Escapade in Florence

Last updated

"Escapade in Florence"
The Magical World of Disney episodes
Escapade in Florence DVD Cover.jpg
Episode nos.Season 9
Episodes 2-3
Directed by Steve Previn
Written by
Based onThe Golden Doors
by Edward Fenton
Featured music Buddy Baker
Cinematography byKurt Grigoleit
Original air date1962 (1962)
Running time81 minutes

"Escapade in Florence" is a two-part episode of The Magical World of Disney television show which was released theatrically in some countries. Walt Disney described it as a "two-part teenage comedy adventure" which was "international in flavor". [1] The show first aired on September 30 and October 7, 1962, and was repeated in June 1963 and June 1969. [2]

Contents

Plot

Mystery and suspense follow Annette Funicello and Tommy Kirk as they play students studying in the enchanting city of Florence, Italy. As the two find romance among the city's magnificent art and architecture, they discover that her paintings are at the center of an elaborate art forgery ring involving Florence's most treasured masterpieces. Danger soon finds them when they uncover the mastermind behind the plot and they're thrown into an ancient dungeon. It's now up to Annette to save the day, but will help arrive in time?

Cast

Production

The film was based on a book by Edward Fenton called The Golden Doors which was published in July 1957. [3] Disney bought the rights in December 1957. [4]

In May 1959 Winston Miller was writing a script for producer William Anderson. [5]

It was shot on location in Florence, Italy. Shooting finished in May 1962. [6] Funicello wrote that Italy was her favourite location ever . [7]

Release

The Monthly Film Bulletin called it "an almost perfect example of its genre - straightforward story, likeable young protagonists, some good rough and tumble with the hero's skill in jiu jitsu coming in useful, pleasant songs, a general happy atmosphere, and a strong location background." [8]

Diabolique said it "very much puts Kirk front and center, and he is charming as an American abroad getting into hijinks with art thieves." [9]

Escapade in Florence was released through VHS in March 1986 as part of a promotion called "Annette Month", which honored the film's star Annette Funicello. [10] It was later re-released in DVD formatin September 2013 via the Disney Movie Club Exclusives. [11] [12]

Comic book adaption

Related Research Articles

<i>The Mickey Mouse Club</i> American variety television show

The Mickey Mouse Club is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised for four seasons, from 1955 to 1959, by ABC. This original run featured a regular, but ever-changing cast of mostly teen performers. ABC broadcast reruns weekday afternoons during the 1958–1959 season, airing right after American Bandstand. The show was revived three times after its initial 1955–1959 run on ABC, first from 1977 to 1979 for first-run syndication as The New Mickey Mouse Club, then from 1989 to 1996 as The All-New Mickey Mouse Club airing on The Disney Channel, and again from 2017 to 2018 with the moniker Club Mickey Mouse airing on internet social media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankie Avalon</span> American actor and singer (born 1940)

Francis Thomas Avallone , better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. Billboard singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" and "Why" in 1959. He is the earliest surviving singer to have scored a solo number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annette Funicello</span> American actress and singer (1942–2013)

Annette Joanne Funicello was an American actress and singer. She began her professional career at age 12, becoming one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the original Mickey Mouse Club. In her teenage years, Funicello had a successful career as a pop singer recording under the name "Annette". Her most notable singles are "O Dio Mio", "First Name Initial", "Tall Paul", and "Pineapple Princess". During the mid-1960s, she established herself as a film actress, popularizing the successful "Beach Party" genre alongside co-star Frankie Avalon.

<i>The Shaggy Dog</i> (1959 film) American film directed by Charles Barton

The Shaggy Dog is a 1959 American fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and loosely based on the 1923 novel The Hound of Florence by Felix Salten. Directed by Charles Barton from a screenplay by Lillie Hayward and Bill Walsh, the film stars Fred MacMurray, Tommy Kirk, Jean Hagen, Kevin Corcoran, Tim Considine, Roberta Shore, and Annette Funicello. The film follows a teenage boy named Wilby Daniels who, by the power of an enchanted ring of the Borgias, is transformed into a shaggy Old English Sheepdog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Kirk</span> American actor (1941–2021)

Thomas Lee Kirk was an American actor, best known for his performances in films made by Walt Disney Studios such as Old Yeller, The Shaggy Dog, Swiss Family Robinson, The Absent-Minded Professor, and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, as well as the beach party films of the mid-1960s. He frequently appeared as a love interest for Annette Funicello or as part of a family with Kevin Corcoran as his younger brother and Fred MacMurray as his father.

<i>Babes in Toyland</i> (1961 film) 1961 film

Babes in Toyland is a 1961 American Christmas musical film directed by Jack Donohue and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It stars Ray Bolger as Barnaby, Tommy Sands as Tom Piper, Annette Funicello as Mary Contrary, and Ed Wynn as the Toymaker.

<i>The Monkeys Uncle</i> 1965 American comedy film by Robert Stevenson

The Monkey's Uncle is a 1965 American comedy film starring Tommy Kirk as genius college student Merlin Jones and Annette Funicello as his girlfriend, Jennifer. The title plays on the idiom "monkey's uncle" and refers to a chimpanzee named Stanley, Merlin's legal "nephew" who otherwise has little relevance to the plot. Jones invents a man-powered airplane and a sleep-learning system. The film is a sequel to 1964's The Misadventures of Merlin Jones.

<i>The Misadventures of Merlin Jones</i> 1964 film by Robert Stevenson

The Misadventures of Merlin Jones is a 1964 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The film stars Tommy Kirk as a college student who experiments with mindreading and hypnotism, leading to incidents with a local judge. Annette Funicello plays his girlfriend and sings the film's title song, with Leon Ames, Stuart Erwin, Alan Hewitt, Connie Gilchrist and Dallas McKennon in the film's supporting cast.

