Post by teleadm on Nov 7, 2019 13:15:44 GMT
If you've seen a Disney movie from the 1960s and 1970s chances are big that you have seen a movie directed by Norman Tokar.
Being one of the main directors of the popular TV-series Leave it to Beaver between 1957 and 1960 cought the attention of Walt Disney, who was impressed of how good he was with juvenile actors and animals. So Disney hired him, after all Robert Stevenson couldn't direct all Disney live movies.
Norman Tokar (1919 - 1979)
He must have been a very private man since, besides his movies, not much seems to be known about him, and maybe he liked it that way.
He never won any prices, was never nominated, but many of his movies are still remembered favourably by many today.
After a career as an actor on Broadway in the early 1940s, Tokar moved into radio, most notably "The Aldrich Family", where he played Henry Aldrich's friend Willie at the microphone and wrote several episodes as well.
Tokar then went into television direction on such sitcoms as The Bob Cummings Show and dramas as Naked City in the 1950s.
From 1962 until his death he made nearly exclusivly movies for Disney. Though during that period he did direct 5 episodes of The Doris Day Show 1970 and 1971, and 1 episode of M*A*S*H 1973.
Big Red 1962 was Tokar's Disney debut and also his debut as a screen director.
Based on a 1945 novel by American author Jim Kjelgaard.
It starred Walter Pidgeon, Gilles Payant, Émile Genest and Janette Bertrand.
Filmed in the province of Quebec, "Big Red" was an Irish Setter.
Sammy, the Way-Out Seal 1962, was a TV two-parter that was edited together and showed at cinemas in many countries.
It starred Jack Carson (in his final role), Robert Culp, Patricia Barry and Michael McGreevey and Bill Mumy as two kids who adobts a seal and tries to hid it from mom and dad.
Savage Sam 1963, a sequel to Old Yeller based on the novel of the same name by Fred Gipson.
It starred Brian Keith, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran and Dewey Martin.
It was mostly shot around the San Fernando Valley
A Tiger Walks 1964, based on a novel by Ian Niall, about a tiger who escapes from a circus in a small town.
It starred Brian Keith, Vera Miles, Pamela Franklin and Sabu (in his last role).
Those Calloways 1965, a family drama film, adapted from the 1950 children's novel "Swiftwater" by Paul Annixter.
It starred Brian Keith, Vera Miles, Brandon de Wilde and Walter Brennan.
It follows a Vermont family over a period of time as they attempt to establish a sanctuary for the Canada geese that stopover in their rural community during their seasonal migrations.
It was the last credit for veteran film composer Max Steiner.
The Ugly Dashshound 1966, a comedy with slapstick about a Great Dane who believes he's a dachshund, based on a book by G.B. Stern.
It starred Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette, Charles Ruggles and Kelly Thordsen.
The movie earned $6 million, which was considered a hit in 1966, and it received the "Boxoffice" magazine Blue Ribbon Award for the month of March that year.
Follow Me, Boys! 1966, an adaptation of the 1954 novel "God and My Country" by MacKinlay Kantor and is notable for being the final live action film produced by Walt Disney, who died during the month of its release.
It starred Fred MacMurray, Vera Miles, Lillian Gish, Charles Ruggles (in his final movie) and Kurt Russell.
Kurt Russell proved to be very popular and this was the first of seven films that he made for Disney from the late 1960s through early 70s.
The movie proved to be very popular at the box-office, earning over 13M USD.
The Happiest Millionaire 1967 publicity pic, a musical based upon the true story of Philadelphia millionaire Anthony J. Drexel Biddle.
This was the last film with personal involvement from Walt Disney, who died during its production.
It starred Fred MacMurray, Tommy Steele, Greer Garson (in her last cinema role), Lesley Ann Warren, Gladys Cooper and others.
This ambitious movie made at the time when very few musicals were written directly for the movies, failed misarably at the box-office, since it tried to top Mary Poppins. Though it did make it's money back.
