Musical Mondays Week 9 Pete's Dragon (1977)

[kateacola 2440]

So were Dr. Terminus & Hoagy trying to go legit? With wanting dragon parts to make money (money money by the pound)?

 

Since they were known for ripping people off, giving faux-remedies to people town to town. Did they really need dragon parts? Couldn't they have just sold fake dragon medicines? Unless they were tired of ripping people off, and wanted to actually help people??

Maybe their intentions weren't too bad, but they just went about it the wrong way with luring Elliot, trying to snatch him without Pete's permission/ giving up Pete to the Gogans'?

[tomspanks 9039]

Since they were known for ripping people off, giving faux-remedies to people town to town. Did they really need dragon parts? Couldn't they have just sold fake dragon medicines? Unless they were tired of ripping people off, and wanted to actually help people??

 

Seriously. Their "oriental oil" was from Paris.

[Cameron H. 23786]

So were Dr. Terminus & Hoagy trying to go legit? With wanting dragon parts to make money (money money by the pound)?

 

Since they were known for ripping people off, giving faux-remedies to people town to town. Did they really need dragon parts? Couldn't they have just sold fake dragon medicines? Unless they were tired of ripping people off, and wanted to actually help people??

Maybe their intentions weren't too bad, but they just went about it the wrong way with luring Elliot, trying to snatch him without Pete's permission/ giving up Pete to the Gogans'?

 

[Cam Bert 8145]

 

At first I read this too quickly and thought it WAS Kiel. Then I read it more carefully and was disappointed.

I spy a bobo Frank Stallone over bobo Jaws' shoulder.

I'm more distracted by the old guy staring right down the barrel.

 

Also don't forget Papa Gogan has a kinda Jim Varney vibe about him.

 

So were Dr. Terminus & Hoagy trying to go legit? With wanting dragon parts to make money (money money by the pound)?

 

Since they were known for ripping people off, giving faux-remedies to people town to town. Did they really need dragon parts? Couldn't they have just sold fake dragon medicines? Unless they were tired of ripping people off, and wanted to actually help people??

Maybe their intentions weren't too bad, but they just went about it the wrong way with luring Elliot, trying to snatch him without Pete's permission/ giving up Pete to the Gogans'?

This point confused me as well. Like clearly he's a huckster selling snake oil, so why would he care about making real medicine? For that matter when he was making the medicine he was double checking with Red Buttons about the recipe. What does the recipe matter if it doesn't work? It doesn't need to taste good either because it's medicine which is notorious for not tasting good. Also the main ingredients seemed to be sea water and potatoes. That can't taste good and wouldn't people in a fishing village know what sea water tastes like and the dangers of it?

[tomspanks 9039]

It doesn't need to taste good either because it's medicine which is notorious for not tasting good.

 

You've never had purple drank?

[Cam Bert 8145]

Maybe you "bought" orphans back then? Isn't the adoption process still pricey?

Just did a little poking around. The cost of adoption in the US looks to vary between $2,744 to $39,966 depending on foster care, private, overseas adoptions, etc. So with inflation $50.50 in 1910 would be the equivalent of $1319.72 today. Sounds like they got a deal.

[Cam Bert 8145]

 

You've never had purple drank?

Is that like the stuff in the Sunny D commercials?

[tomspanks 9039]

Is that like the stuff in the Sunny D commercials?

 

Lol, no that's purple "stuff."

Purple drank is prescription purple colored cough syrup abused for recreational drug use. In this instance I was referring to the purple children's cold syrup. It's the most delicious artificial grape flavor.

[JammerLea 2070]

By the way I absolutely loved Helen Reddy in this. I think it would've been better if she didn't have a love interest, but Nora was pretty cool. Probably should be more worried about her dad being drunk constantly though. TBH the whole town should be more concerned. I mean, Pete goes by the tavern while the kids are still in school, so it's probably not even or just barely afternoon and that building is absolutely FULL of people just pouring beer down their throats. Do any of them have jobs?? It wouldn't seem like a little port city like that could afford to have that many drunkards wasting the whole day away.

