Willingness to pay $250 and up for a DVD must
mean you want it very bad. One that goes that high, and often, is Dr. Syn: The
Scarecrow Of Romney Marsh, a Walt Disney production done in England and
released theatrically there in December 1963. From that 90 minute acorn came
fuller growth of three episodes shown through February 1964 on NBC and Disney's
The Wonderful World Of Color, a Sunday night ritual for tens of millions of
viewers, this a larger audience than for any WD feature during the 60's
where admission was charged. Was there a modern-day cult for Dr. Syn aka
Scarecrow? One could but guess before Disney issued its Limited Edition DVD (part of
the Treasures series) in November 2008. 39,500 units were pressed, then sold
out within three weeks of release. Snooze and lose was lesson learned hard as Christmas
buyers for that year came away with empty socks. It became known that Disney
had done its smallest Treasures run so far with Dr. Syn, this after they spent a pile
restoring the shows (and feature version) for DVD.
Fans frustrated by the shortfall went online to
vent: 177 comments so far at Amazon's Dr. Syn page where "only 2"
discs are left in stock, each withsticker of $349.95. I went to Ebay from curiosity to see what folks are
actually paying ... seems several are willing to part with $250 on Buy-It-Now
basis, while bids routinely go that high when ones come up forauction. DVD
format has been around so short a time as to make it seem incredible (at least to
me) that certain discs could become so rare, if unattainable, but consider fact
that other Walt Disney Treasure sets, with tin containers each numbered,
command prices approaching Dr. Syn (The Chronological Donald: Volume Four and
Zorro: Season One and Two, for instance). Disney's apparent disinterest in
re-pressing the discs have sent fans into paroxysms of rage, enough to raise
legitimate question of, What was so great about Dr. Syn to begin with?
I never caught the Scarecrow's act on NBC, even
though it first-ran over weeks before, and after, I'd turn ten. Chances are I
tuned in, as was routinely the case, to watch World Of Color's dynamic opening
(in B/W, alas), then Walt's intro, followed by flake-out when his show failed
to engage. I'd been hooked by previous Prince and The Pauper in three parts (3/62),
and would be again when The Fighting Prince Of Donegal came to primetime.These
are the ones I'd be more inclined to revisit, to satisfy sentiment if not to be
perhaps let down after fifty odd years. To Dr. Syn I came with objective but
open mind, having pre-ordered the DVD back in '08, but not breaking its seal
until alert to how coveted it's become. How does Dr. Syn play minus buffer of
nostalgia? ... that is, without waft of footie pajamas and cinnamon toast
as accompany? I got through one and a half of the episodes, so far, plus main
titles of the feature version (which Disney actually released to US theatres in
1975), and extras that expanded on Dr. Syn's literary background and Disney UK
ventures from 1950 onward.
The title character is an outlaw, but as Walt
assures us in all three intros, he steals from the rich to help the needy, and
his crimes never involve killing or even violence beyond an occasional sock to
the jaw. Shots are fired, but no one's ever hit, other than redcoats having
pistols shot from a threatening hand, the Scarecrow utilizing same benign
method to disarm opponents as Roy Rogers and other white-hats that played to
kid attendance. There is endless eavesdrop at doors and "outwit" of
villainy by a hero who rides to backdrop of a theme song that plays in entirety
with begin of all three segments. What all this amounts to is rather bloodless
"high adventure" (as in not one drop) and strictest adherence to code
of Disneyconduct. What works is production polish way beyond level to which
mid-60's TV viewers were accustomed. Shooting in England meant dollars went further,
and for such outlay, plus rich locations used, Disney could make three-parts on
the tube into a real event, at least for youngsters filling last idle hours
before starting another week of school.
A surprise that came of Disney's restoration:
Dr. Syn was shot in 1.65 widescreen format, and the DVD presents it that way,
adding class to what was already there a half-century ago. Brilliance of Disney
was how they could make a Dr. Syn pay and keep on paying, via broadcast and
repeat of same, a comic book, nay a series of those, plus records both single
and LP, even an 8mm release of highlights from the show. No wonder Dr. Syn
stayed in consciousness of that generation coming up through the 60's. There
wasVHS made available in the 80's,
these still in demand thanks toscarcity of the DVD. Disney had by time of Dr.
Syn built limitless levels of revenue raising for whatever entertainment they
produced. For their comparatively modest invest toward Dr. Syn, I'd love to know what
dizzying profit it has generated over a past fifty years. Advice to Disney:
Press another 100,000 or so of the DVD while its most eager fan base is still
ambulatory enough to go out and buy.
