Jim on Film: Disney MVPs
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1. Hayley Mills—Unlike most actors who start out as a child in the industry, Hayley Mills has real talent, as evidenced by her Academy Award for Pollyanna. For her Disney feature films, she was always given the role of the fun, appealing characters, but it is interesting to note how varied she made these characters. It would have been easy for her to have portrayed Pollyanna, Susan Evers, Mary Grant, Nancy Carey, Nikky Ferris, and Patti Randall with one personality—determined and chipper, clever and cute; however, Mills was so talented as to take these often unchallenging roles and give them life and charm. In Pollyanna (1960), for example, she plays the charming little girl who steals everyone’s hearts, but the key to her performance is that Mills created a clever Pollyanna who knowingly affects those around her, a Pollyanna who is human and cannot take her own medicine of gladness when the time comes. Compare Pollyanna with her role as Nancy Carey in Summer Magic (1963), a determined young woman who is also spiteful and prone to telling tales. They both have the same basic ingredients—a determined girl played by Hayley Mills—but Nancy Carey is neither as clever as little Pollyanna nor as precocious.
Her six feature films for Disney count among my favorite Disney live-action films, and much of that is on account of Hayley Mills’s presence. I love Pollyanna for its richness of characters and stunning performances. I love The Parent Trap (1961) and That Darn Cat! (1965) because they are both so darn funny. In Search of the Castaways (1962) is a flawed film to say the least, but Hayley Mills’s charm makes it delightful and fun. Summer Magic is just what its title promises, and I’ll never forget the dramatic suspense of the first time I saw The Moon-Spinners (1964). There’s a lot done well in these movies, but what makes them all so memorable is Hayley Mills. She is spot on in her comedic deliverance as both roles in The Parent Trap, such as when she pretends that she thinks her father plans to adopt Vicki. And one of the funniest moments for me in That Darn Cat! doesn’t even involve a line. When Zeke Kelso motions for her to kick D.C. out of the car, she thinks he wants her to kick her boyfriend Canoe out, pointing at him with great comedic confusion. I like in The Moon-Spinners that she creates a Nikky Ferris who doesn’t always do the smartest thing but always follows her gut instinct, making everything work out in the end. After having seen these six films so many times, my biggest regret is that Mills didn’t stick around long enough at the studio to make a few more Disney classics.
Since Disney has gotten into bringing back favorite British Disney stars from the 60s, I keep hoping they’ll create a great part for Hayley Mills in another sequel to The Princess Diaries. Until that time, I’ll have to wait for tickets to go on sale for the recently announced tour of the Broadway revival of On Golden Pond starring the greatest Disney MVP of them all.
Almosts
Lesley Ann Warren and John Davidson give such appealing performances in two of
Disney’s least known but extremely enjoyable films, The Happiest Millionaire
(1967) and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968). Not
only did they have stunning singing voices apart, but together, in duets likes
Are We Dancing and ‘Bout Time, they sounded amazing.
Barbara Harris was hilarious in roles in both Freaky Friday (1977) and The North Avenue Irregulars (1978). It’s too bad that Disney didn’t hold onto her and tailor movies to her considerable talents.
Gabrielle Anwar gave Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken (1991) its heart and soul. When Sonora loses her sight, Anwar’s performance is so pained and real. In under ninety minutes, Anwar transformed Sonora from a determined and spirited girl into an adult with adult problems. Her role in The Three Musketeers (1993) as a seductress of sorts, on the other hand, wasted her talent. It’s too bad Disney never utilized her in more films.
Danny Glover and Dennis Quaid have appeared in two Disney films. For Glover, Angels in the Outfield (1994) and Operation Dumbo Drop (1995) gave him a chance to shine in memorable family movies. For Quaid it was the over-rated remake of The Parent Trap (1998) and the inspiring The Rookie (2002). Both of these men have the screen appeal of great Disney actors of days gone by, such as Fred MacMurray and Brian Keith. Glover doesn’t seem to have been too busy lately, so maybe it’s time for a Disney comeback.
Anne Hathaway has only appeared in two Disney films, but what films! She’s so gifted; it’s a shame Disney hasn’t welcomed her into the family fold as they once did with a similarly talented young woman, Hayley Mills.
Honorable Mentions
Glynis Johns will always be best remembered among Disney fans for her role as
Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins (1964), but I will always remember her as the
stunningly beautiful Princess Mary in The Sword and the Rose (1953), in
which she gave us a strong-willed and flirtatious Disney princess who plots and
plans to form her own destiny, even going so far as to drive an aging husband to
an early grave. With her roles in three Disney films, of all the regular Disney
stars, Johns probably gives us some of the most varied Disney performances.
Suzanne Pleschette appeared in several fun Disney films, most notably as Dean Jones’s better half in The Ugly Dachshund (1966), Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968), and The Shaggy D.A. (1976). She’s such a talented comedic actress and a warm screen presence; it’s a regret she wasn’t used in more memorable Disney roles.
Lindsay Lohan and her Hollywood personal life almost made me forget her talent until I was reminded . . . by her chemistry with a VW Bug in Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005). Despite her tabloid existence and less-than-respectable career choices, Lohan is a very talented young woman, which really came to light in Freaky Friday (2003), in a performance that was undeservingly overshadowed by a very funny Jamie Lee Curtis. Even in the middling comedy Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), Lohan proved her Disney charm and Disney appeal.
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-- Jim Miles
The opinions expressed by Jim, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted January 17, 2006