C.H.O.M.P.S. 1979 G, 89 min. Genre: Family
Director: Don Chaffey Cast: Wesley Eure, Valerie Bertinelli, Conrad Bain, Chuck McCann, Red Buttons, Hermione Baddeley, Jim Backus, Larry Bishop, Robert Q. Lewis, Austin Willis
A young inventor (Wesley Eure) comes up with a computer-controlled dog and is immediately beset by business woes. The title is an acronym for "Canine Home Protection System."
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Danger Within 1959 N/R, 105 min. Genre: Drama aka: Breakout
Director: Don Chaffey Cast: Richard Todd, Bernard Lee, Michael Wilding, Richard Attenborough, Dennis Price, Donald Houston, William Franklyn, Vincent Ball, Peter Arne, Hazel Court
A pretty good tale of British POWs attempting to break out of a prison camp during World War II. There must be a traitor amongst them.
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The Gift of Love 1978 TV, 95 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Don Chaffey Cast: Marie Osmond, Timothy Bottoms, David Wayne, James Woods, Anne Ramsey, Bethel Leslie, June Lockhart, Donald Moffat, Sondra West, Robert Pierce, Fred Stuthman, Peggy Rea
Poor, Swiss immigrant Rudi Miller (Timothy Bottoms) and upper-class Beth Atherton (Marie Osmond) meet; fall in love; and, despite the odds, live happily ever after.
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Greyfriars Bobby 1961 N/R, 91 min. Genre: Family / Drama
Director: Don Chaffey Cast: Donald Crisp, Laurence Naismith, Alex Mackenzie, Kay Walsh, Vincent Winter, Gordon Jackson, Duncan Macrae, Andrew Cruickshank, Moultrie Kelsall, Freda Jackson, Joyce Carey, Jameson Clark, Rosalie Crutchley, Bruce Seton, Jack Lambert
This Disney film–set in Edinburgh, Scotland, during 1865–relates the story of a skye terrier named "Bobby" that returns to its deceased master's grave every night. The problem is that Greyfriars Cemetery does not allow dogs on the property. The caretaker, John Brown (Donald Crisp), becomes attached to Bobby, which puts him at odds with Constable MacLean (Duncan Macrae) who wants Bobby arrested if John will not pay Bobby's license fee. Now, the children of Edinburgh raise the money, and Bobby becomes the neighborhood pet. Based on a true story.
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Jason and the Argonauts 1963 G, 104 min. Genre: Animation / Family / Adventure / Fantasy aka: Jason and the Golden Fleece
Director: Don Chaffey Cast: Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith, Niall MacGinnis, Michael Gwynn, Douglas Wilmer, Jack Gwillim, Honor Blackman, John Cairney, Patrick Troughton, Andrew Faulds, Nigel Green
Master stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen really makes this a fantasy to watch. Based on Greek mythology, Jason (Todd Armstrong) is heir to the throne of Thessaly, but it is ordained that he must first return the magical Golden Fleece. Thus, under the protection of the goddess Hera, he and his crew set sail, encountering many obstacles along the way–including a seven-headed reptile, a 100-foot tall live statue, and an army of skeletons.
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The Magic of Lassie 1978 G, 99 min. Genre: Family
Director: Don Chaffey Cast: James Stewart, Mickey Rooney, Pernell Roberts, Stephanie Zimbalist, Alice Faye, Michael Sharrett, Mike Mazurki, Gene Evans, Lane Davies, Robert Lussier
Lassie's custody is taken over by a spiteful man (Pernell Roberts) whose bid to buy the vineyards of Lassie's family was turned down.
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Pete's Dragon 1977 G, 128 min. Genre: Family
Director: Don Chaffey Cast: Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, Sean Marshall, Jim Backus, Shelley Winters, Jeff Conaway, Charlie Callas, Robert Foulk, Jane Kean, Charles Tyner, Gary Morgan, Cal Bartlett, Walter Barnes
Pete (Sean Marshall) is a nine year-old, orphaned boy in Maine who runs away from his foster family. Along the way, Pete encounters a 12-foot tall dragon named Elliott (voice of Charlie Callas), and they become friends. Elliot is visible only to Pete, and they arrive in the ocean-front town of Passamaquaddy where problems arise. Nora (Helen Reddy) takes Pete to her home in the lighthouse where her father, Lampie (Mickey Rooney), invites him to live with them, and they form a "new" family–despite problems from con artist Dr. Terminus (Jim Dale).
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Ride a Wild Pony 1975 G, 91 min. Genre: Family / Adventure aka: Born to Run
Director: Don Chaffey Cast: Michael Craig, John Meillon, Robert Bettles, Eva Griffith, Graham Rouse, Alfred Bell, Peter Gwynne, John Meillon Jr., Roy Hadrick, Kate Clarkson, Melissa Jaffer, Lorraine Bayly, Wendy Playfair, Elizabeth Alexander
Disney Studios succeeds again in this film about two troubled children in the Australian outback, Scotty Pirie (Robert Bettles) and Josie Ellison (Eva Griffith), who vie for the ownership of a beloved pony. Scotty and Josie are not happy about sharing the pony, and their displeasures lead to a court battle that divides the town. The story is based on James Aldridge's novel, "A Sporting Proposition."
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The Three Lives of Thomasina 1963 N/R, 97 min. Genre: Family
Director: Don Chaffey Cast: Patrick McGoohan, Susan Hampshire, Karen Dotrice, Vincent Winter, Denis Gilmore, Laurence Naismith, Finlay Currie, Jean Anderson, Wilfrid Brambell, Francis De Wolff
Thomasina is a Scottish cat that is loved by its mistress, Mary MacDhui (Karen Dotrice), and undergoes numerous crises in this enjoyable Disney film.
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The Viking Queen 1967 N/R, 91 min. Genre: Adventure
Director: Don Chaffey Cast: Don Murray, Carita, Donald Houston, Andrew Keir, Adrienne Corri, Niall MacGinnis, Wilfrid Lawson, Nicola Pagett, Percy Herbert, Patrick Troughton, Sean Caffrey, Denis Shaw
In the first century, Queen Salina (Carita) rules the native Britons after the death of her father, King Priam. She honors his deathbed wish that she share her rule with Roman Governor Justinian (Don Murray) in order to maintain peace. All goes well–until Justinian and Salina fall in love, and enemies on both sides come to the fore.
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| 1. C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979)
2. Danger Within (1959) aka: Breakout
3. The Gift of Love (1978)
4. Greyfriars Bobby (1961)
5. Jason and the Argonauts (1963) aka: Jason and the Golden Fleece
6. The Magic of Lassie (1978)
7. One Million Years B.C. (1966)
8. Pete's Dragon (1977)
9. Ride a Wild Pony (1975) aka: Born to Run
10. The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963)
11. The Viking Queen (1967)
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