Snowball Express (1972) User Reviews

A fond childhood memory

[bensonmum2 · 6/10 · 17 April 2006]

I was nine years old when Disney's Snowball Express first came out. I can still remember seeing it in the theaters and having an absolute wonderful time with it. I've seen it several times over the years since and while I no longer consider it one of my favorites, I still have a good time with it. Regardless of how old I've become or how much my taste in movies has changed, Snowball Express never fails to provide some level of entertainment or make me laugh out loud at a couple of the funnier moments. It's just good, simple, clean fun.

One thing that makes many of these Disney live action films good to me is the presence of Dean Jones. He is an Everyman. He has such an easy-going, amiable air about him that it's easy to put yourself in his shoes. His reaction to situations and events occurring around him rings true (given a certain level of exaggeration necessary for comedy). It's this believability that makes him relatable and perfect for a role like the one in Snowball Express.

A ski bum's dream come true!

[bigdinosaur · 7/10 · 30 April 2005]

Brief synopsis: Baxter (Dean Jones) inherits a hotel in Silver Hill, Colorado and quits his New York job to take up proprietorship. Although he discovers the hotel is no longer profitable as such, he sees the potential of converting it to a ski resort. Of course, as you can guess, all sorts of humorous mishaps befall the poor man and his family before he can realise this dream.

This movie was filmed on location in beautiful Crested Butte, Colorado, thinly disguised as Silver Hill. Fantastic scenery here. Crested Butte has changed a lot since this movie was made, but you can see some of the landmarks still.

For many years we had only reel 2 of this movie and never could seem to find a VHS copy. To my great elation, I came across a DVD version a few weeks ago, along with a couple more of my old favourites 'Gus' & 'Big Red'. It was wonderful. They just don't make movies like this any more. I would love to see Disney do more movies like this; but I suppose they are not profitable.

Now, this movie is by no means a masterpiece, but it's so much fun to watch. I like stuff like the tree made of rubber that Dean Jones gets caught on; And the double-tipped skis he (or his stunt double) wears when skiing backwards. That kid's goofy snowmobile was a riot.

Even my teenage kids liked this movie. And I didn't have to worry about objectionable material like I do more recent movies (even from Disney). I figure if it makes me and my kids laugh it's worth it.

I recommend you check this out if you have kids and like to watch movies with them. My rating was a 7 on this one.

Good clean old school Disney

[funtasticfour · 6/10 · 30 December 2019]

I'm sure I loved this as a kid, but it felt all new to me now. Nothing wrong with this movie at all, I'd recommend it to any family. Silly, low budget fun. Just not my cup of tea these days.

Roll on the floor funny!

[choffman-2 · 5 November 2004]

This is absolutely one of the funniest movies I've ever seen without subjecting the viewer to low class potty humor or vulgarity. Most people won't find it as funny as today's vulgar and crass humor or the insipid "dumb and dumber" type of humor. However, if you are looking for something for the entire family that is clean and at the same time hilarious, this is it! My family never tires of watching this movie for a good laugh. They certainly don't make good, clean movies like they used to which is a great pity! I wish I could buy a collection of Dean Jones' movies at one time. I love his ability to seem foolish and yet come out the hero without superficial trappings that seem to be required of most heroes today. He is an "everyman" hero and one that obviously has integrity where other lack it.

"There's a fish in my drink." "Not so loud, everybody'll want one!"

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 7 September 2019]

Dean Jones once again goes through his Disney paces, giving a typically engaging performance as Johnny Baxter, an accountant who inherits a run-down lodge in Colorado. He hears that the place pulls in $14,000 a month, and that's enough for him to say sayonara to his current job and pull stakes & head for Colorado. He eventually gets the bright idea to turn the lodge into a ski resort. There are, of course, obstacles along the road to success, but he's determined to realize this dream.

These live-action Disney comedies of the 1960s and 1970s were certainly formula-bound, but this one works pretty well, thanks to a generous amount of genuine laughs, and some truly impressive stunts on the snowy slopes. Much of the running time is devoted to skiing and snowmobiling mishaps, and the hilarious highlight is when Johnny makes his first attempt at skiing. (He's reasoned that he should have some knowledge of the sport if he's going to be running a ski lodge.) The whole thing may be silly, but it's *agreeably* silly, complete with a suitably smarmy, and fun, performance by Keenan Wynn as the greedy, villainous banker Martin Ridgeway.