The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit 1968, a family comedy based on the 1955 book, "The Year of the Horse" by Eric Hatch.
It starred Dean Jones, Diane Baker, Lloyd Bochner, Fred Clark and Kurt Russell.
This was Fred Clark's final movie appearance and the film was released after his death. The film was dedicated to his memory.
Rascal 1969, a comedy-drama based on a book of the same name by Sterling North, about a young man and his pet raccoon set in rural Wisconsin.
It starred Steve Forrest, Bill Mumy, Pamela Toll and Elsa Lanchester.
The Boatnicks 1970, a comedy with slaptick about a young man who falls in love with the "wrong" girl, and who gets involved with bumbling jewel thieves.
It starred Robert Morse, Stefanie Powers, Phil Silvers, Norman Fell, Don Ameche and others.
The movie became popular at the box-office.
Snowball Express 1972, a screwball comedy based on Frankie and John O'Rear's book "Chateau Bon Vivant".
About a man who inherits a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains, he quits his job in New York and moves the family west to run it. Only to find that the place is a wreck.
It starred Dean Jones, Nancy Olson, Harry Morgan, Keenan Wynn, Johnny Whitaker and others.
As an alternative to the troubled times that was, it proved very popular in the family oriented market.
Where the Red Fern Grows 1974, a family movie based on a 1961 novel by the same name by Wilson Rawls.
As much as this might feel like a Disney movie it actually isn't, and the only cinema movie directed by Tokar that wasn't a Disney movie.
It's a tale for "all ages" about a young boy and his quest for his own red-bone hound hunting dogs.
It starred James Whitmore, Beverly Garland, Jack Ging and Stewart Petersen as the boy.
The film was produced by Lyman Dayton and filmed on location in Oklahoma, including at the waterfall in what is now Natural Falls State Park.
The Apple Dumbling Gang 1975, a comedy-western about a slick gambler who is duped into taking care of a group of orphans who eventually strike gold during the California Gold Rush, based on the novel of the same name by Jack Bickham.
It starred Bill Bixby, Susan Clark, Don Knotts, Tim Conway, David Wayne, Slim Pickens, Harry Morgan and others.
This movie turned out to be Tokar's most commercially successful movie of his career. A sleeper that hit the right cords with the audiences that made it a very big hit and made over 36M USD worldwide. It also spawned a sequel in 1979.
No Deposit, No Return 1976, a family comedy about two children who hold themselves for ransom, reluctantly aided by a couple of inept criminals, and an expert safecracker who somehow never manages to steal anything.
It took influence from the O. Henry short stories "The Ransom of Red Chief" and "A Retrieved Reformation".
It starred David Niven, Darren McGavin, Don Knotts, with Kim Richards and Brad Savage as the kids.
Candleshoe 1977, a family comedy based on the Michael Innes novel "Christmas at Candleshoe".
It follows an orphan who aims to assist a couple of con-men who attempt to steal an old woman's inheritance money, but instead tries to save the woman's estate.
It starred Jodie Foster, David Niven, Helen Hayes (in her final film role), Leo McKern and others.
Compton Wynyates, in Warwickshire, the home of Spencer, 7th Marquess of Northampton, posed as the fictional estate of Candleshoe.
The Cat from Outer Space 1978, a science-fiction comedy about three scientists who help an Alien feline, stranded on Earth, to repair its damaged spacecraft in order to return home but their efforts are hampered by inept army officials and foreign spies.
It starred Ken Berry, Sandy Duncan, Harry Morgan, Roddy McDowall and others.
It did fairly well at the box-office in the times of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
It became Norman Tokar's final movie, he died suddenly in a fatal heart attack in his sleep in 1979, aged only 59.
Thanks for watching!
Thoughts, ideas, memories, lists, favorites and anything else connected with Norman Tokar is very very welcome!
