until alert technician Elliot Whittier (Robert Walden) stumbles across a bizarre technical anomaly, namely television transmissions from Mars made by the crew are being received by ground control before the spacecraft telemetry arrives. This cannot be possible. The most logical explanation for the anomaly is that the TV transmissions and spacecraft telemetry are coming from two separate locations, and the location of the TV transmissions is much closer to Earth than Mars. Whittier is confused by the anomaly and wishes to investigate further, but is told not to worry about it by his employer. Even so, Whittier feels sufficiently uneasy to share his concerns with journalist friend Robert Caulfield (Elliott Gould) at a local bar. But before Whittier can fully set out his concerns, he mysteriously disappears.

As Caulfield discovers that all evidence of his friend's life appears to have been erased, he becomes suspicious and begins investigating the Mars mission. Attempts to silence Caulfield by trying to kill him are made, but Caulfield survives. Meanwhile back at the abandoned military base, the astronauts begin to suspect that if the conspiracy is to be successful, they will eventually have to be killed. The astronauts' suspicions become reality when their empty capsule burns up during atmospheric reentry and they are declared dead to a mournful nation. The captive astronauts immediately stage a daring escape and attempt to evade military forces in order to expose the conspiracy. Stranded in the desert, they try to make their way back to civilization while being pursued by a pair of helicopters.

Col. Charles Brubaker: We... are dead. We are dead.
Lt. Col Peter Willis: S**t. I was such a terrific guy.

Robert Caulfield: Look, when a reporter tells his assignment editor that he thinks he may be on to something that could be really big, the assignment editor is supposed to say: "You've got forty eight hours, kids, and you better come up with something good or it's going to be your neck!" That's what he's supposed to say, I saw it in a movie.
Walter Loughlin: You're not crazy, I'm crazy. I'm crazy for listening and I'm crazy for saying what I'm about to say. I'll give you twenty four hours to come up with something. Not forty eight. I saw the movie too, it was twenty four. You're fired! Oh, I love how that sounds. I love that so much I'm going to say it again. You're fired. You're through. Oh, I love it!

In the end, Brubaker is the only crew member to avoid capture, Willis and Walker are captured and presumably murdered. Caulfield's investigation leads him to the desert, where he finds the military base and the set, and with the help of cropduster pilot Albain (Telly Savalas), he manages to rescue Brubaker before the men in the helicopters can capture or kill him. The film becomes a chase movie set in the Nevada desert.

Robert Caulfield: My name is Caulfield.
Albain: Hey, I can't help that.
Robert Caulfield: Mr Albain, how much do you charge to dust a field?
Albain: Twenty five dollars.
Robert Caulfield: I'd like to hire your plane.
Albain: That'll be a hundred dollars.
Robert Caulfield: You said you charged twenty five?
Albain: Twenty five dollars to dust a field, but you ain't got no field because you ain't no farmer, which means you ain't poor and I think you're a pervert!
Robert Caulfield: Okay, one hundred.
Albain: One hundred and twenty five.
Robert Caulfield: What?
Albain: Because you said yes to a hundred too quick, which means you can afford a hundred and twenty five. Now what the hell is your friend doing here?
Robert Caulfield: He's lost.
Albain: He robbed a bank or something?
Robert Caulfield: No.
Albain: Well, I get a third.
Robert Caulfield: What?
Albain: We find him, I get a third of the loot. Now keep your goddamn head down. (after killing helicopter pilots) Perverts! (turns to Caulfield) Remember I get half.

The film ends with Caulfield bringing Brubaker to the astronauts' memorial service, exposing the conspiracy in dramatic fashion in front of dozens of witnesses and live national television.

CAPRICORN ONE is a thriller movie about a Mars landing hoax. The plot is simple and rather chilling for this expensive stylistically bankrupt suspense melodrama. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company for Warner Brothers. Although thematically CAPRICORN ONE is a typical 1970s government-conspiracy thriller with similarities to Hyams's subsequent film OUTLAND (1981), the story was inspired by allegations that the Apollo Moon landings were a hoax. The movie has been rated PG for some mildly vulgar language, but it offends only common sense. It's a G-rated movie in disguise, not a great film for the quality cast involved, but a good one that drags in some spots. A few scenes go on a bit too long, and the film is full of quirky characters who occasionally spend so long being quirky that it is obvious their purpose is to show off that quirk. CAPRICORN ONE is a flawed and dated movie, but still worth seeing for it's nostalgia value and for a believable and compelling action film.