The cast features a number of familiar faces: Nancy Olson (the female lead in "The Absent-Minded Professor" 11 years previous) as Johnny's wife, Kathleen Cody ("Hot Summer Week") and Johnny Whitaker ('Family Affair') as his kids, a priceless Harry Morgan, pre-'M*A*S*H', as grizzled old fart Jesse McCord, Michael McGreevey (from two of the Dexter Riley Disney comedies) as amiable Wally Perkins, George Lindsey of 'The Andy Griffith Show' as local character "Double L Dingman", Mary Wickes ("Sister Act" 1 and 2) as Ridgeway's secretary, and Dick Van Patten of 'Eight is Enough' fame as Johnny's boss in the opening scenes.

Overall, an upbeat and goofy comedy that is good for a family audience, with the kind of protagonists for whom it is easy to root.

Seven out of 10.

Dean Jones on the Slopes

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 18 January 2012]

Late and frazzled New York City accountant Dean Jones (as John "Johnny" Sylvester Baxter) learns he has inherited the "Grand Imperial Hotel" in Silver Hill, Colorado. Thinking that might be in Wyoming, Mr. Jones quits his job and moves to the ritzy-sounding place. Alas, well-coiffed wife Nancy Olson (as Sue) and the family arrive to find the hotel in dilapidated shape. Having burned his bridges at work, Jones decides to stay, repair the old place, and turn it into a ski resort. Seventy-five-year-old squatter Harry Morgan (as Jesse McCord) is hired as bellboy. Local banker Keenan Wynn (as Martin Ridgeway) causes problems...

This is mainly Jones' picture, with Mr. Morgan and Michael McGreevey (as Wally Perkins) getting the best supporting roles...

Like so many Disney movies, the situation seems to double as a TV series pilot. Probably, nobody would believe Jones having only two children in a hotel sitcom, but they are good ones - beautiful daughter Kathleen Cody (as Chris) from "Dark Shadows" and precocious son Johnny Whitaker (as Richard) from "Family Affair". While Jones sometimes channels Jimmy Stewart, "Mayberry" citizen George Lindsay does a great Karl Malden. The opening includes dependable bits from David White ("Bewitched") and Dick Van Patten ("Eight Is Enough"). Scene stealer Mary Wickes is always appreciated. Silly story, great cast.

****** Snowball Express (12/22/72) Norman Tokar ~ Dean Jones, Harry Morgan, Michael McGreevey, Nancy Olson

Starts off better than it finishes

[r96sk · 7/10 · 7 August 2020]

Starts off better than it finishes, but 'Snowball Express' is still a fairly fun watch.

Dean Jones (Johnny) is once again the best actor on display, though Harry Morgan (Jesse) runs him relatively close. Keenan Wynn is alright as Ridgeway, though I'm not a huge fan of Wynn's - which isn't good given he basically plays the same type of character over and over.

The premise and how it progresses is fine - could've been greater, could've been worse. It's not as funny as I would've predicted/how the film thinks it is, but there are one or two decent gags worthy of a chuckle.

Nothing spectacular, probably worth a view to see if you like it though.

Fun movie -- not the greatest, but who cares?

[tallguy62 · 3/10 · 30 January 2005]

Based on the comments made so far, everyone seems to either hate this movie or love it. I think it would be fair to point out that although this is not a GREAT movie, it has its interesting moments. For one thing, it was filmed on location in Colorado (was it Breckinridge or Telluride? I can't remember, but it is in the credits). The location is absolutely stunning and spectacular. It's beautiful, even to me who lived in Colorado for several years.

Next, it has Disney's penchant for wonderful character actors. Harry Morgan has never been in better form than when he plays in a Disney movie. He is literally hysterical. Also, remember the wonderful Mary Wickes? Although she has a "bit part" in this movie, she is great, as always. If you don't know who she is, think of the animated Disney version of Hunchback from Notre Dame (she was one of the gargoyles), and she was also the most interesting nun in "Sister Act", as well as the best nun in "The Trouble With Angels." She has always been a great character actress and most character actors never receive the recognition they deserve.

In addition to character actors and all-star casts, in the 1960s-1970s Disney may have not had the "greatest" movies, but, if you really watch some of them from beginning to end, you will NOTICE that every movie has some really funny or hysterical moment in it. The entire movie may not be funny, but there is always a comic gem (at least 1 or 2) in every single "live-action" movie Disney ever made. Whether it's Harry Morgan in one of his bellowing tones of voice, or Tim Conway floundering around, or Joe Flynn giving one of his priceless looks of horror, it is all good. The whole film may not be good, but there are ALWAYS hysterical moments in every Disney film from this period that I have ever seen. Disney in this time period always managed to make a person smile, despite the dumbness of the film.

