Snowball Express (1972)

When John Baxter inherits a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains, he quits his job in New York and moves the family west to run it. Only to find that the place is a wreck. But together they ... See full summary »

Director:

Norman Tokar

Writers:

Don Tait (screenplay), Jim Parker (screenplay)

Stars:

Dean Jones, Nancy Olson, Harry Morgan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dean Jones	...	Johnny Baxter
Nancy Olson	...	Sue Baxter
Harry Morgan	...	Jesse McCord
Keenan Wynn	...	Martin Ridgeway
Johnny Whitaker	...	Richard Baxter
Michael McGreevey	...	Wally Perkins
George Lindsey	...	Double L. Dingman
Kathleen Cody	...	Chris Baxter
Mary Wickes	...	Miss Wigginton
David White	...	Mr. Fowler
Dick Van Patten	...	Mr. Carruthers
Alice Backes	...	Miss Ogelvie
Joanna Phillips	...	Naomi Voight
John Myhers	...	Mr. Manescue

Storyline

When John Baxter inherits a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains, he quits his job in New York and moves the family west to run it. Only to find that the place is a wreck. But together they decide to try to fix it up and run it. But Martin Ridgeway, who wants the property, does everything he can to ensure it will fail.

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Plot Keywords:

rocky mountains | ski resort | new york city | family relationships | saint bernard dog | 

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Taglines:

Come out and have a real SNOW BALL!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1973 (UK)

Also Known As:

Chateau Bon Vivant

Filming Locations:

Crested Butte, Colorado, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Drunk man in bar: There's a fish in my drink.
Jesse McCord: Not so loud, everybody'll want one!

User Reviews

A ski bum's dream come true!

Brief synopsis: Baxter (Dean Jones) inherits a hotel in Silver Hill, Colorado and quits his New York job to take up proprietorship. Although he discovers the hotel is no longer profitable as such, he sees the potential of converting it to a ski resort. Of course, as you can guess, all sorts of humorous mishaps befall the poor man and his family before he can realise this dream.

This movie was filmed on location in beautiful Crested Butte, Colorado, thinly disguised as Silver Hill. Fantastic scenery here. Crested Butte has changed a lot since this movie was made, but you can see some of the landmarks still.

For many years we had only reel 2 of this movie and never could seem to find a VHS copy. To my great elation, I came across a DVD version a few weeks ago, along with a couple more of my old favourites 'Gus' & 'Big Red'. It was wonderful. They just don't make movies like this any more. I would love to see Disney do more movies like this; but I suppose they are not profitable.

Now, this movie is by no means a masterpiece, but it's so much fun to watch. I like stuff like the tree made of rubber that Dean Jones gets caught on; And the double-tipped skis he (or his stunt double) wears when skiing backwards. That kid's goofy snowmobile was a riot.

Even my teenage kids liked this movie. And I didn't have to worry about objectionable material like I do more recent movies (even from Disney). I figure if it makes me and my kids laugh it's worth it.

I recommend you check this out if you have kids and like to watch movies with them. My rating was a 7 on this one.