Genre Guesstimation – The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)

The idea behind this feature (Genre Guesstimation) is for me to watch a bunch of new movies (or ones that I haven’t seen many times) from the chosen monthly GG genre in order to expand my knowledge of movies within that particular genre.

This month’s genre has been chosen by Marc of French Toast Sundays and we will be reviewing our favorite Live Action Disney Films.

Please get me your submissions by the 25th of Nov by sending them to disneylivemarc@movierob.net

Tnx Marc!

Try to think out of the box!

Let’s see if I felt that this movie would be worthy of being in the company of my others favorite movies in the genre of Live Action Disney Films…….

“You know something, Amos? The Lord poured your brains in with a teaspoon, and somebody joggled His arm. I keep trying to tell you we ain’t got no lead to throw, and no powder to throw it with.” – Theodore Ogelvie

Number of Times Seen – At least 3 times (TV in the 70’s and 80’s and 14 Nov 2021)

Brief Synopsis – A gambler inherits three orphans who supposedly are heirs to a fortune.

My Take on it – I decided that in order to make my guest choices of the Genre for the Genre Grandeur series more personal (and expand my own personal horizons of these genres), I will take a recommendation from my guest for a film to watch for this Genre Guesstimation series.

This duology was Marc’s choice for me to watch.

This is a movie that I recall seeing as a kid on TV numerous times and liked it a lot.

Unfortunately, besides the fact that Tim Conway and Don Knotts appeared here, I didn’t remember anything about the plot.

The story is quite good and besides being family friendly, they still deal with some great aspects of the Old West that come together really well here.

The comic antics of the duo is great and I love the whole ladder scenario because they make it not just funny, but it flows so well within the story and with these characters.

The main focus of this film is the connection between Bill Bixby’s character and the kids, but the lack of chemistry between them hurts things a bit too much and takes away from making this something even more powerful to watch unfold.

Love the theme song of the film. Listen to it here:

The supporting cast is also great and Harry Morgan stands out as the sheriff/barber/judge of this small town.

Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – When Donovan loses his poker hand to the banker, he mentions “three deuces beats aces over eights”. In poker, two pair (aces and eights) is sometimes called the Dead Man’s Hand. According to legend, this was the poker hand held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was shot dead. (From IMDB)

Genre Grandeur Worthy? – Fun film that introduces some great characters and stays interesting throughout.

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)