<i>Beach Party</i> 1963 film by William Asher

Beach Party is a 1963 American film and the first of seven beach party films from American International Pictures (AIP) aimed at a teen audience. This film is often credited with creating the beach party film genre.

<i>Savage Sam</i> (film) 1963 film by Norman Tokar

Savage Sam is a 1963 American Western film sequel to Old Yeller based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Fred Gipson. Norman Tokar directed the live-action film, which was released by Walt Disney Productions on June 1, 1963. It did not enjoy the success of the original.

<i>How to Stuff a Wild Bikini</i> 1965 film by William Asher

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini is a 1965 Pathécolor beach party film from American International Pictures. The sixth entry in a seven-film series, the movie features Mickey Rooney, Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, and Beverly Adams. The film features a brief appearance by Frankie Avalon and includes Buster Keaton in one of his last roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Considine</span> American actor and sportswriter (1940–2022)

Timothy Daniel Considine was an American actor, writer, photographer, and automotive historian. He was best known for his acting roles in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

<i>Pajama Party</i> (film) 1964 beach party film directed by Don Weis

Pajama Party is a 1964 beach party film starring Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello. This is the fourth in a series of seven beach films produced by American International Pictures. The other films in this series are Beach Party (1963), Muscle Beach Party (1964), Bikini Beach (1964), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965), Ski Party (1965) and The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlene Gillespie</span> American actress and singer

Darlene Gillespie is a Canadian-American former child actress, most remembered as a singer and dancer on the original The Mickey Mouse Club television series from 1955 to 1959. After her career in entertainment ended, she became a nurse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Corcoran</span> American actor and film director (1949–2015)

Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran was an American child actor, director and producer. He appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 and 1963, leading him to be honored as a Disney Legend in 2006. His nickname, Moochie, established him as an irrepressible character in film.

Walt Disney Presents: Annette is a television serial that ran on The Mickey Mouse Club during the show's third season (1957–1958). It starred Annette Funicello as Annette McCleod, a poor, orphaned country girl who moves into town with her upper-class Uncle Archie and Aunt Lila. The serial also starred Richard Deacon as Archie McCleod, Sylvia Field as Archie's sister Lila McCleod, Mary Wickes as Katie the housekeeper and prolific Disney child stars Tim Considine, David Stollery and Roberta Shore as Annette's friends. The story was adapted by Lillie Hayward from the book Margaret by Janette Sebring Lowrey.

<i>Bon Voyage!</i> (1962 film) 1962 film by James Neilson

Bon Voyage! is a 1962 American comedy film directed by James Neilson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It stars Fred MacMurray, Jane Wyman, Deborah Walley, Tommy Kirk, and Kevin Corcoran as the Willard family on a European holiday.

<i>Thunder Alley</i> (1967 film) 1967 film by Richard Rush

Thunder Alley is a 1967 film about auto racing directed by Richard Rush and starring Annette Funicello and Fabian Forte. It was released by American International Pictures.

<i>The Rainbow Road to Oz</i> Disney unreleased 1950s film

The Rainbow Road to Oz was a proposed, but never finished, Walt Disney Studios 1950s live-action film about characters in the Land of Oz. Inspired by L. Frank Baum's early 20th century Oz novels, it was to have starred some of the Mouseketeers, including Darlene Gillespie as Dorothy Gale and Annette Funicello as Princess Ozma, as well as Bobby Burgess as the Scarecrow, Doreen Tracey as the Patchwork Girl, Jimmie Dodd as the Cowardly Lion, Tommy Kirk as the villainous son of the Wicked Witch of the West, and Kevin Corcoran.

The Horsemasters was a 2 part episode of the Disneyland TV show from 1961 which screened theatrically in some countries.

References

  1. ↑ Disney Paints Bright Picture Disney, Walt. Los Angeles Times March 25, 1962: D4
  2. ↑ Cotter, Bill (1997). The Wonderful World of Disney Television. Hyperion Books. pp. 108, 526. ISBN   0-7868-6359-5.
  3. ↑ Varied Fare in Summer Titles for Youngsters Los Angeles Times 21 July 1957: E6.
  4. ↑ BY WAY OF REPORT: Disney Plans Two New Films--Other Items By A.H. WEILER. New York Times 22 Dec 1957: 51.
  5. ↑ 'Top of the World' Reached by Quinn: Moviemakers Venture Afield; Disney Swings 'Golden Doors' Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times 21 May 1959: A11.
  6. ↑ NOTED ON THE ITALIAN SCENE: At Home Abroad Works in Progress Double Duties By ROBERT F. HAWKINS. New York Times 13 May 1962: X7.
  7. ↑ Funicello, Annette; Bashe, Patricia Romanowski (1994). A dream is a wish your heart makes : my story. Hyperion. p. 131.
  8. ↑ ESCAPADE IN FLORENCE Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 30, Iss. 348, (Jan 1, 1963): 65.
  9. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (September 9, 2019). "The Cinema of Tommy Kirk". Diabolique Magazine.
  10. ↑ "Newsline". Billboard . Vol. 98, no. 6. February 8, 1986. p. 46.
  11. ↑ "ESCAPADE IN FLORENCE coming to DVD via the DMC | Open Vault Disney". Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  12. ↑ "ESCAPADE IN FLORENCE Now Available to Own on DVD | Open Vault Disney". Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Gold Key: Escapade in Florence". Grand Comics Database.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.