Bsed on these comments, I disagree with viewers who say every Disney movie in this time period is awful. That statement it not quite accurate. Rather, it is easier for me to give credit to the funny moments and overlook the weaknesses in the plots.

Some live-action Disney movies are true classics (Old Yeller, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Mary Poppins), but for those that aren't, I am able to appreciate them for what they were -- good clean family fun in a time when movies had become vulgar, crude and offensive.

Light-hearted Fun with no vulgarity.

[rjholtmus · 10/10 · 11 August 2004]

I am a 61 year old grandfather who is still a kid at heart. I still roar with laughter at the silly antics of the Roadrunner and Wiley Cayote. True, this movies is dated. All movies made in the 1970's are dated now, but this is such good clean fun that I would not hesitate to show this at a children's Sunday School class party. The "surprises" the family finds in unexpected places as they work to refurbish the hotel in time for the ski season; the fact that no one in the family skies; and the shenanigans they go through trying to get various jobs accomplished makes this movie a true comedy classic. In my opinion movie makers, in general, and Disney, in particular, have lost this sense of fun and it is a real shame. If you like this movie, I would also recommend "The Million Dollar Duck" and "Black Beard's Ghost" - also with Dean Jones - and also truly Disney Classics.

Life on the slopes

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 25 January 2015]

Dean Jones may have replaced Fred MacMurray as the Disney Studio's favorite male lead actor for their G rated films. But personally I think he's more the Jimmy Stewart type right down to the stuttering. Never was Dean more like Jimmy than in Snowball Express.

One day in the life of insurance salesman Dean Jones comes David White who brings him the news that he now owns a hotel in some small town in the Colorado rockies. So seeing a chance of escaping the 9 to 5 grind Jones quits the job and packs Nancy Olsen and the two kids Kathleen Cody and Johnny Whittaker and its off to Colorado.

It's quite the rundown little palace they've inherited it even includes a permanent boarder in old prospector Harry Morgan. But Jones sees an opportunity for a ski resort and sets about making his dream come true.

Of course he has to face skinflint banker Keenan Wynn who has his own venal reasons as bankers in Disney films usually do. Wynn is playing essentially another version of Alonzo Hawk the villain in The Absent Minded Professor and Son Of Flubber.

The climax is a snowmobile race with the prize money enough to bail him out of the debt Jones has incurred with Wynn. Young Mike McGreevey can't drive as he usually would so Jones and Morgan have to race Wynn. It's a pretty funny race as is also the rescue of McGreevey when he's left hanging in a tree off a mountainside.

Snowball Express is a nice family comedy from the Magic Kingdom with a little magic in the story.

has some amusing moments

[disdressed12 · 5/10 · 8 December 2008]

there's are certainly a few amusing moments here,and i think i laughed pretty hard twice.overall,though,i thought it would be funnier than it was.it's still entertaining,and it's suitable for the whole family.there's no crude,lewd or potty humour.i think the DVD is missing a bit of footage from the version i viewed on TV way back.there's one hysterical scene that's missing.it's a very memorable scene.too.if you're looking to pass 93 minutes of your time,this movie will certainly do the trick.and who knows,you may even find it drop dead funny.it all depends on your taste.for me,The Snowball Express is a 5/10

Music and Characters

[erness-wild · 10/10 · 30 June 2008]

My family was fortunate in finding a VHS copy of this movie many years ago. I always liked the theme music as the Baxters were driving into Silver Hill. Keenan Wynn has alway been a Disney "villian favourite" for Dean Jones to spar with. His gruff exterior is a great sounding board for other characters to work against. I'm watching the movie now as I write this. I always wanted to find the hotel on Google Earth. I was stuck looking at the real Silver Hill, Colorado until I discovered where it was really made. I had hoped the old hotel still existed as I would be a great place to visit on a driving vacation. It is a great movie to inspire one to take a chance in life and try something different. This movie has all the pluses and comedic characters to last and last. One of my favourite scenes is when Michael McGreevey (Wally) blows up the tree stump. "Ahh darn!"

No matter how you slice it, it comes up Disney.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 22 December 2015]

This is a Disney plot that they repeated many times during the 1970's in their string of fun but generic comedies. Once again, Keenan Wynn a miserly businessman (here a banker) who wants to get his hands on a dilapidated hotel for his own greedy reasons, secretary Mary Wickes seemingly knowing why. New York accountant Dean Jones ("The Love Bug") has discovered that he is the heir to a presumably luxurious, profit making establishment, only to find out that it is in the middle of nowhere infested with bats and raccoons.