Disney was looking for another period hero franchise after the successes of Zorro and Davy Crockett. Of all the "second-generation" attempts like Texas John Slaughter, Swamp Fox, and Elfego Baca, Dr Syn (though it had fewer episodes than most of the others) remains the most memorable due to the catchy theme song and Patrick McGoohan's magnetic performance.
And then there is Hammer's NIGHT CREATURES...a fine, briskly paced actioneer starring the inimitable Peter Cushing. Among Hammer's swashbucklers, I'd rank it one of the best. Thankfully it's more obtainable than DR. SYN (Disney should take note of the demand).
Let me tell you, as someone who watched the original "Scarecrow" airing -- that show had almost as much of an impact on my siblings and me as did the Beatles on Ed Sullivan the same month. (Thank God Disney aired at 7 and Sullivan at 8!) We went so far as to record the theme song on our old reel-to-reel.
I never forgot "Scarecrow" and put an early order in on Amazon when it became available. I then ran it for my wife and daughter (then 12 years old) on three consecutive Sundays -- including the credits and Disney's intro -- and let me tell you they loved it as much as I did in '64. It's probably the classiest-looking live-action feature Disney ever made, and McGoohan is brilliant.
The only problem I have with it is that one scene in part 1 is repeated in part 3 for no good reason. But the rest -- total classic.
This was the last television program I watched before my army officer father was sent to France, where we didn't even have a television set. My memories of this show are that we watched it together as a family,and the scarecrow galloping on his horse. Since that time, I've learned to admire the acting of Patrick McGoohan,and would love to see this on an affordable DVD or Blu-ray.
Donald Benson considers what might have become of Disney's Scarecrow, and why ...
I had a pet theory about the scarcity of the Scarecrow: Especially in the context of the 60s, it's surprisingly subversive: -- Dr. Syn's business is tax evasion, pure and simple. He helps the poor by helping them smuggle. And in the first episode he explains to his sidekick that his goal is civil disobedience as much as feeding the hungry. -- The first episode is about foiling the press gang -- in other words, draft dodging. (This is mostly missing from the DVD movie version). It also sets up that the kindly good-guy squire quietly hates the military, because his son was pressed into service. -- The second episode gets very dark, about a poor schlep who's pressured into informing and then gets the full treatment from the Scarecrow, who's darn near a supervillain in this one. The "trial" of the informer is solid goosebump stuff. -- The third episode has Syn and company rescuing the squire's son, a deserter from a brutal navy ship. In a happy epilogue the token romantic lead effectively scuttles his superior's career and tells the squire's daughter he's resigning his officer's commission.
Zorro turned his blade on crooks and cons as well as corrupt officials, and he was above all a good citizen of Spain. Elfago Braca was a lawman, and the Swamp Fox was fighting for America. Scarecrow was always set against The Man, with a side of anti-military sentiment. Maybe there was some blowback that gave the studio pause about exploiting him further (Disney also did "Young Dick Turpin," a sympathetic yarn about the infamous bandit's beginnings. That, so far as I know, has never resurfaced anywhere).
Another possible issue: Disney adapted a modern novel based on an older series of books. Hammer, at the same time, went back to those earlier books for its own take ("Captain Clegg"/"Night Creatures"). While lawyers kept Hammer away from anything too similar, Disney might not have been willing to invest any more money in a franchise they couldn't monopolize, or at least keep from non-Disney knockoffs (Hammer's version is good, but extremely grim).
Somewhere in the 70s Dr. Syn made it to American theaters on a double bill with "Treasure Island." I remember matching posters, full length portraits of Long John Silver ("Pirate's Gold!") and the Scarecrow ("Smuggler's Loot!"). The movie version also appeared on VHS, and I somehow remember it as running longer than the version on DVD, thanks to the press gang segment being tossed in.
Going off topic, and to your yesterday's post. I found this German program for GIDEON'S DAY (It had a difficult watermark, but I removed it). The title in parenthesis is from the American version, but the print was in Technicolor.
John McElwee has an interesting theory about why Dr Syn failed. Could the anti-war and anti-Establishment themes be the reason the pro-American Revolution aspects (including helping a "traitor" supporting American independence and Syn's speeches about a "new spirit of freedom" were inserted? They weren't in the original novels.
I had a similar experience. The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh was life changing and inspiring for me and my teenage friends. We loved horses, too, and would sometimes don cloaks and ride and create our own adventures with The Scarecrow 🙂
12 Comments:
Disney was looking for another period hero franchise after the successes of Zorro and Davy Crockett.
Of all the "second-generation" attempts like Texas John Slaughter, Swamp Fox, and Elfego Baca, Dr Syn (though it had fewer episodes than most of the others) remains the most memorable due to the catchy theme song and Patrick McGoohan's magnetic performance.
