Sterling Holloway Movies
Famed for his country-bumpkin features and fruity vocal intonations, American actor Sterling Holloway left his native Georgia as a teenager to study acting in New York City. Working through the Theatre Guild, the young Holloway was cast in the first Broadway production of songwriters Rodgers and Hart, Garrick Gaieties. In the 1925 edition of the revue, Holloway introduced the Rodgers-Hart standard "I'll Take Manhattan;" in the 1926 version, the actor introduced another hit, "Mountain Greenery." Hollywood beckoned, and Holloway made a group of silent two-reelers and one feature, the Wallace Beery vehicle Casey at the Bat (1927), before he was fired by the higher-ups because they deemed his face "too grotesque" for movies. Small wonder that Holloway would insist in later years that he was never satisfied with any of the work Hollywood would throw his way, and longed for the satisfaction of stage work. When talkies came, Holloway's distinctive voice made him much in demand, and from 1932 through the late '40s he became the archetypal soda jerk, messenger boy, and backwoods rube. His most rewarding assignments came from Walt Disney Studios, where Holloway provided delightful voiceovers for such cartoon productions as Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Ben and Me (1954) and The Jungle Book (1967). Holloway's most enduring role at Disney was as the wistful voice of Winnie the Pooh in a group of mid-'60s animated shorts. On the "live" front, Holloway became fed up of movie work one day when he found his character being referred to as "boy" - and he was past forty at the time. A few satisfactory film moments were enjoyed by Holloway as he grew older; he starred in an above-average series of two reel comedies for Columbia Pictures from 1946 to 1948 (in one of these, 1948's Flat Feat, he convincingly and hilariously impersonated a gangster), and in 1956 he had what was probably the most bizarre assignment of his career when he played a "groovy" hipster in the low-budget musical Shake, Rattle and Rock (1956). Holloway worked prodigiously in TV during the '50s and '60s as a regular or semi-regular on such series as The Life of Riley, Adventures of Superman and The Baileys of Balboa. Edging into retirement in the '70s, Sterling Holloway preferred to stay in his lavish hilltop house in San Laguna, California, where he maintained one of the most impressive and expensive collections of modern paintings in the world. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1986
This classic episode begins when a youngster tunes into his favorite TV series Moonlighting, only to be ordered to switch off that "trash" and return to his homework. Inasmuch as the kid is studying William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", he soon dreams up a wild scenario wherein all of the Moonlighting characters are recast as the principals in that boisterous battle-of-the-sexes comedy. What follows is an insane blend of faux Elizabethan dialogue and contemporary wisecracks ("Doth bears bear-eth? Doth bees be-eth?"), with a few "improvements" that the Bard of Avon would never have dreamed of--such as the swaggering Petruchio, aka David (Bruce Willis), escorting a bound-and-gagged Katherina, aka Maddie (Cybill Shepherd), to the altar! And since when did "Taming of the Shrew" include a sight gag straight out of the Warner Bros. cartoons, complete with a musical passage from composer Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse"? The episode's flippant credit title "from an idea by William 'Bud' Shakespeare" was obviously inspired by the infamous credit on the 1929 film version of Taming of the Shrew: "Based on the play by William Shakespeare, with additional dialogue by Sam Taylor." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
- G
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The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is an hour-long compendium of the three Disney "Winnie" animated short subjects produced between 1966 and 1974. Sterling Holloway provides the voice of A.A. Milne's whimsical pooh-bear in all three cartoons, the first two of which are directed by Wolfgang Reithermann and the last by John Lounsbery. The program consists of Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974). The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was originally prepared in 1977 for theatrical release, and has since been available primarily in home-video form. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