This movie falls into the type of conspiracy film that became a fad following the Watergate scandal. Peter Hyams says he pitched the idea for CAPRICORN ONE around for several years but it was not until Watergate made the idea fashionable that he was able to sell the script. The plot is quite clever. Hyams borrows more than an idea or two from writer Barry Malzberg’s satirical exhumations of the space-program and from the lunatic conspiracy theorists who insist that the Moon Landing was faked on TV.

The cast also includes: Brenda Vaccaro (Kay Brubaker), Karen Black (Judy Drinkwater), David Huddleston (Hollis Peaker), David Doyle (Walter Loughlin), Lee Bryant (Sharon Willis), Denise Nicholas (Betty Walker), James Sikking (Control Room Man), Alan Fudge (Capsule Communicator), James Karen (Vice President Price), Virginia Kaiser (Mrs. Price), Nancy Malone (Mrs. Peaker), Hank Stohl (General Enders), Norman Bartold (President), Darrell Zwerling (Dr. Bergen), Milton Selzer (Dr. Burroughs), Lou Frizzell (Horace Gruning), Chris Hyams (Charles Brubaker, Jr.), Seanna Marre (Sandy Brubaker), Paul Picerni (Jerry), Barbara Bosson (Alva Leacock), Paul Haney (Paul Cunningham), Jon Cedar (F.B.I. Man 1), Steve Tannen (Man at Hangar 1), Trent Dolan (Man at Hangar 2), Todd Hoffman (N.A.S.A. Usher), Marty Anka (Bartender), Ken White (Tracking Technician), John Hiscock (Reporter 1), Bridget Byrne (Reporter 2), Colin Dangaard (Reporter 3), James Bacon (Reporter 4), Sandy Davidson (N.A.S.A. Reporter), Ron Cummins (F.B.I. Man 2), Dennis O'Flaherty (F.B.I. Man 3), Zack Taylor (F.B.I. Man 4), and Frank Farmer (Policeman). Jerry Goldsmith composed the original music. Peter Hyams wrote the screenplay and directed.

When it was released, CAPRICORN ONE received a good deal of criticism from the science fiction community for its less than reverent attitude toward the space program. Writer David Gerrold claimed, "It belittles and demeans the highest aspirations of the mind ... devalues the integrity of science itself. Those of us who stood in our backyards on quiet summer nights, gazing up at the stars and wondering, hoping ... the makers of CAPRICORN ONE have taken our dream girl and portrayed her as a prostitute." This argument was defeated by the fact that NASA co-operated with and even loaned equipment and space modules for the making of the film. Rather than trashing its ideals, CAPRICORN ONE actually seems to be lamenting the dream that inspired the space program. Hal Holbrook has a great soliloquy early on in the film about the loss of the dream inspired by John F. Kennedy’s original call for space exploration in the face of 1970s budgetary cutbacks.

This high-concept film is one of Peter Hyams' best. The conspiracy theory premise requires a major suspension of disbelief, but Hyams makes it worthwhile with some inspired work behind the camera. His script is peppered with plenty of rapid-fire dialogue worthy of a Howard Hawks comedy. The exchanges between Elliott Gould and Karen Black are particularly memorable and Hyams applies plenty of style and energy to the film's action set pieces, especially the memorable "dogfight" finale. All the thrills Hyams generates are bolstered by Bill Butler's sharp widescreen cinematography and Jerry Goldsmith's rousing, militaristic score. However, the glue that holds the film together is the tight ensemble work of its gifted cast: Elliott Gould effectively utilizes his off-kilter charm to flesh out a stock "intrepid reporter" role, James Brolin is appropriately stoic as the bravest of the astronaut trio, and Hal Holbrook is quietly effective as a government figure with a hidden agenda. There are also plenty of great supporting roles, the best being Telly Savalas' scene-stealing work as an easily annoyed aviator. Basically CAPRICORN ONE is a lightweight but likable movie which provides plenty of fun for thriller fans.

Two novelizations of the film were written and published by separate authors in 1978. The first was written by Ken Follett under the pseudonym Bernard L. Ross and published in the UK, the other was written by Ron Goulart and published in the US. Both versions are based on Peter Hyam's screenplay.