And then there is Hammer's NIGHT CREATURES...a fine, briskly paced actioneer starring the inimitable Peter Cushing. Among Hammer's swashbucklers, I'd rank it one of the best. Thankfully it's more obtainable than DR. SYN (Disney should take note of the demand).
Perhaps it's time for a remake?
Let me tell you, as someone who watched the original "Scarecrow" airing -- that show had almost as much of an impact on my siblings and me as did the Beatles on Ed Sullivan the same month. (Thank God Disney aired at 7 and Sullivan at 8!) We went so far as to record the theme song on our old reel-to-reel.
I never forgot "Scarecrow" and put an early order in on Amazon when it became available. I then ran it for my wife and daughter (then 12 years old) on three consecutive Sundays -- including the credits and Disney's intro -- and let me tell you they loved it as much as I did in '64. It's probably the classiest-looking live-action feature Disney ever made, and McGoohan is brilliant.
The only problem I have with it is that one scene in part 1 is repeated in part 3 for no good reason. But the rest -- total classic.
This was the last television program I watched before my army officer father was sent to France, where we didn't even have a television set. My memories of this show are that we watched it together as a family,and the scarecrow galloping on his horse. Since that time, I've learned to admire the acting of Patrick McGoohan,and would love to see this on an affordable DVD or Blu-ray.
Not too shabby for a remake of a 1937 George Arliss film.
Donald Benson considers what might have become of Disney's Scarecrow, and why ...
I had a pet theory about the scarcity of the Scarecrow: Especially in the context of the 60s, it's surprisingly subversive:
-- Dr. Syn's business is tax evasion, pure and simple. He helps the poor by helping them smuggle. And in the first episode he explains to his sidekick that his goal is civil disobedience as much as feeding the hungry.
-- The first episode is about foiling the press gang -- in other words, draft dodging. (This is mostly missing from the DVD movie version). It also sets up that the kindly good-guy squire quietly hates the military, because his son was pressed into service.
-- The second episode gets very dark, about a poor schlep who's pressured into informing and then gets the full treatment from the Scarecrow, who's darn near a supervillain in this one. The "trial" of the informer is solid goosebump stuff.
-- The third episode has Syn and company rescuing the squire's son, a deserter from a brutal navy ship. In a happy epilogue the token romantic lead effectively scuttles his superior's career and tells the squire's daughter he's resigning his officer's commission.
Zorro turned his blade on crooks and cons as well as corrupt officials, and he was above all a good citizen of Spain. Elfago Braca was a lawman, and the Swamp Fox was fighting for America. Scarecrow was always set against The Man, with a side of anti-military sentiment. Maybe there was some blowback that gave the studio pause about exploiting him further (Disney also did "Young Dick Turpin," a sympathetic yarn about the infamous bandit's beginnings. That, so far as I know, has never resurfaced anywhere).
Another possible issue: Disney adapted a modern novel based on an older series of books. Hammer, at the same time, went back to those earlier books for its own take ("Captain Clegg"/"Night Creatures"). While lawyers kept Hammer away from anything too similar, Disney might not have been willing to invest any more money in a franchise they couldn't monopolize, or at least keep from non-Disney knockoffs (Hammer's version is good, but extremely grim).
Somewhere in the 70s Dr. Syn made it to American theaters on a double bill with "Treasure Island." I remember matching posters, full length portraits of Long John Silver ("Pirate's Gold!") and the Scarecrow ("Smuggler's Loot!"). The movie version also appeared on VHS, and I somehow remember it as running longer than the version on DVD, thanks to the press gang segment being tossed in.
Going off topic, and to your yesterday's post. I found this German program for GIDEON'S DAY (It had a difficult watermark, but I removed it). The title in parenthesis is from the American version, but the print was in Technicolor.
http://www.cartelespeliculas.com/galeria/albums/userpics/10118/1958_-_GIDEON_S_DAY_-_John_Ford_%28German%29.JPG
Shoot. I think that's the one Disney Treasures I don't own.
John McElwee has an interesting theory about why Dr Syn failed.
Could the anti-war and anti-Establishment themes be the reason the pro-American Revolution aspects (including helping a "traitor" supporting American independence and Syn's speeches about a "new spirit of freedom" were inserted?
They weren't in the original novels.
the wonderful Alan Dobie as Frank Fragg
Play it on Disney channel during halloween. Make a today weekly version.
I had a similar experience. The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh was life changing and inspiring for me and my teenage friends. We loved horses, too, and would sometimes don cloaks and ride and create our own adventures with The Scarecrow 🙂
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