David Carradine and Kate Jackson spend most of their time peering over dashboards and revving up outboard motors in this extended chase film about moonshiners engaged in a frantic racing contest. Carradine is Harley Thomas, a Florida moonshiner who challenges Ralph Junior (Roger C. Carmel), the father of his girlfriend Nancy Sue Hunnicutt (Kate Jackson), to a competition to determine who can produce the most moonshine. Ralph Junior takes up the challenge and the two adversaries struggle to get the brew from their home stills to thirsty patrons without the cops or the mob trying to confiscate the firewater. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Kate Jackson, (more)
- 1977
In this comedy-drama, a family's well-ordered life is thrown into chaos after the youngest daughter brings home a wounded baby seal who grows up to be quite the mischief maker. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1976
- PG
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This spoof makes fun of a certain famous German shepherd movie star from the 1920s. The mayhem begins when the head honcho of a financially struggling studio turns a lost dog into a legend. The story features a number of old stars making cameo appearances. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruce Dern, Madeline Kahn, (more)
- 1971
Originally telecast January 13, 1973, as an episode of the Saturday-morning NBC Children's Theatre anthology, "All About Me" was the first of five proposed programs using animation, live action and puppets to dispense education in an amusing (and painless manner). In this entry, a schoolboy falls asleep in science class and dreams that he is taking a "fantastic voyage" through the human body. With Colonel Corpuscle at the helm of a magical submarine, the boy is able to study the various components of the circulatory, digestive and brain system at his leisure. The songs, performed by C.C. Ryder, include "The Medulla Do" and "Feet are Neat." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jasper Carrott, Meera Syal, (more)
The Aristocats was the first Disney Studios animated feature to be produced after Walt Disney's death. A wealthy woman leaves her vast fortune to her four cats: the well-bred Duchess and her kittens, Berlioz, Toulouse, and Marie. Jealous butler Edgar, eager to get his mitts on the cats' legacy, abandons the felines in the French countryside. The four lost kitties are aided in their efforts to return home by the raffish country pussycats Thomas O'Malley and Scat Cat. In keeping with a tradition launched by The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats is top-heavy with celebrity voices, including Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Scatman Crothers, Hermione Baddeley, and the ineluctable Sterling Holloway. Assembled by the "nine old men" then in charge of animation, The Aristocats was a commercial success, essentially proving that Disney animated features could succeed without the involvement of the company's founder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, (more)
Singing stars from two very different generations appear in Live A Little, Love A Little. Elvis Presley plays Greg, a photographer who divides his time working for a skin magazine and a conservative newspaper. Rudy Valle plays Penlow, the veteran newspaper publisher. Lansdown (Don Porter) is the publisher of a girly magazine as Greg tries to work for both without the other finding out. Greg falls in love with a fashion model (Michele Carey) in this situation comedy that even die-hard Elvis fans have a hard time swallowing. By this time, Elvis planned to fulfil his remaining movie obligations and return to the stage, as his 1960s film career had failed to take on the dramatic seriousness he desperately sought. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Michele Carey, (more)
- 1968
Winnie The Pooh & the Blustery Day was the second Disney animated featurette based on characters created by A. A. Milne. It was released December 20, 1968, two years and ten months after the first Disney "Pooh Corner" tales, Winnie the Pooh & the Honey Tree. As in the earlier film, Sterling Holloway delightfully supplies the voice of Pooh bear, while Sebastian Cabot serves as narrator. The light-as-a-feather storyline concerns the efforts by Pooh and his pals-Christopher Robin, Eeyore, Owl, Piglet et. al.-to contend with a windstorm. Of Disney's four "Pooh Corner" cartoon shorts, only Winnie the Pooh & the Blustery Day received an Oscar. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1967