Lionsgate's DVD of CAPRICORN ONE is an enhanced transfer that replicates cinematographer Bill Butler's sharp images and showcases Jerry Goldsmith's punchy score. The DVD includes a featurette and an entertaining commentary. Director Peter Hyams talks about sifting through official lies while serving as a reporter in Vietnam. He's realistic about his film and proud of its technical achievement. One of Hyams' inspirations came from a statement made by an astronaut. During a launch, the astronaut mused over the fact that he was sitting on an enormous tower of explosives, riding a spaceship in which each part was designed and assembled by the lowest bidder.

Hyams doesn't talk much about the budget shortcuts, such as the fact that most of the desert scenes, including the aerial stunts, seem to be filmed adjacent to the familiar Red Rock Canyon area north of Palmdale, California. Unfortunately, his "helicopters as characters" aerial choreography has dated badly. The bug-like copters turn as if to speak to one another, and behave like hound dogs on the scent. They also fly in tight formation at all times, a risk that's both unnecessary and counterproductive for a desert search. Hyams does point out the film's excellent miniatures, and explains the scheduling problem with SUPERMAN (1978) that gave CAPRICORN ONE a top summer distribution slot.

The featurette places writer-director Hyams opposite a historian and a UFO phenomena buff for an uneven discussion. They cover Hyams' other inspiration, the persistent claims by conspiracy theorists that the Apollo moon landings never happened, and were faked just as seen in CAPRICORN ONE.

Francis (1950) * * ¾

During WWII Second lieutenant Peter Stirling (Donald O'Connor) is wounded, terrified, exhausted, and lost deep behind Japanese enemy lines in Burma. He is rescued by a talking army mule who carries him seven miles to safety and becomes his best friend. Being a talking animal's friend has its advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, Francis is great at ferreting out enemy positions on the island and making Peter look like a war hero. On the minus side, everyone thinks Peter is insane. The cantankerous mule helps him with his romantic problems, but won't speak or show his miraculous skills to anyone else. Stirling doesn't lie about his source of information, and when he insists that the animal rescued him, he is placed in a psychiatric ward. Each time Stirling is released he accomplishes something noteworthy in hilarious situations at the instigation of Francis. And each time, he is sent back to the psycho ward when he insists on crediting the mule's amazing abilities Finally, Stirling gets General Stevens (John McIntire) to order Francis to speak, and he obeys. The mule identifies himself to the commanding general as "Francis, 123d Mule Detachment, serial number M52519."

During one of Stirling's enforced hospital stays, he is befriended by Maureen Gelder (Patricia Medina), a beautiful French refugee who pretends she was lost in the jungle. He has a crush on her, grows to trust her and tells her about Francis. Later, a propaganda radio broadcast from Tokyo Rose mocks the Allies for being advised by a mule. This leads to Maureen being unmasked as a spy. The press is told that the absurd story was concocted in order to flush her out.

Francis: I hope to kiss a duck I can talk!

Francis is shipped back to America for further study, but his plane crashes in Kentucky. After the war, Peter searches for and finally finds him alive and well. While the film is basically a one joke movie, it has an innocence that carries it along at a good pace, and scenes such as Peter's attempts at speaking French to impress a pretty young war refugee are very funny.

FRANCIS is a black and white comedy film that launched the Francis the Talking Mule series. It is touching as well as funny. Donald O'Connor once remarked that he enjoyed this film because it gave him a chance to intermingle a little bit of drama with the comedy. Francis the mule was featured in seven movie comedies in the 1950s. The character originated in a novel by writer David Stern, and soon Universal Studios bought the rights for a film series, with Stern adapting his own script for the first entry, simply titled FRANCIS. This is a perfect family film, even amusing to the adults. If all people had as much sense as this talking mule, the world will be a much better place than its present condition.