Grizzled Harry Morgan moves in as a handyman while Disney regular Michael McGreevey takes an interest in Jones' daughter Kathleen Cody and offers to teach skiing lessons. The only issue is getting the money to re-build the hotel to its full potential, and Wynn won't give him a loan. But when Jones becomes determined to turn it into a ski lodge, Wynn changes his mind, certain it will fail and that he'll be able to foreclose on the hotel. An upcoming snowmobile race just might help Jones gain the money he needs to pay back Wynn after an unfortunate accident destroys part of the hotel, and ultimately, Wynn's motives are revealed with a nice twist delivered by the feisty Ms. Wickes.

This is a by-the-numbers comedy that Disney kept repeating over and over again, and while the situations are amusing, you know exactly how this is going to turn out. McGreevey, often cast as Kurt Russell's sidekick in the series of "college comedies" that dominated Disney's 70's output, gets the young romantic lead here, a nice young man whose innocent claims that he knows how to ski leads Jones into all sorts of trouble. The snowy photography is beautiful and the slapstick is funny, but it's really nothing original. It was frustrating for me to see Mary Wickes, my favorite character actress, lingering around doing nothing, but near the final, she lets it out loose but is lacking the wisecracks of her many other wonderful characters that she played in her long career. Nancy Olson tries her best as Jones' long-suffering wife but is overshadowed in a thankless role, but Johnny Whitaker gets some great moments as the young son. George Lindsey ("The Andy Griffith Show") is also present as the unfortunate victim of Wynn's, blackmailed by him into doing his dirty deeds.

Jones is amusing as the accident ridden hero, getting good revenge on his nasty boss Dick Van Patten in the opening scene, but ending up in several snow-related gags that after a while seem to be repeating themselves. There's the large cowardly dog (hysterically seeming to be a bear in a shadowy night scene), a funny looking train like contraption which pulls skiers up the hill and an underground mine thrown in for visual comedy. It's all pleasant family fun, but the type where afterwards, the only thing you can think of to say is "What next?".

One of Disney's funniest and best!

[jdana · 24 September 2001]

I have a well-worn, copied from tv version of this movie that I watch again and again. The cast is wonderful and the ski and snow-mobile scenes leave me laughing till I cry. Harry Morgan gives (in my opinion) one of his best performances and Dean Jones is in fine form with other Disney regulars making this an exceptional family movie. Could we please see a release in the near future?? Families need movies like these!

Snow Much Fun. Better Than Most Movies In The "Snow Day" Genre

[johnstonjames · 7/10 · 23 January 2012]

um. there wasn't really anything to this film. it's almost judgment proof because how can anyone have a problem with material this unambitious and lightweight. it was pretty much commercial junk from the seventies. it probably has more in common with television of that time period than with theatrical fare. however, as usual with most of the formula Disney live action films at this time, this is a lot better than you would really think something like this would be.

although the budget utilizes the same efficient cost cutting methods always used by Disney, it manages to pull in a polished, commercially slick entertainment. i mean Disney had to keep their audiences coming back so they didn't resort to a "take the money and run" approach that some low budget films and kid's films in particular often tried to get away with back then. it's not that there was much to this film, but it was a lot more engaging and funny then it should've turned out to be.

there is some nice location photography here which was unusual for older Disney films of that time. most things were done "in House" utilizing their regular facilities and staff, or they shot location at the Disney Gold Oaks Ranch. the acting and characterization is a lot better than this deserves as well. the family seems sweet and likable. i've also felt Dean Jone's performances in Disney movies were underrated. a lot of this film clicks and works out nicely and competently for what it is. which it really doesn't profess to do much except pass about 93 minutes.

