Boston proper meets the Wild West as Roddy McDowall, Suzanne Pleshette, and Karl Malden star in a fish-out-of-water comedy for everyone! To restore his family’s lost wealth, a young Boston lad stows away on a ship bound for the California Gold Rush. When their very proper butler gives chase, all roads lead to nonstop adventure, wild and woolly characters, and a lucky punch that leads to a bonanza of belly laughs! You’ll discover a fortune of family fun in this classic Disney film — perfect for your collection.
Rating: 
(out of 22 reviews)
List Price: $ 14.99
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October 21, 2010
#1
Review by Chris Schweizer
Rating:
Of those countless live-action films that Disney made and seemed to have forgotten about, this is by far one of the best – and now they’re finally releasing it on DVD.
Roddy MacDowell stars as Eric Griffin, a by-the-books, remarkably canny Butler for the Flagg family. When the patriarch dies and the Flagg orphans are revealed to be destitute, Griffin must follow them to the wild west where he proves that good manners and a clever, clear head can help one overcome any situation, from poverty to bandits to bare-knuckle boxing championships. The villian of the show, played over-the-top with delicious relish by the potatoe-nosed Karl Malden, is a treat, and a great counter for MacDowell’s clean, handsome Griffin.
There are laughs, great action sequences, and numerous episodic adventures, but what really makes this movie shine is a strong sense of period. The feeling that this really is the mid nineteenth century, and not a ’60s recreation, is palpable, and is a must for any fan of Westerns, victoriana, steampunk, or just the good old days when “for the whole family” didn’t just mean “for kids.”
For similar enjoyment, check out Disney’s soon-to-be-released dvd of “In Search of the Castaways”, based on Jules Verne’s riveting adventure “Captain Grant’s Children.”
October 21, 2010
#2
Review by Byron Kolln
Rating:
THE ADVENTURES OF BULLWHIP GRIFFIN, a western comedy-rouser from Disney, gets it’s long awaited DVD debut. Roddy McDowall, Suzanne Pleshette and Karl Malden (all veterans of Disney live action films) lead the impressive cast.
McDowall plays a meek butler from Boston, suddenly landed in the wild wild west, in the thick of the gold rush. Romance, adventure and comedy abound with Suzanne Pleshette an eyeful as saloon cutie Arabella Flagg. The cast also includes Harry Guardino, Richard Haydn, Hermione Baddeley, Cecil Kellaway and Joby Baker.
Disney has released THE ADVENTURES OF BULLWHIP GRIFFIN in pleasing 16:9 anamorphic. With the company in the bad habit of releasing most of their back-catalogue titles in fullscreen, this is rather a surprise. Sadly no extras, though having BULLWHIP GRIFFIN finally in digital format has been worth the wait.
October 21, 2010
#3
Review by Charles Wild
Rating:
How can one resist the cast? Roddy McDowell, Suzanne Pleshette (YES, she sings! – and quite well), Karl Malden and a host of classic western stars. A very fun family film that has a fun story that takes many different directions – It will be nice on DVD, though only disappointment is that Disney NEVER does any extras at all on these old “claasics”.
October 21, 2010
#4
Review by M. Bergamin
Rating:
After finishing the book BY THE GREAT HORN SPOON with my 4th graders, I wanted to reward them at the end of the year with a video. I had heard there was a movie version of the book, and was thrilled to find this video. Yes, there are differences betweent the book and video, but nonetheless, my students thoroughly enjoyed “The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin” with tons of positive comments and much laughter. I am so pleased to have purchased this video as I was highly entertained myself. This is a must-have buy for any teacher who completes a unit on the California gold rush! The video was certainly a hit, but make sure you read BY THE GREAT HORN SPOON, as well!
October 21, 2010
#5
Review by Kirsten Karns
Rating:
A series of extremely funny accidents take a butler, a boy and an independent young woman off to California for the gold rush.
They keep getting rich, and then losing it.
The whole movie is full of wonderful quotes that make you want to repeat them at random moments:
“Oh. Well, now I shall be forced to trounce the scoundrel!”It’s just an unwilling hero story, but so well done that you will always remember it. And who could pass up a butler with a theme song?