The cast also includes: Zasu Pitts (Nurse Valerie Humpert), Ray Collins (Col. Hooker), Eduard Franz (Col. Plepper), Howland Chamberlain (Maj. Nadel), James Todd (Col. Saunders), Robert Warwick (Col. Carmichael), Frank Faylen (Sgt. Chillingbacker), Tony Curtis (Capt. Jones), Mikel Conrad (Maj. Garber), Loren Tindall (Maj. Richards), Charles Meredith (Banker Munroe), Fred Aldrich (Soldier Patient in Psychiatric Ward), Robert Anderson (Capt. Grant), Robert Blunt (Second ambulance man), Laura K. Brooks (Visitor), Roger Cole (Correspondent), Robert Conte (Photographer), Helen Dickson (Bank Customer), Richard Farmer (Marine Corps. captain), Al Ferguson (Capt. Dean), Harold Fong (Japanese soldier), Jack Gargan (Bank Employee), Tim Graham (Lt. Bremm), Sam Harris (Officer seated in Service Club), Harry Harvey (Correspondent), Jim Hayward (Capt. Norman), Judd Holdren (First ambulance man), Ted Jordan (General's Aide), Marvin Kaplan (First Medical Corps lieutenant), Joseph Kim (Japanese Lt. Taki), John Laird (Switchboard Operator), James Linn (Correspondent), Mickey McCardle (Captain Anderson), Fraser McMinn (Second Medical Corps. lieutenant), Roger Moore (Marine Corps. major), Howard Negley (Correspondent), Peter Prouse (Correspondent), Jon Riffel (Switchboard Operator), Jack Shutta (Sgt. Mller), Larry Steers (Officer at Psychiatric Hearing), Chill Wills (Francis the Talking Mule voice), and Duke York (Sgt. Poor, G2). Original music was composed by Frank Skinner and Walter Scharf. The screenplay was written by David Stern from his own 1946 novel. Arthur Lubin directed.

Donald O'Connor stars as an American soldier who gets into trouble when he insists an Army mule named Francis can speak. In its common modern meaning, a mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. The distinctive voice of Francis was provided by Chill Wills. He never received billing for his vocal work, though he was featured prominently on-screen as blustery General Ben Kaye in the fourth sequel, FRANCIS JOINS THE WACS (1954). The first six movies were directed by Universal comedy veteran Arthur Lubin, a film director and producer who directed several Abbott & Costello films and created the TV series MISTER ED.

The actual mule who appeared on-screen was not a male at all, but a female named Molly, selected because she was easy to handle. According to author Pauline Bartel, Universal paid $350 for the animal, but made millions from the film series. Molly was trained by Les Hilton, a former apprentice of Will Rogers who would also go on to train Bamboo Harvester, the horse who played Mister Ed in the TV series. To create the impression that the mule was actually talking, Hilton used a thread fed into the animal's mouth, which when tugged, would cause Molly to try to remove it by moving her lips. The same technique was used for Mister Ed.

As the titles indicate, each film has a different setting or gimmick, exposing the wordly-wise mule and the naive GI to race track excitement, the world of journalism, and many branches of the military, from West Point to the WAC. The basic plots are fairly similar. Stirling, with the sage but sardonic advice of Francis gained from overhearing generals plan strategy or from discussions with other equines, triumphs over his own incompetence. However, inevitably, he is forced to reveal that his advisor was a mule, and be subject to mental analysis--sometimes more than once per movie--until the grand revelation when Francis displays his talent to individuals or to a large group. The astonishing existence of a talking mule is conveniently forgotten by the next movie, however.

FRANCIS GOES TO THE RACES (1951) is the first sequel to FRANCIS and stars Donald O'Connor, Piper Laurie, and Cecil Kellaway. As with the first film, David Stern, the author of the book which started this all off had a hand in the screenplay. Peter (Donald O'Connor) has been fired from the bank job he had in the first film, and is on the road. Francis finds a cousin of his at a horse racing ranch along the way. The two soon find themselves at the track, caught up with big races and small time crooks. Francis, who has the inside track with the racehorses, provides Peter with names of the winners before the races are run. "Does he talk?" asks Peter. "Whoever heard of a talking horse?" answers the talking mule. Peter wins a fistful of cash and uses it to buy a racehorse for the farm. Unfortunately, the mare he chooses is suffering from a lack of confidence. Fortunately, Francis is around to perk her up. When not dealing with the mare, Peter finds time to court the horse-breeder's lovely niece. Despite a pleasant performance by Piper Laurie as the romantic interest, this film is a little flat and one of the least successful.

FRANCIS GOES TO WEST POINT (1952) stars Donald O'Connor, Lori Nelson, Alice Kelley, and Gregg Palmer. This third movie deals with a young man enrolling at West Point, where he needs to be tutored by his friend, Francis the Talking Mule. Picking up the pace a bit Peter Stirling (Donald O'Connor) is now working at a nuclear plant. With a little help from Francis he manages to foil some would-be saboteurs, and in recognition of his time in Burma is offered a place at West Point to train as an army officer. Francis is the West Point football team's mascot, and manages to tag along to watch Peter slip to 687th place in a class of 687. The mule's motherly side comes through and he helps Peter through his troubles in and out of the classroom. This time around, O'Connor is allotted two lovely leading ladies, played by Lori Nelson and Alice Kelly. Two of the West Point cadets are played by future TV favorites David Janssen and James Best. One of the shortest entries, this one feels tighter and is a return to form after the slightly disappointing second film.