Since Disney Comapny seems hellbent for remaking everything, maybe one of the above movies will soon stand in line.
Being one of the main directors of the popular TV-series Leave it to Beaver between 1957 and 1960 cought the attention of Walt Disney, who was impressed of how good he was with juvenile actors and animals. So Disney hired him, after all Robert Stevenson couldn't direct all Disney live movies.
Norman Tokar (1919 - 1979)
He must have been a very private man since, besides his movies, not much seems to be known about him, and maybe he liked it that way.
He never won any prices, was never nominated, but many of his movies are still remembered favourably by many today.
After a career as an actor on Broadway in the early 1940s, Tokar moved into radio, most notably "The Aldrich Family", where he played Henry Aldrich's friend Willie at the microphone and wrote several episodes as well.
Tokar then went into television direction on such sitcoms as The Bob Cummings Show and dramas as Naked City in the 1950s.
From 1962 until his death he made nearly exclusivly movies for Disney. Though during that period he did direct 5 episodes of The Doris Day Show 1970 and 1971, and 1 episode of M*A*S*H 1973.
Big Red 1962 was Tokar's Disney debut and also his debut as a screen director.
Based on a 1945 novel by American author Jim Kjelgaard.
It starred Walter Pidgeon, Gilles Payant, Émile Genest and Janette Bertrand.
Filmed in the province of Quebec, "Big Red" was an Irish Setter.
Sammy, the Way-Out Seal 1962, was a TV two-parter that was edited together and showed at cinemas in many countries.
It starred Jack Carson (in his final role), Robert Culp, Patricia Barry and Michael McGreevey and Bill Mumy as two kids who adobts a seal and tries to hid it from mom and dad.
Savage Sam 1963, a sequel to Old Yeller based on the novel of the same name by Fred Gipson.
It starred Brian Keith, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran and Dewey Martin.
It was mostly shot around the San Fernando Valley
A Tiger Walks 1964, based on a novel by Ian Niall, about a tiger who escapes from a circus in a small town.
It starred Brian Keith, Vera Miles, Pamela Franklin and Sabu (in his last role).
Those Calloways 1965, a family drama film, adapted from the 1950 children's novel "Swiftwater" by Paul Annixter.
It starred Brian Keith, Vera Miles, Brandon de Wilde and Walter Brennan.
It follows a Vermont family over a period of time as they attempt to establish a sanctuary for the Canada geese that stopover in their rural community during their seasonal migrations.
It was the last credit for veteran film composer Max Steiner.
The Ugly Dashshound 1966, a comedy with slapstick about a Great Dane who believes he's a dachshund, based on a book by G.B. Stern.
It starred Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette, Charles Ruggles and Kelly Thordsen.
The movie earned $6 million, which was considered a hit in 1966, and it received the "Boxoffice" magazine Blue Ribbon Award for the month of March that year.
Follow Me, Boys! 1966, an adaptation of the 1954 novel "God and My Country" by MacKinlay Kantor and is notable for being the final live action film produced by Walt Disney, who died during the month of its release.
It starred Fred MacMurray, Vera Miles, Lillian Gish, Charles Ruggles (in his final movie) and Kurt Russell.
Kurt Russell proved to be very popular and this was the first of seven films that he made for Disney from the late 1960s through early 70s.
The movie proved to be very popular at the box-office, earning over 13M USD.
The Happiest Millionaire 1967 publicity pic, a musical based upon the true story of Philadelphia millionaire Anthony J. Drexel Biddle.
This was the last film with personal involvement from Walt Disney, who died during its production.
It starred Fred MacMurray, Tommy Steele, Greer Garson (in her last cinema role), Lesley Ann Warren, Gladys Cooper and others.
This ambitious movie made at the time when very few musicals were written directly for the movies, failed misarably at the box-office, since it tried to top Mary Poppins. Though it did make it's money back.
