Hal Smith Movies
Character actor Hal Smith (born Harold John Smith) cut his acting teeth in various touring road companies. Before serving in the Air Force during World War II, he had amassed impressive credits as a band singer, radio disc jockey, and writer. In the postwar years, he decided to try his luck in Hollywood, although holding down a real-estate job so he'd have a financial cushion between acting jobs. His first recurring TV role was on the vintage sitcom I Married Joan (1952-53). (It was a different actor who appeared in the bit role of Anne Baxter's suitor in O. Henry's Full House [1952].) He spent most of the '50s playing guest stints and providing voice-overs for cartoon characters, and was briefly Hal the Bartender, a commercial spokesman for a popular brand of beer. In 1960, he was signed for the semi-regular role of town drunk Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffith Show, essaying this hilarious (if politically incorrect) characterization with expertise, although he often insisted, "I don't think I've ever really been drunk in my whole life." Since Otis did not appear in every Griffith episode, Smith had time aplenty to free-lance, playing such film roles as a drunken Santa in Billy Wilder's The Apartment (1960) and an effeminate Roman emperor in The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962), and supplying voices for such cartoon programs as Davey and Goliath and The Flintstones. By 1962, he was making 50,000 dollars per year, a tidy sum in those days. During the 1970s and '80s, Smith was most closely associated with Disney, replacing the late Vance "Pinto" Colvig as the voice of Goofy and providing voices for series ranging from Winnie the Pooh and Friends to Ducktales. Smith died in 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Beauty and the Beast is widely considered the best animated Disney feature of the studio's 1980s/1990s renewal of the form. Based on the classic French fairy tale, it tells the story of Belle (voiced by Paige O'Hara), an intelligent young woman scorned by her townspeople for being a bookworm, weary of fighting off the advances of the arrogant Gaston (Richard White), and dreaming of escape. When her father gets lost in the woods and captured by the forbidding Beast (Robby Benson), a once-handsome prince turned into a monster by a witch, Belle goes off to rescue him. Taken with her, the Beast agrees to release Belle's father if she agrees to stay with him forever. Initially repulsed, Belle soon finds much to appreciate in the Beast's hidden, tender nature. The Beast's servants -- a clock (David Ogden Stiers), a teapot (Angela Lansbury), and a candlestick (Jerry Orbach) -- see Belle as their salvation: if the Beast and a woman fall in love before his 21st birthday, he will be free from the curse. The songs are first-class, the tale is told with sincerity but not sentimentality, and the characters of Belle and the Beast, complex individuals who defy stereotyping and change over the course of the story, are more three-dimensional than in most live-action movies. The eye-popping animation is beautifully rendered, and Beauty and the Beast certainly deserves its place amongst Disney's animated classics. In 2002, a special 89-minute edition of the film was released in IMAX theaters with the addition of a newly animated song, ""Human Again."" ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, (more)
- 1991
Based on a popular brace of children's books, the 30-minute cartoon Bad Cat was originally telecast as an episode of the ABC Weekend Special anthology. Recognized as the "King of Fulton Street," Bad Cat is not really all that terrible, despite his name and reputation. In fact, when his human family, the Harrisons, move to another city, Bad Cat wants nothing more than to be accepted by the local feline populace. Alas, our hero runs afoul of a genuine "bad cat" named Riff, who challenges B.C. to a down 'n' dirty mouse-catching contest. Produced by Ruby-Spears, Bad Cat made its initial appearance on April 14, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bart Braverman, Hal Smith, (more)
On his 81st birthday, grandpa George Burns, bemoans the fact that he's wasted his life, and wishes he had it to do all over again. He gets his wish when he and his 18-year-old grandson Charles Schlatter are involved in an auto accident. When he awakens, Burns' personality has been transferred to Schlatter's body, and vice versa! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Burns, Charlie Schlatter, (more)
- 1986