FRANCIS COVERS THE BIG TOWN (1952) is the fourth in a series of films about Peter and Francis the Talking Mule. Once again they are on the road, this time to the Big Apple. Peter is wondering what job would suit him. "What would I be good at?" he wonders. "Getting into trouble" Francis wisely replies. Peter ends up working for a newspaper and his greatest source of news tips is Francis, who has become friendly with all the police horses. When asked how he manages to stay abreast of the news, Peter tries to explain about Francis, and is labeled a looney-tune. But when Peter is brought to court on a homicide charge, Francis breaks his self-imposed rule of talking only to Peter and testifies on his master's behalf. With Francis' aid, Peter cracks the murder case and is graduated to star reporter. At fadeout time, Francis is seen wooing a female zebra, explaining "Don't let the striped pajamas fool ya." This sequel is harmless fun, bolstered by a good supporting cast, including Gene Lockhart as Peter's editor and Gale Gordon as a flustered District Attorney.

FRANCIS JOINS THE WACS (1954) stars Donald O'Connor, Julie Adams, and Chill Wills. Because of a bureaucratic snafu, ex-GI Peter Sterling (Donald O'Connor) is called into active duty and assigned to a WAC unit, headed by Major Simpson (Lynn Bari). It is Sterling's task to train the women to be camouflage experts, but the ladies resent his presence, assuming that Peter has been sent to discredit their unit. But with the help of Francis, the WACs manage to win the annual War Games, and to bewilder misogynistic General Kaye (Chill Wills). In one scene Sterling has to masquerade as a WAC nurse while Francis hilariously heckles everybody. Julie Adams, then billed as Julia, provides the love interest. ZaSu Pitts also appears, recreating the role she'd played in the first Francis installment, while other uniformed females include Mamie Van Doren. This sequel borrows quite a bit from the first film, and the most memorable gag involves Peter's inability to tell if one of the WACS is standing at attention or at ease.

FRANCIS IN THE NAVY (1955) is the sixth and last in the Francis the Talking Mule series to be directed by Arthur Lubin and star Donald O'Connor and Chill Wills. Once more, O'Connor plays Army lieutenant Peter Sterling, who heads to a navy base when his old pal Francis is about to be auctioned off as surplus. He has to rescue Francis, but unfortunately Peter looks exactly like a sailor who steals his identity. The Navy mistakes him for his lookalike, and he has to convince them they have the wrong man. In short order, it's off to sea for both Peter and the mule. Among the able-bodied seamen in this film is a chap named Jonesy, played by a young Clint Eastwood in his second movie appearance. An eleborate slapstick finale brings this one to a rousing conclusion. Director Arthur Lubin left the Francis series after FRANCIS IN THE NAVY. Complaining that Francis the Mule was getting more fan mail than he was, Donald O'Connor also bade adios to the Francis series with this entry. The talented actor, singer, and dancer also did not want to be typecast.

FRANCIS IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE (1956) is the seventh and final entry in the series, made without any of the key creative personnel. Universal-International wasn't about to give up on this valuable property, and starred Mickey Rooney, with Charles Barton calling the shots. Likewise missing from the earlier series entries is the voice of Francis, Chill Wills. He is replaced by Paul Frees, who also narrated the film's promotional trailer. The plot and comic content is summed up by the title, as Francis and his new buddy David Prescott (Mickey Rooney) try to corral a gang of art thieves. Along the way, they get mixed up with a phony heiress (Virginia Welles), a series of murders (one of the victims is Richard Deacon) and, of course, a spooky old house. Most of the "scare" gags in FRANCIS IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE had been done earlier and better by Universal's own Abbott and Costello. Mickey Rooney replaced O'Connor as a new but similar character, David Prescott. Director Arthur Lubin and voice actor Chill Wills were replaced by Charles Lamont and Paul Frees, who did a credible approximation of Wills' voice. No real explanation was given or attempted as to why Francis had left Peter Stirling, or why he suddenly decides to befriend reporter Prescott. With the original elements gone, the movie, a standard tale of fake ghosts and gangsters, was poorly received and is widely viewed as the weakest entry in the series.