Now that they're in an accelerated-learning class, Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) must face the treacherous perils of "New Math". Unfortunately, their Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) hasn't the time to help with the twins' homework, since he is being kept occupied by his latest lady friend Meg (Kipp Hamilton), a woman constitutionally incapable of making a commitment. Thus, the kids turn to window washer Mr. Frack (Sterling Holloway), who as luck would have it is a mathematics whiz! John Williams again appears as Nigel French, temporary replacement for Bill's butler Giles French. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The final animated feature produced under the supervision of Walt Disney is a lively neo-swing musical, loosely based upon the tales of Rudyard Kipling. The story takes place in a tropical jungle where people are conspicuously absent. But one day Bagheera the Panther (voice of Sebastian Cabot) discovers a baby in the wreck of a boat. Feeling pity on the child, Bagheera takes him to be raised with the wolves. Ten years later, the child has grown into Mowgli (voice of Bruce Reitherman). Mowgli discovers that his life is in danger because of the return to the area of Shere Khan the Tiger (voice of George Sanders), whose hatred of humans is such that Mowgli faces certain death if discovered. Bagheera agrees to transport Mowgli to the human village, where he will be safe from Shere Khan. Along the way to the village, night falls and Mowgli and Bagheera almost succumb to the man-eating snake Kaa (voice of Sterling Holloway). Escaping Kaa's coils, they run into the lock-step military elephant band of Colonel Hathi (voice of J. Pat O'Malley). Afterwards, Mowgli, who doesn't want to be sent to the human village, runs away from Bagheera and meets up with the fun-loving Baloo the Bear (voice of Phil Harrris). With both Bagheera and Baloo to protect him, Mowgli is saved from several more life-threatening situations -- including a barber-shop quartet of vultures, the crazed King Louie of the Apes (voice of Louis Prima), and Shere Khan himself -- before making it to the village of humans. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruce Reitherman, Phil Harris, (more)
- 1967
The Castaways pin their rescue hopes on a homing pigeon named Walter. Unfortunately, the recipient of Walter's messages is a guy named Burt (Sterling Holloway), who thinks the whole thing is a hoax. Worse is still to come when Gilligan (Bob Denver) and company are obliged to rescue the pigeon from a cave guarded over by a six-foot spider ("played" by celebrated animal imitator Janos Prohaska). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sterling Holloway, Harry Swoger, (more)
- 1966
Ken Berry essays a dual role in this episode as mild-mannered Captain Wilton Parmenter and his ill-mannered lookalike, a fugitive bank robber named Kid Vicious. As O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker), Agarn (Larry Storch) and doddering Sheriff Lawton (Sterling Holloway) conduct an extensive search for Kid Vicious, the outlaw overpowers Parmenter and assumes his identity. It looks like the only way we'll be able to separate the good guys from the bad guys is to have Wrangler Jane (Melodie Patterson) identify the real Parmenter--for whom she has been carrying a torch since Episode One. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1965
"Bears love honey and I'm a Pooh bear," sings Winnie the Pooh setting the stage for the goings-on in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, the first of four Disney featurettes based upon the A.A. Milne characters. Indeed, Pooh has rather an insatiable desire for honey, and when he spies a group of bees making some of the lovely sticky stuff in the top of a nearby tree, he taxes his mental resources -- difficult for "a bear of very little brain" -- and comes up with a scheme. Enlisting the aid of Christopher Robin, he covers himself in mud, grabs hold of a big blue balloon and (thinking himself cleverly disguised as a little black rain cloud), tries to get some of the honey. The bees are not fooled, but soon Pooh finds an easier way of getting what he wants: visiting friend Rabbit at lunch time. Rabbit has a tremendous store of honey -- so much so that, after ingesting it all, Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit's doorway and can get neither in nor out. There's nothing to do but wait for Pooh to lose enough wait to squeeze out. When he does finally get rescued, Pooh somehow ends up in another sticky situation -- but one that is much more pleasing to the little bear. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
- 1964