Inspired by the success of previous TV sitcom "reunion" films, Return to Mayberry debuted on April 13, 1986. Eleven of the original cast members of the classic Andy Griffith Show were reunited in this marvelous blast from the past. The plot finds former sheriff Andy Taylor (Griffith, of course), returning to Mayberry, North Carolina to visit his grown son Opie (Ron Howard, taking a break from his busy directorial career), who is now an expectant father. Andy's onetime deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts) is running for the sheriff's post, so Andy decides to stick around to help out. Barney thinks he's found an excellent publicity ploy when he discovers what seems to be a bigfoot-style monster roaming around the Carolina hills. Actually, he's the victim of a cruel hoax, compelling Andy once more to come to Barn's rescue. Also in the cast is George Lindsay as Goober, Jim Nabors as Gomer, Aneta Corsaut as Helen, Betty Lynn as Thelma Lou, and Howard Morris as Ernest T. Bass. Conspicuous by her absence was Frances "Aunt Bee" Bavier, who was too ill to make a comeback. The highest-rated TV movie of 1986, Return to Mayberry might have resulted in a series, but Andy Griffith decided to switch professional gears and star as an attorney in Matlock. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
To fatten his bank account, Dan (John Larroquette) moonlights as a professional escort for wealthy women. One of his clients (Barbara Cason) is so enraptured by Dan that she insists he accompany her home--and thence to her bedroom! Meanwhile, Harry (Harry Anderson) tries to help out when the newly-arrived wife of Russian émigré Yakov (Yakov Smirnoff) is arrested. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An American Tail is a beautifully rendered animated flim that tells an overly familiar story in terms children can easily understand. Fievel Mousekewitz and his family of Russian-Jewish mice escape from their homeland in the late 1800s, boarding a boat headed toward America to evade the Czarist rule of the Russian cats. Fievel, however, is separated from his family upon his arrival in New York City, and he discovers to his horror that there are cats in America too (his father said there weren't). Fievel meets his share of friendly and hostile mice, and he eventually befriends a cat as well. Former Disney animator Don Bluth co-produced and directed this often heartwarming yarn, the first animated feature presented by Steven Spielberg, and it has its charms despite a number of cliché situations. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cathianne Blore, Dom DeLuise, (more)
- 1985
In this animated film, the Littles--a family of half-man, half-mouse creatures living in the walls of human houses--aid a young boy whose parents have vanished. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy E. Keegan, Bettina Bush, (more)
- 1984
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat), still operating undercover for the Feds, continue to race the General Lee under the banner of crooked promoter J.J. Carver (Ramon Bieri). The good news is that the Duke boys have managed to gather enough evidence to put Carver behind bars for a long time. The bad news is that Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) and Sheriff Roscoe (James Best), unaware of what the Dukes are up to and hoping to get the good on Carver themselves, succeed only in blowing Bo and Luke's cover at the worst possible moment! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
In the first episode of a two-part story, James (Jason Bateman) heads to the Sleepy Eye bank to make a deposit. The bank is robbed and James is shot, leaving him comatose. Seething with grief and rage, James' adoptive father, Charles (Michael Landon), persuades his friend Mr. Edwards (Victor French) to help him track down the outlaws. As they set out on their mission, Charles and Edwards order Albert ( Matthew Laborteaux) to stay behind -- an order he disobeys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1980
When Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo's winter hibernation is disturbed by nearby freeway construction, the two join up with a group of friends to ensure the safety of Jellystone Lodge and celebrate the bears' first Christmas awake. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1980
The latest graft-ridden scheme hatched by Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) involves plowing up a veteran's cemetery in order to build a new highway. Unfortunately, this would reveal that the grave supposedly occupied by the late con artist Henry Flatt is empty--mainly because Flatt (played by Hal Smith, formerly town drunk Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffith Show) had faked his death a year before! Worried that his loved ones would suffer if he was proven to be alive, Flatt turns to the Dukes for help. This episode was directed by series regular Denver Pyle (Jesse Duke). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
A vicious street gang robs a neighborhood store, kills a cop, and takes Detective Stone (Karl Malden). As the police surround the store, the thugs attempt to strike a bargain: They will let Stone go in exchange for the freedom of Buddy Sims (Cal Bellini), their imprisoned leader. This episode was directed by John Badham, whose subsequent film credits included Saturday Night Never, Blue Thunder and WarGames. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