The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit 1968, a family comedy based on the 1955 book, "The Year of the Horse" by Eric Hatch.
It starred Dean Jones, Diane Baker, Lloyd Bochner, Fred Clark and Kurt Russell.
This was Fred Clark's final movie appearance and the film was released after his death. The film was dedicated to his memory.
Rascal 1969, a comedy-drama based on a book of the same name by Sterling North, about a young man and his pet raccoon set in rural Wisconsin.
It starred Steve Forrest, Bill Mumy, Pamela Toll and Elsa Lanchester.
The Boatnicks 1970, a comedy with slaptick about a young man who falls in love with the "wrong" girl, and who gets involved with bumbling jewel thieves.
It starred Robert Morse, Stefanie Powers, Phil Silvers, Norman Fell, Don Ameche and others.
The movie became popular at the box-office.
Snowball Express 1972, a screwball comedy based on Frankie and John O'Rear's book "Chateau Bon Vivant".
About a man who inherits a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains, he quits his job in New York and moves the family west to run it. Only to find that the place is a wreck.
It starred Dean Jones, Nancy Olson, Harry Morgan, Keenan Wynn, Johnny Whitaker and others.
As an alternative to the troubled times that was, it proved very popular in the family oriented market.
Where the Red Fern Grows 1974, a family movie based on a 1961 novel by the same name by Wilson Rawls.
As much as this might feel like a Disney movie it actually isn't, and the only cinema movie directed by Tokar that wasn't a Disney movie.
It's a tale for "all ages" about a young boy and his quest for his own red-bone hound hunting dogs.
It starred James Whitmore, Beverly Garland, Jack Ging and Stewart Petersen as the boy.
The film was produced by Lyman Dayton and filmed on location in Oklahoma, including at the waterfall in what is now Natural Falls State Park.
The Apple Dumbling Gang 1975, a comedy-western about a slick gambler who is duped into taking care of a group of orphans who eventually strike gold during the California Gold Rush, based on the novel of the same name by Jack Bickham.
It starred Bill Bixby, Susan Clark, Don Knotts, Tim Conway, David Wayne, Slim Pickens, Harry Morgan and others.
This movie turned out to be Tokar's most commercially successful movie of his career. A sleeper that hit the right cords with the audiences that made it a very big hit and made over 36M USD worldwide. It also spawned a sequel in 1979.
No Deposit, No Return 1976, a family comedy about two children who hold themselves for ransom, reluctantly aided by a couple of inept criminals, and an expert safecracker who somehow never manages to steal anything.
It took influence from the O. Henry short stories "The Ransom of Red Chief" and "A Retrieved Reformation".
It starred David Niven, Darren McGavin, Don Knotts, with Kim Richards and Brad Savage as the kids.
Candleshoe 1977, a family comedy based on the Michael Innes novel "Christmas at Candleshoe".
It follows an orphan who aims to assist a couple of con-men who attempt to steal an old woman's inheritance money, but instead tries to save the woman's estate.
It starred Jodie Foster, David Niven, Helen Hayes (in her final film role), Leo McKern and others.
Compton Wynyates, in Warwickshire, the home of Spencer, 7th Marquess of Northampton, posed as the fictional estate of Candleshoe.
The Cat from Outer Space 1978, a science-fiction comedy about three scientists who help an Alien feline, stranded on Earth, to repair its damaged spacecraft in order to return home but their efforts are hampered by inept army officials and foreign spies.
It starred Ken Berry, Sandy Duncan, Harry Morgan, Roddy McDowall and others.
It did fairly well at the box-office in the times of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
It became Norman Tokar's final movie, he died suddenly in a fatal heart attack in his sleep in 1979, aged only 59.
Thanks for watching!
Thoughts, ideas, memories, lists, favorites and anything else connected with Norman Tokar is very very welcome!
Since Disney Comapny seems hellbent for remaking everything, maybe one of the above movies will soon stand in line.