Harry Morgan was pretty funny here. a lot of the gags involving his "old geezer" routine work and are a "old geezer" hoot. it's also nice to see Fred MacMurray's love interest from 'The Absent Minded Professor', Nancy Olsen.

what really distinguishes this film as Disney fun is the fact that it strangely resembles a old 1940's Disney cartoon short with Goofy that was called 'How to Ski or Shee'. much of the slapstick gags involving ski stunts look straight out of Goofy's toon. if you also own the Goofy cartoon it makes a great companion short to this movie.

there was one guy on IMDb here who claimed in his review that Dean Jones made 75 comedies for Disney. WHAT THE HEY?! no way. Disney's output in the old Burbank days were far less than most studios. Disney only released a few films a year. all the Dean Jones movies for Disney only amount to a about a dozen. geez. get your facts straight people. i guess because fans don't inform themselves much on the old Burbank studio that they don't really know much about their operations and output.

this Disney film is not a great movie or a great Disney film for that matter. but it is still entertaining even after all these years. it's fun nostalgia and it's genuinely funny. most of the old Burbank studio films were. although some of the Disney live action films from the past often amounted to more than this and a good many of them were outstanding.

this movie is a definite must for any Disney fan interested in the Disney archives. if just for that reason alone.

Dean Jones Opens A Ski Lodge

[boblipton · 6/10 · 4 September 2019]

Dean Jones inherits a hotel in Colorado. He quits his job and moves himself, wife Nancy Olson and children Johnny Whittaker and Kathleen Cody to their new home. They discover Harry Morgan and a wrecked hotel and they decide to open a ski lodge, despite knowing nothing about it and banker Keenan Wynn wanting the property for his own, presumably nefarious, purposes.

It's typical Disney family fare in this period, pleasant and episodic. While it begins with story-telling more suited to a TV series than a theatrical movie, by about the 40-minute mark, Frank Phillips' camerawork takes advantage of the winter scenery around Crested Butte, Colorado to turn this into a nicely cinematic -- although process-shot-laden -- effort.

minor Disney film

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 4 September 2019]

Johnny Baxter (Dean Jones) is shocked to inherit a hotel in Colorado from a distant relative. He promptly quits his dead end corporate job and drags his family into the unknown. The place turns out to be a lot less than advertised. He decides to turn the hotel into a ski resort but he needs a loan.

This is a Disney family comedy. It has some screwball physical comedy. It has Dean Jones. It's missing something. Ultimately, I've decided that they need better kids. They need cute kids who are charismatic and funny. The Baxters have a teen daughter beauty and a bratty younger brother. Neither are that compelling and are mostly relegated to secondary action. There is a fun local teen which helps a lot. Harry Morgan is a bit wasted. Overall, this is a minor comedy and a lesser remembered Disney family film of that era.

Unremarkable Disney fluff.

[TOMASBBloodhound · 5/10 · 25 May 2011]

There really isn't much to this early 70s Disney flick featuring Dean Jones and his family moving to Colorado to operate a hotel they have just inherited. Poor Dean Jones! I certainly hope the folks at Disney kept him well paid and provided every amenity he desired in his trailer at this and every shoot. Always asked to play the same character for the same audience, one would think he would have been very tired of it by then. He does play a likable character though.

Though filled with some good skiing and snowmobile stunts, you don't have to look hard to spot the stunt doubles. The close shots are just the actors in a studio with a snowy backdrop behind them as they act like they are skiing down a mountain or about to fall off a snowmobile. This makes the film look VERY dated, as does the opening sequence in an office building. There are some decent other actors in this film. Keenan Wynn gives as good a performance as his character deserves, and Harry Morgan lets a shaggy beard do the acting in his pre-MASH days. Johnny Whitaker has a couple funny lines and good moments in his pre-crack pipe days, too.

The plot deals mostly with the family inheriting the hotel and then trying to fight off the attempts of a shady banker (Wynn) from stealing the rights to it from them. It may not be a great film, but something about it made me look it up after all these years. Maybe it was that cool hybrid snowmobile that Jones uses in the race? Hard to say. 5 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

Great '70s Disney Comedy Gem

[fantasmic1971 · 9/10 · 11 October 2000]

This is another one of those all-star-cast Disney films that we just don't see made anymore...and that's a shame. Dean Jones stars as an over worked blue-collar type that loads up the family and moves them to the mountains. Lots of silly antics; the comedy sequences are timed so right, and the story flows evenly throughout. Harry Morgan is a gem in this film. There are great skiing scenes throughout, and a rip-roaring race at the end. This is a classic '70s Disney comedy that still holds up today. It's out on DVD too, so, if you're a collector, add it to your collection. I did. Yes...from start to finish, you'll laugh enough times to make you want to watch it again!

Up and Down Comedy

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 24 February 2024]

Walt Disney Studios family comedy starring Dean Jones as New York accountant Johnny Baxter, fed up with his dead end office job who one day when arriving at work is told that a relative has died and he has inherited a successful though remote snowy mountain lodge/hotel in Silver City Colorado so abruptly quits and moves himself, his wife and two children there only to discover that it isn't the bustling ski resort he thought, but in desperate need of repair and advertising, but with help of family and friends may just turn it around.