The first four Francis movies were released on DVD as a set. The video transfer for these films is quite good given their age and the fact that this is basically a budget release. It's not certain any restoration work has been done, and the quality does vary from film to film, but the overall result is pleasing. There is some stock war footage used in the first film which looks older and more worn than the film itself. The films are presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, non 16x9 enhanced, which was their original theatrical release ratio. All 4 movies are reasonably sharp, with fair shadow detail and no low level noise. In the first film at 26:16 the shadow detail, and a little later the beads of sweat on Peter as he moves through the jungle show a good level of general detail. The films are presented in their original black & white, with a nice fresh look and good gradation of grays across the scale. But the second film is a little more harsh in tonal range than the rest. There is some minor telecine wobble in the opening credits on the first film, and all of them exhibit occasional small artefacts. During the fourth film you can see some minor aliasing on the editor's tie at 34:10, which is a good example of the sort of aliasing that happens in the films, but it is infrequent. There is one piece of significant damage at 28:37. In the first film there appears to be a missing frame or two and the picture jumps. The second film has a bit more wear than the rest, but overall they are in fairly good shape for their age.

The audio transfer on these discs has sound quality acceptable for a mono track, and this sort of material would probably gain nothing from a surround remix. The only audio track on the discs is an English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track encoded at a bitrate of 192 Kb/s. When listening to these tracks in Dolby Digital mode a sound field where dialogue placement is indistinct, so Pro Logic mode should be chosen. Dialogue is clear at all times, with good audio sync. As the films are dialogue driven this is a good thing. The music by Frank Skinner in the first two films, uncredited in the second two, does the job without being too memorable. It is mixed at a satisfactory level compared with the rest of the audio. There is no surround activity to mention, except that dialogue is placed nicely towards the screen in Pro Logic mode. With the overall volume level adjusted to a comfortable level the dialogue was strident at times in the first two films. There is little use of the subwoofer for bass support, even during the odd explosion during the fighting scenes in the first film.

There are no extras, but there are 4 films in the set at a decent price. As this is a 7 film series, we may see some extras padding out the 3 films in Volume 2, assuming it ever is marketed. The menu is static and allows you to choose either the first or second film on each disc. You are then taken to a second menu. From this menu you can Play the film, select a Scene (each film has 18 Chapter Stops) or enable Subtitles. The Region 4 and the Region 1 versions of this DVD set appear to be identical so that there is no preference for one over the other. The video transfer is quite good for a fairly old series of films, which would probably have been fairly low budget features at the time.

Mister Ed (1961 - 1966) * * ¾

(opening line of each episode)
Mister Ed: Hello, I'm Mister Ed.

Wilbur Post (Alan Young) is an eccentric and klutzy architect who buys a house in the country. The rambling country home he and his tolerant but domineering wife Carol (Connie Hines) live in has a barn that doubles as Wilbur's office and a horse named Mister Ed (Bamboo Harvester, voiced by Allan Lane). This palomino American Saddlebred can speak, but only to Wilbur, the first human he has ever met worth talking to. Despite all his efforts, Mister Ed will only talk to him. Much of the program's humor stems from Wilbur trying to get Mister Ed to talk to others. Never! Wilbur often looks foolish when friends and family enter the barn and catch Wilbur in mid-sentence talking to Mister Ed. The horse is a notorious troublemaker for Wilbur. Even the way Mister Ed always whinnies "Wwwillburrr" conveys the condescension the horse feels for its master. Confusion caused by having a talking horse, and the situations Mister Ed gets Wilbur into form the stories.

(Wilbur finds Mister Ed sleeping in his living room)
Wilbur: Oh no.
Mister Ed: If you had a dog, you'd let him sleep in the house.
Wilbur: A dog is different. A dog is a household pet.
Mister Ed: Then call me "Rover" and wake me at eight.

Mister Ed is the best thing that ever happened to Wilbur. Without the horse, he would be just another faceless and bland suburbanite. The horse is Wilbur's guru, friend, and confidant. Mister Ed is a "man" of the world, who bones up on his French and attempts to dance the tango. He is also quite ribald, often making risque comments about fillies. His delightful insouciance and devil-may-care attitude make this TV show very appealing and amusing. Everything else is fluffy, banal and plodding nonsense.

Mister Ed: What do you say we go out riding and pick up a couple of fillies?
Wilbur: I'm not a horse, remember?
Mister Ed: Too bad, we could have a ball double dating.

Mister Ed: I love Christmas. Wilbur is so full of the spirit of giving, and I'm so full of the spirit of receiving.

