Swiss Family Robinson, baby (Re-release)

Shipwreck!

Pirates!

Suspending your disbelief that two young men wouldn’t notice a “boy” was actually an attractive lady in disguise!

Swiss Family Robinson (1960) was fantastic. I didn’t know how old it was when it was re-released in ’81. It didn’t matter. What matters is that if you went to a popular 21-year-old movie now, you’d be paying $9 to see Look Who’s Talking. 

Treehouses!

Coconut bombs!

The Swiss!

And who doesn’t like to see some good ol’ pirate butt-kicking?

This is Disney live-action greatness. 


I saw it again the other night with my kids, courtesy of Turner Classic Movies. We’d previously seen Old Yeller on TCM, and my son, 6, recognized the mom (Dorothy McGuire) and two younger brothers (Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran) from that film.

“The dad is different, though. He doesn’t have earlashes.”  

My boy was referring to sideburns, but I may never call them sideburns again.

The dad from Old Yeller, Fess Parker, died within days of us watching that one. I feared for the life of Mr. Robinson (John Mills) after this, but saw that he had already gone to the Big Treehouse in the Sky in 2005 at 97 years of age. 


97! He gets no pity from me.

Any pity I have goes to the animals in this movie. You would not be allowed to ride an ostrich like that today. 

A re-make in 2012? Sure, why not? Those computers can make some realistic-looking ostriches.