The Gnome-Mobile (1967)

An eccentric millionaire and his grandchildren are embroiled in the plights of some forest gnomes who are searching for the rest of their tribe. While helping them, the millionaire is ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Ellis Kadison (screenplay), Upton Sinclair (book)

Stars:

Walter Brennan, Matthew Garber, Karen Dotrice

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Walter Brennan	...	D.J. Mulrooney / Knobby
Matthew Garber	...	Rodney Winthrop
Karen Dotrice	...	Elizabeth Winthrop
Richard Deacon	...	Ralph Yarby
Tom Lowell	...	Jasper
Sean McClory	...	Horatio Quaxton
Ed Wynn	...	Rufus
Jerome Cowan	...	Dr. Ramsey
Charles Lane	...	Dr. Scoggins
Norman Grabowski	...	Male Nurse
Gil Lamb	...	Gas Attendant
Maudie Prickett	...	Katie Barrett
Cami Sebring	...	Violet

Storyline

An eccentric millionaire and his grandchildren are embroiled in the plights of some forest gnomes who are searching for the rest of their tribe. While helping them, the millionaire is suspected of being crazy because he's seeing gnomes! He's committed, and the niece and nephew and the gnomes have to find him and free him.

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Plot Keywords:

gnome | forest | child driving a car | kidnapping | kidnapper | 

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Taglines:

Take off your brakes and Laugh!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 July 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Automobil za patuljke

Filming Locations:

Big Basin, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Matthew Garber's final film role. He died of hemorrhagic necrotising pancreatitis on June 13, 1977, at the age of 21, in Hampstead, London, England.

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Connections

Featured in The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics (2008)

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Soundtracks

"The Gnome-Mobile Song"
Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman

User Reviews

Busy, lively live-action Disney feature with plenty to like.

The kids from Mary Poppins are re-united on screen to play modern-day siblings in this likable live-action Disney feature. Also on display are some neat special effects (for the time, anyway), in which normal-sized actors and gnomes seem to share the same screen space.

Rodney (Matthew Garber) and Elizabeth (Karen Dotrice) arrive in San Francisco to meet up with their grandfather D.J Mulrooney (Walter Brennan), who runs a successful lumber company. They drive out to a redwood forest for a picnic, where Elizabeth happens across a gnome named Jasper (Tom Lowell), who begs her for help. Seems Jasper's grandpa Knobby (Brennan, again) is on the verge of death-by-depression because he thinks that he and Jasper are the world's only remaining gnomes and has lost all hope of seeing young Jasper finding a wife. Rodney, Elizabeth and D.J agree to help the gnomes by driving them to other forests further up the coast. En route, an opportunistic freak-show boss, Quaxton (Sean McClory), catches a glimpse of the gnomes and kidnaps them for his carnival. Matters worsen when D.J tries to get his own security agents to lead the hunt for the kidnapped gnomes, for they dismiss his orders as the ramblings of a mad-man and have him locked away in an asylum. Rodney and Elizabeth are the only ones who can free their grandfather, rescue the gnomes, and find a bride for Jasper before it's too late!

Generally-speaking the film is likable and entertaining. Brennan is always a pleasure to watch and this is no exception (in fact, a double-pleasure as he has a dual role). Both child-actors are pretty good, especially Garber who demonstrates an understanding of comic timing/underplaying that most kids just don't have. The special effects are impressive for 1967, with convincing visual trick work to have the gnomes interacting with the humans, and some well done talking-animal-scenes at the beginning of the film. There are a few drawbacks. The title song 'Gnome-Mobile' is truly horrible, and McClory's villain isn't built up enough to make him a hissable bad guy. He just sort of appears in a few scenes looking shady, then disappears from the story without his role in it amounting to very much.

On the whole, I like The Gnome-Mobile. It's harmless fun, with an inventive plot, enjoyable performances and lots of agreeably zany episodes.