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Lindsay Lohan as Hallie “Hal” Parker and Annie “Ann” James in the 1998 remake of “The Parent Trap.” (Disney)Disney
The quality of these live-action films took a nosedive after Walt Disney passed away in 1966. In 1961, the kids got “The Parent Trap” and “The Absent-Minded Professor.” In my youth, I got the 1976 double whammy of “The Shaggy D.A.” and “Gus.” I also bore witness to “The Cat From Outer Space,” who landed on a military base and befriended Sandy Duncan. His collar was a glowing piece of feline bling.
There’s a major gap in greatness between 1957’s “Old Yeller,” which Disney personally oversaw, and 1979’s “The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again.” That latter film was a sequel (to “The Apple Dumpling Gang”), which leads me, in my usual indirect way, to “Freakier Friday.”
The 2025 reunion of Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan is the sequel to their 2003 remake of the 1976 original. That’s three generations of kids bearing witness to the “Freaky Friday” franchise. Considering that all three films are practically the same movie, Disney has become an ouroboros eating its own tail.
But I digress.
In honor of “Freakier Friday,” let’s take a tour through some of the Disney live-action movies I saw as a kid. Consider this a companion piece to my 2023 article on the animated features that made up one half of those summertime double bills. If nothing else, these films introduced me to legendary actors like Helen Hayes, Fred MacMurray, and the star of my favorite movie of all time (“All About Eve”), Bette Davis.
Let’s start with MacMurray, who starred in the aforementioned “The Absent-Minded Professor.” If you’ve seen the 1997 Robin Williams remake, you’ll know that Flubber is a rubber-like material that defies gravity. MacMurray used it to make his Model T fly. By putting Flubber on the sneakers of a basketball team, MacMurray also invented the precursor to Air Jordans.
Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in “Double Indemnity.” Donaldson Collection/Getty Images
As a kid, I knew MacMurray from this film, its sequel, “Son of Flubber,” and reruns of “My Three Sons,” where he’s the lovable Dad. So, imagine how shocked I felt when I first saw “Double Indemnity” as a kid, and “The Apartment” as a teenager. That guy had range!
“The Absent-Minded Professor” also introduced me to Nancy Olson, the co-star of my second favorite movie of all time, “Sunset Boulevard.” It’s the best movie on this list, so it’s all downhill from here.
I first saw Bette Davis in “Return From Witch Mountain,” the second film in the five-movie “Witch Mountain” franchise. Starting with “Escape to Witch Mountain,” the series follows Tony and Tia, two aliens who look like kids. Tia is telepathic and can talk to animals better than Doctor Doolittle. Tony plays a harmonica that gives him telekinetic powers.
Davis plays an evil financier who gives her fortune to an equally evil scientist partner played by Christopher Lee. Lee kidnaps Tony and hypnotizes him to do their bidding. Said bidding includes playing Stevie Wonder harmonica solos while Lee and Davis dance the Latin Hustle.
OK, that doesn’t happen. I’m just checking to see if you’re still paying attention!
“Escape to Witch Mountain,” released in 1975, was the first of a five-movie series.Disney
Revisiting “Escape” and “Return” recently, I was surprised to find them watchable. I also realized that “Escape” may have been my introduction to both Donald Pleasance and Ray Milland. I liked the films as a kid, so maybe there was some nostalgia involved in this viewing.
I wish I could say I had the same reaction to revisiting the film that introduced me to Helen Hayes, 1974’s “Herbie Rides Again.” This is also a sequel, preceded by 1968’s “Herbie the Love Bug.” Hayes had two Oscars and a theater named after her on Broadway, but she had terrible taste in Disney co-stars. Herbie is a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own. It gets into loads of family-friendly trouble like auto racing and jousting with other cars. It often has racing stripes and the number 53 painted on its hood.
Justin Long and Lindsay Lohan take a ride in Herbie, a Volkswagen Bug that can drive itself, in ‘Herbie Fully Loaded.’ RICHARD CARTWRIGHT
Hayes plays Mrs. Steinmetz, the current owner of Herbie. Rather than describe the plot, I’ll just tell you that, as a kid, I thought Herbie was the most boring vehicle I ever saw. He was the “Benji” of automobiles. I hated being dragged to his movies — and there were four of them.
As if he were trolling my childhood, Herbie was eventually reincarnated in theaters in 2005. His owner in “Herbie: Fully Loaded” was Lindsay Lohan.
Speaking of Lohan, that brings me to the original “Freaky Friday.” I saw this one by itself; since it was new, there was no double feature. The original remains the best movie in the franchise, even if the clothes and some plot details trap it in its era.
Mary Rodgers adapted her own 1972 children’s book for this movie. Barbara Harris (of “Nashville” fame) and Jodie Foster played the body-swapping mother and daughter. The casting here was perfect, because you could believe young Jodie Foster was really an adult trapped in a kid’s body.
Jodie Foster in Disney’s original “Freaky Friday” where she plays a teenager who changes identities with her mother.Disney
The year 1976 was a big one for both “Freaky Friday” stars. Harris co-starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s last movie, the much-maligned “Family Plot.” Foster shocked the world by appearing in a violent, adult-themed movie that served as my introduction to the actor.
Of course, I’m talking about “Bugsy Malone.”
Like with its animated features, Disney has been remaking its live action movies for decades now. I hope we get a reboot of “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes,” the movie that introduced me to Snake Plissken himself, Kurt Russell. Perhaps Russell could reprise his role. I’d pay to see that.
Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe’s film critic.
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