While staying with Oliver and Lisa Douglas (Eddie Albert, Eva Gabor), Arnold the pig witnesses a bank robbery. Normally, he'd be able to "squeal" to the cops concerning the crooks' identity -- but alas, Arnold is suffering from laryngitis. Meanwhile, holdup men Danny (Milton Selzer) and Charlie (Al Lewis) decide to kidnap Arnold -- but end up with handyman Eb (Tom Lester) instead. (Gee, anyone could have made that mistake!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milton Selzer, Al Lewis, (more)
Based on a Broadway musical by Mel Brooks and Joe Darion, the animated feature Shinbone Alley is an adaptation of the Don Marquis stories. The film is about a love-struck cockroach named Archy (voiced by Eddie Bracken) and the object of his affections, a carefree cat named Mehitabel (Carol Channing). The movie is arranged as a series of episodic adventures and though it never quite gels into something cohesive, it has a number of fine moments, particularly when it sticks to the music. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Bracken, Carol Channing, (more)
This animated color feature finds a mother and her two young cubs eagerly waiting for Santa Claus to visit them in Yellowstone National Park. A kindly forest ranger who first told them about the jolly old elf is persuaded to impersonate Santa, and the young bears help him save the holiday. The film is aimed at a target audience of wide-eyed pre-schoolers. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Smith, Jean Vander Pyl, (more)
- 1970
Eddie Albert plays a dual role in this episode, as gentleman farmer Oliver Douglas, and Oliver's exact double, a bank robber named Charlie. When Charlie checks into a local hotel with his sexy gun moll Blanche (Chanin Hale), the neighbors are convinced that Oliver is cheating on his wife Lisa (Eva Gabor). One misunderstanding leads to another, and by episode's end both Oliver and Charlie are locked in the same jail cell -- and it is up to a very confused Lisa (Eva Gabor) to figure out who's who! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Albert, Chanin Hale, (more)
- 1970
This episode begins at the headquarters of the Internal Revenue Service, where the agents take time from bleeding taxpayers dry to recall the case of the "Hooterville Refund Fraud." The whole mess was inadvertently caused by Oliver Douglas (Eddie Albert), who had encouraged his fellow farmers to contact the IRS with refund requests. Though Oliver's intentions were honest, most of the requests were not -- and as a result, the citizens of Hooterville became the delighted (and undeserving) recipients of a 500,000 dollar tax refund! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Jostyn, Hal Smith, (more)
- 1970
This week, the bane of gentleman farmer Oliver Douglas' existence is Irene, a local cow who has been trampling his crops. In high dudgeon, Oliver (Eddie Albert) declares that he must get rid of Irene. As usual, wife Lisa (Eva Gabor) misinterprets Oliver's words and intentions, and soon has convinced the townsfolk of Hooterville that her long-suffering husband is a ruthless "cow killer." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Smith, Allan Melvin, (more)
- 1969
In his efforts to talk a man out of committing suicide, Officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) commits a serious breach of police protocol, whereupon Sgt. MacDonald (William Boyett) rakes the veteran patrolman over the coals. In a less traumatic moment, a woman (Katherine Squire) insists that Malloy and his partner Jim Reed (Kent McCord) drop whatever they're doing and fix her TV antenna (remember TV antennas?) This episode was originally scheduled to air on January 25, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) may have finally gone too far when he arranges a race between the Hooterville Cannonball and a jitney bus (a glorified taxi). If Joe loses, he also loses the Shady Rest--and even worse, he will be forced to work as a bellboy at the Pixley Hotel. Hal Smith,better known as town drunk Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffith Show, appears as Jug Gunderson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
The town of Hooterville is gripped with melancholy when its population drops from a bustling 68 to a pitiful 46. It appears that, while there are plenty of middle-agers and oldsters in town, the "kids" are steering clear of the place. Oliver Douglas (Eddie Albert) expansively suggests that Hooterville attract younger residents by building a youth center -- but he didn't intend for the center to be erected on his own farm! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Smith
- 1968
June Lockhart makes her first series appearance as Dr. Janet Craig, the new replacement for Hooterville's Doc Stuart (Regis Toomey). Upon discovering that the town now has a female MD, the menfolk are none too pleased about it--nor are their jealous womenfolk! Although Bea Benaderet) is still billed in the opening credits, the actress died a month before this episode originally aired. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
