Larry Lansburgh Movies
Audiences may recall Legend of Disney honoree Lawrence Lansburgh as the animal lover who featured every critter from hounds to horses in the numerous films he produced and directed.The son of an architect, San Francisco native Lansburgh got his big break performing stunt work in the films of legendary director Cecil B. Demille. Joining the company of the mouse in the mid-'40s, Lansburgh rose to fame as the director of numerous Disney productions, including the Academy Award-nominated short Catdog. Lansburgh would later go on to win Oscars for his short film The Wetback Hound in 1958 and The Horse With the Flying Tail in 1961. Quickly gaining stature at Disney, Lansburgh worked on many of the studio's productions before directing several episodes of television's The Wide World of Disney between the mid-'50s and early '70s. Presented the honor of being knighted a Legend of Disney in October 1998, Lansburgh's substantial contributions to the studio were recognized in a special ceremony at Disney Studios.
Wildlife enthusiast and filmmaker Lawrence Lansburgh died at his Eagle Point, OR, horse ranch in late March 2001. He was 89. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1968
- G
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Advertising executive Fred Bolton (Dean Jones) is under pressure from his boss Tom Dugan (Fred Clark) to come up with a new ad campaign for a wealthy client. Fred's daughter Helen (Ellen Janov) loves to ride horses, so her father buys her one to tie the equine into the profitable advertisement. Nearly a third of the film's length is devoted to a Washington D. C. horse show in which Helen participates. Morey Amsterdam, Kurt Russell, Lloyd Bochner, and Diane Baker also appear in this Disney production. Shown with the animated Winnie The Pooh, the cartoon was far more popular and memorable than The Horse In The Gray Flannel Suit, which is one of the studio's less-inspiring efforts. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Jones, Diane Baker, (more)
- 1966
This episode features sheep-herder Buckeye Jones and his trio of dogs and their adventures on the western plains of the 1880s. The lead dog, Hercules, helps his master battle Indians, wolves, and dust storms. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1961
This award-winning, 47-minute short docudrama about a great horse by the name of "Nautical" is a charming, engaging tale of a talented golden palomino who makes it big. Nautical was born into poverty and put to work at a variety of jobs with no guarantee he would be treated well. In fact, he suffers in his early life. But the horse is a natural-born jumper and Fate finally steps in to give him a chance at competing in what he loves best -- soaring over hurdles. Training is often tough and progress is bumpy but finally Nautical is ready for the big, big competition -- the King George V world cup in London. Since this is based on a true story, director George Fenneman inserts actual newsreel clips of the real Nautical in this last competition. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Originally released as a 20-minute short subject in 1957, Disney's Oscar-winning The Wetback Hound was expanded to 48 minutes for this Walt Disney Presents TV presentation. The titular hound is Paco, descended from a long and distinguished line of lion-hunting dogs. But much to the dismay of his master, a Mexican barber, Paco is all too easily distracted by other animals whenever he goes out on a hunt. Cowboy star Rex Allen provides the folksy narration for this gentle, laid-back nature study. The "new" footage of The Wetback Hound was trimmed for its 1962 rebroadcast to accommodate a lenghty promo for the upcoming Disney theatrical feature Big Red; four years later, the same thing happened so that Disney could advertise its new release Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Allen, Marvin Glenn, (more)
- 1957
The first half of this live-action Disneyland episode is an entertaining promo for the upcoming Disney theatrical feature Old Yeller. Narrated by Dorothy McGuire, one of the film's stars, this segment features behind-the-scenes footage pertaining to the training of the dogs used in the film, as well as random vignettes of Man's Best Friend eagerly performing a variety of tasks (Swiss rescue dogs, seeing-eye dogs, bloodhounds, etc.). The episode concludes with a telecast of Arizona Sheepdog, a 1955 entry in the Disney theatrical short-subject series "People and Places." When "The Best Doggoned Dog in the World was rebroadcast in February of 1961, the Old Yeller segment was replaced with a newly filmed promo for Disney's animated feature 101 Dalmations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy McGuire, Rex Allen, (more)
- 1957
This live-action Disneyland entry is narrated by popular singing cowboy Rex Allen, on whose ranch the film was made by producer-director-photographer Larry Lansburgh. The title character is the champion mare Bay Lady--actually portrayed by champion quarter horse Henny Penny Peake. After a thumbnail history of the breeding of quarter horses in Virginia and the Carolinas, the story proper begins, as Bay Lady is unofficially adopted by Eleana Vasquez (played by trick roper Miss Sammy Fancher). The plot thickens when the horse is accidentally auctioned off, prompting a frenzied search by Eleana and trainer Jimmy Williams (playing himself). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Allen, Sammy Fancher, (more)
- 1954
Also known as Stormy, the Thoroughbred with an Inferiority Complex, this live-action Disney short subject was originally released in tandem with The Living Desert and Ben and Me. Co-written by actor Jack Holt and narrated by George Fenneman, the film concentrates on a Kentucky-born colt who undergoes an emotional crisis when his actual August birthdate is officially changed to January 1st, just like every other thoroughbred. Smaller than most of his fellow horses, Stormy feels left out and ignored but eventually realizes his true worth as a polo pony. Director Larry Lansbaugh later graduated to features with the Disney release The Littlest Outlaw (1955). Stormy was first seen on television as the March 14, 1956 installment of the weekly anthology Disneyland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
Filmed in Mexico, The Littlest Outlaw was produced for Walt Disney Studios by Larry Lansburgh, who'd previous turned out several of the best Disney live-action short subjects. The hero is ten-year-old Pablito (Andres Velasquez), the stepson of a mean-spirited horse trainer. Unable to abide the cruelties inflicted by his stepfather on a prize jumping horse, Pablito "liberates" the animal and runs away from home. Along the way, the boy and horse make the acquaintance of a kindly priest (Joseph Calleia). Worried that the padre will turn him over to the authorities, Pablito runs off again, and this time is separated from the horse. A band of gypsies capture the animal and sell him to a bullfight arena, where the horse is used to lure the bulls out of the pen. Pablito and the priest manage to rescue the horse and return it to its rightful owner, a powerful Mexican general (Pedro Armendariz). Fortunately, the general is a good-hearted soul, and it is he who paves the way for the film's happy ending. Moderately successful at the box-office, The Littlest Outlaw soon became a mainstay of Disney's many TV anthology series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pedro Armendáriz, Joseph Calleia, (more)
- 1953
Popular radio and TV announcer George Fenneman is the leading man in this semi-documentary adventure yarn. Filmed on location at Tennessee's Reelfoot Lake, the film casts Fenneman as naturalist Bill Richards, who undertakes a difficult expedition into the wilderness. When Richards runs into problems finding suitable wildlife specimens for his research, he is helped by local gal Lainie Thorne (Gloria McGough). Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen appears briefly as Richards' mentor. Produced and directed by former Walt Disney associate Larry Lansburgh, Mystery Lake later appeared in serialized form on Disney's Mickey Mouse Club. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Fenneman
