Hubby and I were talking recently about our how our nearly 6 year old daughter seems to be maturing so fast to the ways of the world. Already we have been hearing things come out of her mouth that are clearly to mature in content for her to know about. One time she almost caused her feminist grandmother to blow a gasket when she mentioned that wives who stay pregnant all the time don’t have to work. Last week she mentioned that kids can move and get their own place if they are unhappy with the house rules. In all instances she learned about these things from television or modern kids movies.
It got me to thinking about what I watched when I was young and most things that came to mind were very old shows… shows that would have been old even when I watched them. I have to hand it to my mom… somehow I grew up watching old classics and loving them. I watched the Mickey Mouse Club.. the black and white version with Annette Funicello. I watched the original Parent Trap with Hayley Mills. I was over the moon for Tommy Kirk from The Shaggy Dog and Peter McEnery from The Moon Spinners. In fact I remember looking up one of their addresses at the public library and writing to them, professing my adoration. In return I got an autographed photo and was stunned when the picture was clearly of an elderly man… I was confused to say the least.
It has put me on a mission to introduce some of those great old movies to my own kids. Movies about kids having adventures and just being kids. I think they will be a vastly better alternative to prime time Nick TV. Any of these sound familiar to you? They were my favorites.
Old Yeller – I get teary eyed just thinking of this movie and how it shows the love between a boy and his dog. I think my oldest son would really like it as he has two yellow labs in his life that he loves dearly. The draw for me was Tommy Kirk… could a young man get any cuter?? I think not.
Swiss Family Robinson – This is the ultimate family adventure IMO! I used to daydream about getting shipwrecked just like this family because I loved the way they lived. I wanted to go and live with them to make sure Ernst had a wife when he got old enough (yep Tommy Kirk again). My younger brother and I would run to the Swiss Family Tree House every Christmas when we went on our annual trip to Disneyland. I still love this movie to this day because it is a story about a family’s love and the greatest adventure of their lives and how it makes them see what is really important.
The Shaggy Dog and The Shaggy DA – These are two separate movies, the original and the sequel. It is about a boy who finds a mysterious magic ring that turns him in to a sheepdog. The sequel features him as an adult.
The Moon Spinners – I could go on all day about how I love this movie and I still watch it every year. It is about a young girl named Nikki (Hayley Mills) and her Aunt going on vacation to Crete. Nikki meets and becomes enamoured with a young man named Mark, that she meets at a party. The next day she is sightseeing and wandering through an old crypt when she stumbles upon Mark, shot and wounded badly. It turns out Mark has tracked jewel thieves from his home in England to this island and now both of them have to run for their lives.
The Parent Trap – Another Hayley Mills movie about twins separated at birth that accidentally discover each other when they are sent to the same summer camp. I love the re-make of this movie with a very young Lindsey Lohan too.
Annie – Another movie I have to watch every year. It brings back memories of seeing the Broadway play version with my grandmother when I was little. The adorable redhead, Daddy Warbucks, the idea that abused orphans find happiness… its good stuff!
Camille – Okay this one isn’t for kids… teen or tween girls maybe. I fell in love with this movie when I was about 12 I think and it was Annie that made me seek it out. When Annie goes to the movies for the first time this is the movie she sees and the end scene was so moving I wanted to see the whole film. It is basically about a young man (Armand) who falls in love with a courtesan played by Greta Garbo. She falls in love with him as well but pushes him away at first not wanting to tarnish his name by association but he will not give up. Her debt and her relationship to a very powerful man put her love in danger so she betrays him in the hope that he will realize she is no good and give up. When Armand discovers that she was trying to protect him and that his own family begged her to leave him, he tracks her down with the intention to marry her once and for all. Sadly when he finds her, he discovers that she is dying from a terminal illness. This one is a cry fest!
The Sea Gypsies (Originally titled Shipwreck) – Travis and his two daughters, Courtney and Samantha, set off on a trip around the world on a sailboat. Along for the trip is Kelly, a journalist who has been assigned to cover the voyage. Also, Jesse, a stowaway, is found aboard adding a fifth person on the trip. Soon, they are shipwrecked on a deserted island and must learn how to survive together in a dangerous environment.
The Monkey’s Uncle – Yep, Tommy Kirk (again). My little brother and I LOVED this movie. It is about a genius college student named Merlin Jones. He adopts a chimpanzee named Stanley, and makes him his legal “nephew” (an experiment to raise Stanley as a human). Merlin ends up inventing a man-powered airplane and a sleep-learning system all the while raising a chimp and hilarity ensues.
The Wilderness Family – Another story of family adventuring… Skip Robinson is a city-dwelling construction worker. His family is tired of the city and move to the mountains with no plans to return. After fixing their own cabin, they settle in to find out that their environment isn’t always peaceful. A pack of wolves, an angry lioness, and a menacing grizzly bear harass the Robinsons, in their otherwise happy new home. This movie has two sequels as well.
Savannah Smiles – Oh how I adored this movie! It is actually about a 7 year old little girl of a US politician who runs away from home. She accidentally ends up in the car of two convicts who can’t exactly turn her over to the police without turning themselves in. While they try to figure out what to do with her this little girl captures their hearts and makes them want to be better men. I like it because it shows how children really can be the motivation to better ourselves.
Cloak and Dagger – An 11 year old boy who is mourning the death of his mother gets a bit carried away with his role playing a game called Cloak and Dagger. He is even seeing an imaginary friend based on the character he loves.. Jack Flack. One day Davey’s friend Morris who owns a video game shop sends Davey on an errand, where Davey witnesses a murder. Right before the victim dies, he gives Davey a Cloak & Dagger video-game cartridge that supposedly contains important military secrets. Davey seeks help from the authorities but they simply believe him to be engaging in fantasy play. Only this time its not a game.
Did you watch any of these? Or have any to add to this list of must see family classics?