Wilbur: (after Ed finds a straw hat) What are you going to do with a straw hat?
Mister Ed: I'll wear it till it goes out of style. Then I'll eat it! (impatiently) Let's Go Wilbur!
Wilbur: Go? You're on the bottom!
Mister Ed: Sorry! I forgot! Stop gabbin' and get me some oats!

The other main characters in the show are their neighbors the Addisons, Roger (Larry Keating) and Kay (Edna Skinner) until 1963, and then the Kirkwoods, Gordon (Leon Ames) and Winnie (Florence MacMichael). In 1963, the child actor Darby Hinton, cast thereafter as Israel Boone on NBC's Daniel Boone, guest starred as Rocky in the episode "Getting Ed's Goat". Jack Albertson appeared occasionally from 1961 to 1963 as Kay Addison's older brother Paul Fenton.

Wilbur: (after Mister Ed makes a great shot in a ring toss game) Good throw, Ed! I bet you're also good at pitching horseshoes!
Mister Ed: No, Wilbur, I don't play horseshoes.
Wilbur: Really? Why not?
Mister Ed: Because Mom always taught us kids not to throw our clothes around!
Wilbur: Ed, you have run away for the last time! I'm going to lock you in your stall.
Mister Ed: Don't do that Wilbur! I suffer from claustrophobia!
Wilbur: Claustrophobia? You mean you have a fear of confined spaces?
Mister Ed: Sure, it runs in the family. I even get nervous when I put my nose in a small feedbag.
Wilbur: I've been meaning to ask you, Ed. Just how do horses sleep standing up?
Mister Ed: (Shocked) We Do?
Wilbur: Didn't you know?
Mister Ed: How can I? When I'm asleep my eyes are closed! Well, time to hit the hay... oh I forgot, I ate it!

For the final season, the show focuses strictly on the home life of the Posts, which is made more interesting when Carol's grumpy and uptight father Mr. Higgins (Barry Kelly), who appears occasionally through the entire series, apparently moves in with Wilbur and Carol during the final episodes. He never stopped loathing Wilbur since his quirky eccentricity clashes with his emotionless and uptight personality, and he never stops trying to persuade Carol to leave Wilbur, whom he refers to as a "kook" because of his klutziness. The whole thing is good clean silly fun in the tradition of GREEN ACRES, THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, and PETTICOAT JUNCTION.

MISTER ED is an American television situation comedy produced by Filmways that first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961 and then on CBS from October 1, 1961 to February 6, 1966. MISTER ED was the first series ever to debut as a midseason replacement. The entire six year MISTER ED series of 142 episodes was filmed in black and white. According to Arthur Lubin, the show's producer, Alan Young was chosen as the lead character because he "just seemed like the sort of guy a horse would talk to." Lubin, a friend of Mae West, scored a coup by persuading the screen icon to guest star in one episode. It's hilarious when Mister Ed moves in with the movie star.

The concept of the show was similar to FRANCIS THE TALKING MULE (1950), with the equine normally talking only to one person, and thus both helping and frustrating its owner. Arthur Lubin also produced the 1950s FRANCIS film series. Mister Ed (1949-1970) was voiced by ex-B-movie cowboy star Allan "Rocky" Lane speaking and Sheldon Allman singing, except his line in the theme song, which was sung by its composer, Jay Livingston. Ed was voice-trained for the show by Les Hilton. Lane remained anonymous and the credits list Mister Ed as playing "Himself". However, his real name was Bamboo Harvester. Ed's stablemate, a quarter horse named Pumpkin, who was later to appear in the television series Green Acres, was also Ed's stunt double in the show. There are a few conflicting stories regarding the death of Mister Ed. Connie Hines retired from acting a few years after the show's cancellation in 1966, but she and Alan Young still make public appearances together.