Marginal though appealing comedy is extremely good natured and reasonably realistic, though of course does contain some expected pratfalls and contrived mishaps. Likable throughout but loses steam towards the climax. Still, nostalgia for this bygone era is strong. Costars Nancy Olsen, Harry Morgan, and Keenan Wynn.

Disney on the downhill slope...

[moonspinner55 · 1/10 · 6 August 2006]

"Snowball Express" from the Disney Studios isn't quite as dated as some of their output from this era. There are no hippies or hot-rodders, just dull-as-dishwater Dean Jones inheriting a ramshackle hotel/ski-resort from a deceased relative. When Jones and family pull into a sleepy Colorado town, the folks who give them directions--looking like extras from "Deliverance"--are curiously vague about the hotel (we expect it to look like a one-room shanty), but actually the accommodations are very nice. Jones' teenage daughter has a sour look on her face throughout (which doesn't prevent one of the local yahoos from leering at her), and of course clumsy pop Dean Jones is a regular stumblebum on the slopes, leading to a lot of pratfalls in the slush. Perhaps this square scenario might've benefited from some magical whimsy, for this script is a frozen stiff. * from ****

Trivia about Snowball Express

[snlholmes · 10/10 · 3 December 2005]

Just a couple of comments about Snowball Express. Call it "trivia" if you like. The movie was filmed in Crested Butte, Colorado. I lived half-way between Crested Butte and Gunnison, CO at a place called Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery. I lived there as a kid when the movie was made. My best memory of the movie being made was the scene where Wally (Michael McGreevey) gets stuck in the tree on the cliff and Dean Jones comes to rescue him. This was actually filmed on a cliff along Highway 135 north of Almont, CO about halfway to Crested Butte. I know this because it was right across the highway from Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery and we watched the scene being filmed. As I recall it took a number of days to film the scene and it required traffic to be stopped for each take as the cliff was right over the highway. (This cliff is now gone as the highway has been re-aligned.) In a brief moment in the scene you can see the buildings of Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery where my dad worked. As another trivia bit, I can remember the snow mobile was on display for the open of the movie in the local Gunnison theater.

See part of this movie made was great fun a kid growing up there. I recently bought a DVD of the movie and my kids now love it. Of course, they are very interested to see the old Crested Butte I knew as a kid and they especially like the "cliff rescue" scene.

Delicious ingredients for a delightful family adventure comedy to watch...

[RosanaBotafogo · 7/10 · 15 August 2021]

In the Disney vibe of the 70s, another delicacy from the sunny "Sessão da Tarde", the translation of the title is not conducive, but the movie is very tasty, a cute, loving, hopeful and lively family, a hotel in the middle of nowhere on ice, two more than clumsy helpers, delicious ingredients for a delightful family adventure comedy to watch...

Typical '70s Disney slapstick

[Wizard-8 · 3/10 · 4 September 2019]

While this style of Disney slapstick had brought in a considerable amount of box office gold in the 1960s when Walt Disney was still alive, by the time this film rolled by (several years after Disney's death), it was starting to give the studio a bad name. Even for 1972, this movie must have seemed extremely familiar and predictable for audiences at the time; I was able to guess pretty much how the movie would unfold long before it actually unfolded in front of me. The screenwriter and director seemingly made no effort to punch things up to make the comedy and story more lively and unpredictable. As for the cast, while Harry Morgan and Keenan Wynn do add a little life in their scenes, central star Dean Jones can't do much. He does put in some of his trademark likability, but he is saddled with such a stupidly written character that even child viewers will become frustrated watching him. The winter scenery looks nice, and some of the ski and snowmobile stunt work does add a little life, but it's little compensation for such an overall tired formula executed in such a tiring manner.

The Hotel

[scotty-1313 · 15 July 2007]

We still watch this movie often and still laugh a lot at it. It's one of our favorites. We still often joke about the name on the snowmobile. Does anyone know where the hotel scene was shot and if the hotel still stands? Was it built for the movie? Was it in the Crested Butte area? We visited Crested Butte today, and yes, it looks quite a bit different from the movie. I also wonder if the scenes at the bank were shot in this area or in a studio. I agree with other posts that Harry Morgan was superb. The look on his face when he talked about getting the skiers in where it was warm was absolutely priceless. Keenan Wynn was a great conniving heavy in his role, and Mary Wickes perfect as his secretary.