As a repairman (Sterling Holloway) works on his malfunctioning television set, middle-aged TV addict Joe Britt (William Demarest) fusses and fumes, while his wife Phyllis (Joan Blondell) launches another of her nag sessions. Once the repairman leaves, Joe tunes in to his favorite program, only to watch in amazement as his own extramarital dalliances are recreated on the 21-inch screen. Dumbfounded, Joe continues watching, whereupon the screen is filled with images of a dire and dismal future for the battling Britts. The second of Martin M. Goldsmith's Twilight Zone scripts (and the last episode directed by Twilight Zone veteran Richard L. Bare, "What's in the Box" was oriignally telecast March 13, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Demarest, Joan Blondell, (more)
- 1963
- G
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With this all-star Cinerama epic, producer/director Stanley Kramer vowed to make "the comedy that would end all comedies." The story begins during a massive traffic jam, caused by reckless driver Smiler Grogan (Jimmy Durante), who, before (literally) kicking the bucket, cryptically tells the assembled drivers that he's buried a fortune in stolen loot, "under the Big W." The various motorists setting out on a mad scramble include a dentist (Sid Caesar) and his wife (Edie Adams); a henpecked husband (Milton Berle) accompanied by his mother-in-law (Ethel Merman) and his beatnik brother-in-law (Dick Shawn); a pair of comedy writers (Buddy Hackett and Mickey Rooney); and a variety of assorted nuts including a slow-wit (Jonathan Winters), a wheeler-dealer (Phil Silvers), and a pair of covetous cabdrivers (Peter Falk and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson). Monitoring every move that the fortune hunters make is a scrupulously honest police detective (Spencer Tracy). Virtually every lead, supporting, and bit part in the picture is filled by a well-known comic actor: the laughspinning lineup also includes Carl Reiner, Terry-Thomas, Arnold Stang, Buster Keaton, Jack Benny, Jerry Lewis, and The Three Stooges, who get one of the picture's biggest laughs by standing stock still and uttering not a word. Two prominent comedians are conspicuous by their absence: Groucho Marx refused to appear when Kramer couldn't meet his price, while Stan Laurel declined because he felt he was too old-looking to be funny. Available for years in its 154-minute general release version, the film was restored to its roadshow length of 175 minutes on home video; the search goes on for a missing Buster Keaton routine, reportedly excised on the eve of the picture's premiere. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, (more)
- 1963
This was the first film directed by dancer and choreographer Gower Champion, already experienced at directing television and theatrical productions by the early '60s. The routine romantic comedy, somewhat bogged down by the children it features, is centered on overwrought actress Janice Courtney (Debbie Reynolds). She has had it with paparazzi and publicity campaigns and escapes to the Connecticut countryside for a little R & R. At that point, a half-dozen youngsters intrude into her life after they are abandoned by their ne'er-do-well guardians, and though she is anything but enthusiastic, Janice takes them under her frayed wings. The local pastor, Rev. Jim Larkin (Cliff Robertson) has something to do with that, and ultimately, more than a little something to do with Janice's personal life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Debbie Reynolds, Cliff Robertson, (more)
- 1962
Town curmudgeon Ben Weaver (Will Wright) is on the warpath again. This time, Ben demands that itinerant peddler Bert Miller (Sterling Holloway) remove himself from the sidewalk across the street from Ben's store. Fed up with Weaver's rantings, Andy aligns himself with the woebegone Bert-resulting in a solution that is to the mutual advantage of both Bert and Ben. First telecast on March 5, 1962, "The Merchant of Mayberry" was written by Ben Gershman and Leo Solomon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
Originally released in Japan as Saiyu-ki, this animated feature film was purchased by American-International Productions, then retitled, re-edited and redubbed for American consumption. Alakazam is a timid little monkey, who has greatness thrust upon him when he is chosen to rule over all the animals on earth. Unfortunately, once Alakazam attains the crown, he also develops a swelled head. On the orders of King Amo, ruler of an island where all retired magicians reside, Alakazam is imprisoned and taught a lesson or two. The American version of Alakazam the Great was sold to theatres on the strength of its voice talent: Frankie Avalon (as Alakzam), Jonathan Winters, Dodie Stevens, Arnold Stang and Sterling Holloway. Among its Japanese writer/directors was Osamu Tesuka, the man responsible for Astro Boy and Kimba, the White Lion. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frankie Avalon, Dodie Stevens, (more)