The cast also includes: James Flavin (SIA Agent J.G. Slattery), Richard Deacon (Dr. Stekel, the Shrink), Joe Conley (Photographer), Barbara Morrison (Customer), Elizabeth Field (Bank Teller), Logan Field (Hogan), Richard Reeves (Charlie, Union Truck Terminal Worker), Hazel Shermet (Lady in Shower), Ben Welden (Joe, Union Truck Terminal Worker), Frank Wilcox (Dr. Chadkin), Ray Kellogg (Frank), Karl Lukas (Charlie), Nick Stewart (Mailman), Robert Nunn, John Qualen, Donna Douglas, Lee Goodman, Mary Carroll, Henry Corden, Rolfe Sedan, Howard Wendell, Jay Ose, Olan Soule, Al Checco, Neil Hamilton, Hugh Sanders, Chick Chandler, Norman Leavitt, Robert Carson, George N. Neise, George O'Hanlon, Coleen Gray, Ray Walker, Peter Leeds, Raymond Bailey, Elvia Allman, Eleanor Audley, George Barrows, Les Tremayne, John Hale, Jack LaLanne, Karen Norris, Doris Packer, Anthony Warde, Don Brodie, Carole Evern, Henry Norell, Chris Hughes, Percy Helton, Robert Anderson, Riza Royce, Willard Waterman, Ricky Star, Gail De Cossi, Robert Patten, Ginny Tyler, Butch Patrick, Moyna MacGill, Sharon Tate, Bill Baldwin, Irwin Charone, June Whitley Taylor, Oscar Beregi Jr., Henry Brandon, Nobu McCarthy, and Michael Ross. The original music was composed by Jack Cookerly and Dave Kahn. There were 11 screenwriters, most notably Lou Derman (128 episodes). There were 5 directors, most notably Arthur Lubin (128 episodes).

The theme song was written by the team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, and sung for the show by Livingston, who was not the first choice. Only the music was used to open the first six episodes, but when a professional singer could not be found, Livingston agreed to sing the lyrics, because the producers were so pleased with his vocals, and he was never replaced.

The series was sponsored from 1961 to 1963 by Studebaker Corporation, a now-defunct American car manufacturer. Studebakers were featured prominently in the show during this period. The Posts are shown owning a 1962 Lark convertible, and the company used publicity shots featuring the Posts and Mister Ed with their product (various cast members also appeared in "integrated commercials" for Lark at the end of the program). The Addisons are shown owning a 1963 Avanti. Ford Motor Company provided the vehicles starting at the beginning of 1965. It is also interesting to note that in the first episode ever aired, the Posts are driving a 1961 Studebaker Lark.

It is often said the crew was able to get Mister Ed to move his mouth by applying peanut butter to his gums in order for him to try to remove it by moving his lips. However, Alan Young admitted in 2004 that he had started that story himself, and explaining the actual method used. In an interview on April 7, 2007 on radio station 3AW, Melbourne, Australia, he admitted that a loose piece of Nylon was inserted under Mister Ed's lip which the horse attempted to remove on his trainer's cue. Mister Ed was so well trained that the insert would be ignored until the required cue. Examination of Mister Ed footage shows that the "marionette theory" (pulling strings to make him talk) was at work at least some of the time. Excerpts exist from a few episodes where the lighting and camera angle reveal a visible nylon "bit" being pulled for each word Ed spoke. Young denied this occurred in the radio interview. Some may claim a nylon bit was needed in order to have Ed turn his head or perform some other movement without his trainer having to be in the camera shot, but the evidence is that the bit was also used when Ed was standing still and merely had to talk. Young finally admitted during his interview for the Archive of American Television that a string was pulled to make Ed talk, noting that "this is for the Archive, right?" before explaining that he had used the peanut butter fable for years in radio interviews instead of telling the truth.

MGM Home Entertainment released two Best of collections of MISTER ED on DVD in Region 1. Volume 1 was released January 13, 2004 and contains 21 episodes. Volume 2 was released March 8, 2005 and contains 20 episodes. Season 1 has 26 episodes and the previously released Best of MISTER ED Volume 1 only has four shows from Season 1 with the Best of Mister Ed Volume 2 having none, indicating 22 of the 26 shows will be new to DVD. Due to poor sales, further volumes were not released. The quality on the Best of MISTER ED DVD's Is very good. MGM also released a single-disc entitled "Mister Ed's Barnyard Favorites" on July 26, 2005 which contains the first eight episodes featured on Volume One. On October 6, 2009, Shout! Factory will release the complete first season of MISTER ED on DVD in Region 1. Judging by the pattern of other CBS and Filmways programs of the era, it is possible that some episodes from the early seasons may have fallen into the public domain.

In 2004, a remake was planned for the Fox network, with Sherman Hemsley as the voice of Mister Ed, David Alan Basche as Wilbur, and Sherilyn Fenn as Carol. Sara Paxton and Danny Pope were also in the show written by Drake Sather and directed by Michael Spiller. The pilot was filmed, but was not picked up by Fox. The show's writer and producer, Drake Sather, committed suicide shortly before the pilot's completion.