 

Back to Helen Reddy though, this was my introduction to her

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPkm4O6g1rw

I love her voice

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

Sorry to go off topic, but a certain other Disney musical turned 25 years old today so if anyone is looking for choice of ridiculous musicals...

(P.S. This is another one I actually have never seen. It just never crossed my path as a kid and I've never gotten around to seeing it.)

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

 

Lol, no that's purple "stuff."

Purple drank is prescription purple colored cough syrup abused for recreational drug use. In this instance I was referring to the purple children's cold syrup. It's the most delicious artificial grape flavor.

 

Is that like purple Dimetap? A medicine so sweet it would form a layer of sugar crust around the lid...delicious.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Sorry to go off topic, but a certain other Disney musical turned 25 years old today so if anyone is looking for choice of ridiculous musicals...

(P.S. This is another one I actually have never seen. It just never crossed my path as a kid and I've never gotten around to seeing it.)

 

Newsies is on Hulu and keeps trying to aggressively impose itself on my son. He'd be watching Sheriff Callie, and instead of going to the next episode, like it's supposed to, "the bad movie" would starting. He's completely given up on Callie now

[IMAHUGEHDTGMFAN 1837]

This Disney film has a troubled history as far as the many different versions released over the years. It originally ran 134 minutes. After its premiere engagement in Hollywood, it was cut down to 121 minutes before it premiered in New York. When it was released in Europe, it ran 105 minutes, with the following edits: -"Candle on the Water" (which survived only as an instrumental passage over the credits replacing the original overture) and "The Happiest Home in These Hills" were eliminated entirely. -Verses from "I Saw A Dragon," "Passamashloddy," "There's Room For Everyone," and "Every Little Piece" were cut. -21 scenes were shortened. This version was used for the original home video release in 1980, while every video since then has run 128 minutes, restoring the songs and the majority of dramatic material. However, when Disney re-released it in theaters, it was the European cut. Even further cuts were made for the TV version of the film, which premiered on "The Disney Sunday Movie" in 1986.

 

That explains a lot about why we now think this movie is long/longer and I also think that the Online & HD & BluRay versions of this move are the full un-edited versions except for maybe the "Candle on the Water" song that plays during the opening credits but in instrumental version

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

That explains a lot about why we now think this movie is long/longer and I also think that the Online & HD & BluRay versions of this move are the full un-edited versions except for maybe the "Candle on the Water" song that plays during the opening credits but in instrumental version

 

Wait! If "Happiest Home in These Hills" is cut, does this mean the movie just opens with Pete waking up (inexplicably) in a log? And then, in the Third Act, these strange Hillpeople just show up out of nowhere claiming ownership over Pete?

 

The shortened version sounds even more bonkers...

[Cam Bert 8145]

 

Lol, no that's purple "stuff."

Purple drank is prescription purple colored cough syrup abused for recreational drug use. In this instance I was referring to the purple children's cold syrup. It's the most delicious artificial grape flavor.

Sound delightful. This is what I grew up having to have.

 

 

Curious if CakeBug has tried it and what he thinks.

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

Sound delightful. This is what I grew up having to have.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-skdurbTNMI

 

Curious if CakeBug has tried it and what he thinks.

I'm allergic to Buckley's

 

It has pine needle oil, which messes with my asthma.

[tomspanks 9039]

Is that like purple Dimetap? A medicine so sweet it would form a layer of sugar crust around the lid...delicious.

 

Yes! I loved that growing up. To this day, I like artificial grape flavor.

 

Sound delightful. This is what I grew up having to have.

 

Curious if CakeBug has tried it and what he thinks.

 

Lol @ "it tastes awful" is a selling point.

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

Lol @ "it tastes awful" is a selling point.

 

That's their slogan to this day. Pretty effective, really.

[kateacola 2440]

Some interesting trivia on the imdb page:

Originally, Elliott the dragon was not to be seen at all in the film and remain invisible throughout. However, members of the studio animation department gradually lobbied studio heads to increase the amount of visible screen time. At first it was decided he would be only seen at the end of the film, but ultimately the character's screen time was increased to 22 minutes.

