The Misadventures of Merlin Jones

The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
March 25, 1964
Disney
Comedy, Sci-Fi
VHS
C+

By this point in their careers, the two young leads were such Disney veterans that she's known in the credits as simply "Annette," and both are recognizably caricatured in the opening cartoon, which is set to Annette singing the title tune.  They'd done some earlier movies together and have a nice, easy-going chemistry.  Unfortunately, they're not given much to work with.  To begin with, Merlin (played by Kirk) is supposed to be a science nerd, but the two main things he experiments with-- mind-reading and hypnosis-- are more in the nature of pseudoscience.  Yes, misadventures ensue, including some questionable ethics.  Not only does a judge nag Merlin into hypnotizing him to commit a misdemeanor (chimp-napping), but the Science professor not only tricks Merlin into harmless activities like eating a raw potato (telling him it's an apple) and drinking water (telling him it's whiskey), but he has Merlin kiss "the first pretty girl he sees."  Jennifer (Annette) is jealous it's not her, but no one in the class seems to have a problem with the girl being kissed against her will!

Still, there are some mildly amusing moments, like when Kirk eavesdrops on the thoughts of other students in the library, including a beatnik poet.  It's never explained how he doesn't hear everyone in the vicinity, or for that matter how when the Science teacher says Merlin will hear only his voice, Merlin misses all the professor's asides to the class.  My favorite bit, as someone who much prefers cats to dogs, is when Merlin hypnotizes his cat to stand up to the bully neighbor dog.

This was originally made to possibly air as two hour-long (including commercials) Disney TV programs, but reedited for theatrical release it proved popular enough to merit a sequel, The Monkey's Uncle (although as Merlin insists, Stanley is a chimp, not a monkey).  Uncle would have some of the cast besides Tommy and Annette reprising their roles:  Norman Grabowski as the jock Norman, Leon Ames as Judge Holmsby, and Connie Gilchrist as the judge's housekeeper.  (He was the father in Meet Me in St. Louis, while she was Norah Muldoon in Auntie Mame.)  The Augusts would also co-write Uncle's screenplay, while Bill Walsh would co-write Mary Poppins, which would feature the voice of Dal McKennon, who's Detective Hutchins here.  Robert Stevenson would direct both Poppins and Uncle.  Burt Mustin, the elderly bailiff, then 80, would do a lot of television and appear in Mame a decade after this.

Meet Me in St. Louis

Meet Me in St. Louis
January 1945
MGM
Musical, Historical
DVD
D+

The only reason why I have this movie is because it was part of a four-pack that was the only form I could get Singin' in the Rain on DVD.  This is the second time I've seen MMiSL and I still dislike it.  I didn't care for anyone in the Smith family, particularly not the deeply annoying Tootie.  She'd already worn out her welcome in the first half hour, but wait till you get to the part where she claims that their neighbor (who Garland's character Esther has a crush on) tried to kill her, when he was actually protecting her!  And she doesn't get punished!  Even Esther was unlikable, as when she tells her grandfather that he was the first "human being" she danced with that night.  I was glad as always to see Marjorie Main (playing a cook, as she did in Turnabout), although there's not enough of her.  The house looks good in color.  And "The Trolley song" and "Have a Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" were nice, but hardly worth sitting through the rest of the movie, which is so far the worst in my collection.

The script is by Irving Brecher, who also wrote At the Circus and Go West.  Robert Emmett O'Connor was Henderson in A Night at the Opera.  Mary Astor, who's Mrs. Smith, was Marion Manning in Turnabout.  Sam Harris was in Citizen Kane.  That's Hugh Marlowe, the future Lloyd Richards of All About Eve, as Colonel Darly.  Leon Ames, who plays Mr. Smith, would be in The Misadventures of Merlin Jones.  Sid Newman, who's a boy on the trolley, over fifty years later would be in The Wedding Singer.