- 1960
- G
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MGM's all-star 1960 filmization of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn surgically removes the sociological subtext of Mark Twain's novel in the interests of "entertainment for the whole family." The emphasis is on the adventuresome escapades of Huck (Eddie Hodges) and fugitive slave Jim (played by boxing champ Archie Moore), and on the comic elements inherent in the characters of the King (Tony Randall) and the Duke (Mickey Shaughnessy). In the manner of Around the World in 80 Days, every role is filled by a "name" actor: featured in the cast are Judy Canova, Andy Devine, Buster Keaton, Sterling Holloway, Finlay Currie, Josephine Hutchinson and John Carradine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tony Randall, Eddie Hodges, (more)
- 1960
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Capone's second-in-command Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon) steps up his heretofore unsuccessful efforts to eliminate Anton Cermak (Robert Middleton), the incorruptable mayor of Chicago. Scheduled to appear at a public event in Miami with president-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Cermak would seem to be a sitting duck for Nitti's torpedoes, but Elliot Ness and the Untouchables aren't about to let that happen. Meanwhile, a deranged anarchist named Giuseppe Zangara (Joe Mantell) may well succeed where Nitti has failed--assuming that Cermak is Zangara's intended target. Though historically inaccurate in many respects, this episode paints a vibrant picture of the euphoria surrounding the election of the first anti-Prohibition president in 14 years. Parts One and Two of "The Unhired Assassin" were later combined and released theatrically as the feature film Guns of Zangara. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1957
This 1957 Disneyland episode is essentially a promotional film for the upcoming Disney theatrical release Johnny Tremain. An early segment, chronicling man's struggle for liberty as manifested in the Magna Carta and the exploits of Robin Hood, leads smoothly into a lengthy excerpt of the new film, wherein young Johnny Tremain (Hal Stalmaster) joins the 18th century underground group, the Sons of Liberty. The remainder of the episode consists of the 1953 cartoon featurette Ben and Me, based on the book by Robert Lawson and told from the viewpoint of Amos the Mouse (voiced by Sterling Holloway, friend and confidant of none other than Benjamin Franklin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Luana Patten, Jeff York, (more)
- 1957
The endearingly awful Shake, Rattle and Rock! serves as a showcase for four top rock-and-roll talents of the 1950s. Fats Domino heads the cast as "himself", performing "I'm in Love Again", "Ain't it a Shame" and "Honey Chile". Likewise, Joe Turner offers renditions of "Feelin' Happy" and "Lipstick, Powder and Paint", while Tommy Charles and Annita Ray let loose with "Sweet Love on My Mind" and "Rockin' on Saturday Night". The plot is one of the oldest known to man: a quartet of buttinsky do-gooders, played by screen veterans Douglass Dumbrille, Margaret Dumont, Raymond Hatton and Percy Helton, try to impose a ban on rock-and-roll, while TV producer Touch (later Mike) Connors does his best to convince the "squares" that the new musical style is harmless fun. Sterling Holloway is a riot as Connors' jive-talking assistant, who lays on the hipster slang so heavily in one scene that he requires English subtitles! Shake, Rattle and Rock was (sort of) remade for TV in 1994 as one of Showtime Cable's "Rebel Highway" entries. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fats Domino, Lisa Gaye, (more)
- 1957
Disneyland host Walt Disney endeavors to demonstrate how inanimate objects can become "human", with the attendant full range of emotions and problems, in the wonderful world of animation. To demonstrate, Walt has three otherwise non-living objects narrate a series of cartoon segments, lifted from past Disney theatrical releases. Highlights include "Little Toot", the saga of an eager young tugboat excerpted from the animated feature Melody Time (1948) and musically narrated by The Andrews Sisters; and "Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet", a romance between a pair of hats, again featuring the Andrews Sisters and lifted from the 1946 feature Make Mine Music. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- The Andrews Sisters, Sterling Holloway, (more)
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