I'm glad they didn't go that route... with no cartoon Elliot or only at the end

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

Look, all I'm saying is that if we all chipped in fifty bucks each...

 

http://auction.howardlowery.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=3115985

 

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

GUYS.

 

A very important note. I was wondering about the terrible teacher who blamed Pete for leaving Elliott-holes in the wall and ringing the bells with his psychic abilities. For being a filthy liar, Pete is subjected to 'the knuckle cracker', where Pete is whomped on the hand with a ruler (Sleepwalkers callback, yo) and then is threatened with the 'backside breaker' after Pete magically pulls teacher's chair out. This teacher loves beating up kids. But that's fine, you know, since, in 1977, this case was tried:

 

http://caselaw.findl...rt/430/651.html

 

Based on this law, corporal punishment in Maine schools was legalised in 1977. 1977! The year of Pete's Dragon! While belting kids for no reason was illegal in Maine since 1975, the 1977 Supreme Court decision meant that Maine sadists got their outlet. To whit:

 

Corporal punishment means intentionally causing physical pain to a student. It was outlawed in Maine since 1975. However, a teacher or other person entrusted with the care or supervision of a child, is justified in using a reasonable degree of force against any such child who creates a disturbance when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary to control the disturbing behavior or to remove a person from the scene of such disturbance.

 

Given that Pete was a lying, black-magic using urchin, he had it coming. And Maine law stood up to support his teacher.

 

And then this movie was made to celebrate Mainer corporal punishment rights. Way to go, Disney.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Did anyone else find it strange that only a couple of hours after her father suddenly claims to have seen a dragon, Nora meets a mysterious young boy who claims to actually have a dragon, and she has absolutely no reaction to this? Like, I'm not saying she should believe either of them, but think how weird it would be if two people came up to you today, independently, and said they had just seen a dragon. That's pretty fucking random. You would think you would be at least be like, "Huh...that's really bizarre."

[tomspanks 9039]

Did anyone else find it strange that only a couple of hours after her father suddenly claims to have seen a dragon, Nora meets a mysterious young boy who claims to actually have a dragon, and she has absolutely no reaction to this? Like, I'm not saying she should believe either of them, but think how random it would be if two people came up to you today, independently, and said they had just seen a dragon. That's pretty fucking random. You would think you would be at least be like, "Huh...that's really bizarre."

 

I'm thinking Nora encounters townsfolk who tell her all sorts of things. I think you get used to it when you live in a town rampant with alcoholism.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

Oh man CakeBug, bringing the legal precedent to Pete's Dragon. Well Done!

 

All those different versions are, indeed, bonkers. I never understand why studios feel it's a good idea to re-cut films, whether it be something by Ridley Scott or this movie. I know why they WANT to (shorter movie lengths lead to more showings and thus higher profits in theaters, the marketability of a movie between 90 and 120ish minutes, etc.) but once a film is shot, edited, and scored, it's probably a good idea to call it a day. If you wanted concrete specifications in running time, length of songs, order of scenes, etc., you should have made that a proviso in the director's contract so that movie could be SHOT to those specifications from the beginning and you're not second guessing yourself after the fact. It's like trying to fix a cake after it's been baked. Adding or subtracting frosting, cutting into a different shape, or putting it back in the oven is just going to result in an overcooked mess.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

Did anyone else find it strange that only a couple of hours after her father suddenly claims to have seen a dragon, Nora meets a mysterious young boy who claims to actually have a dragon, and she has absolutely no reaction to this? Like, I'm not saying she should believe either of them, but think how random it would be if two people came up to you today, independently, and said they had just seen a dragon. That's pretty fucking random. You would think you would be at least be like, "Huh...that's really bizarre."

I'm assuming, like any center of sailing and gathering of sailors, tall tails, sea shanties, and drunken haranguing are a part of every day existence. After all, it was the passed down stories of sailors that led to things like manatees being mistaken for fucking mermaids. Taking a story from Mickey Rooney with a grain of salt (or outright disbelief) is probably just the way of things. Old maps use to say "Here Be Dragons" on unknown regions, after all.

 

But, as usual, you are right. It is bizarre.

 

Seeing this:

Equals this?