Snowball Express facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Snowball Express |
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Norman Tokar |
| Produced by | Ron Miller Tom Leetch |
| Written by | Frankie O'Rear (book "Chateau Bon Vivant") John O'Rear (book "Chateau Bon Vivant") Don Tait Jim Parker Arnold Margolin |
| Starring | Dean Jones Nancy Olson Harry Morgan Keenan Wynn Johnny Whitaker Michael McGreevey George Lindsey Kathleen Cody Mary Wickes |
| Music by | Robert F. Brunner Evelyn Kennedy Franklyn Marks |
| Cinematography | Frank V. Phillips |
| Editing by | Robert Stafford |
| Studio | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
| Release date(s) | December 22, 1972 |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Money made | $6,100,000 (US/ Canada rentals) |
Snowball Express is a fun American comedy movie from 1972. It was made by Ron Miller and Tom Leetch, and directed by Norman Tokar. The story is about a man named Johnny Baxter who leaves his regular job to run a hotel. This hotel was left to him by his great-uncle.
Contents
Plot Summary
Johnny Baxter is working at his office when a lawyer tells him some big news. His uncle, Jacob Barnesworth, has passed away and left Johnny his valuable hotel. It's called the Grand Imperial Hotel and is in a made-up town called Silver Hill, Colorado. His uncle said the hotel made over $14,000 every month!
Johnny thinks this is an amazing chance. He quits his job right away. He moves his family to Colorado to take over the hotel. But when they arrive, they find a huge, old building that's falling apart. It has no heat, and an old man named Jesse McCord lives in a shed nearby. Jesse offers to be a bartender, but Johnny makes him a bellhop instead.
A local mechanic, Wally Perkins, explains that the Grand Imperial sits on a lot of land. Johnny realizes they could turn the old hotel into a cool ski resort.
Getting Money for the Resort
Johnny tries to get money to make his plans happen. A local banker, Martin Ridgeway, seems very interested in Johnny's idea. But he also offers to buy the lodge himself. He says he wants to turn it into a boys' school. Johnny says no to selling. So, Ridgeway refuses to give Johnny a loan. He says Johnny doesn't have enough experience running hotels.
Johnny then meets a friendly banker, Mr. Wainwright, at another ski lodge. Johnny pretends to be a great skier. Mr. Wainwright takes him to a very difficult ski run called "Nightmare Alley." Johnny ends up crashing into a tree!
While Johnny is getting better, Ridgeway gives him a check for $3,000. Johnny starts making a list of things to fix at the lodge. Meanwhile, Wally and Jesse try to fix the hot water heater. The heater explodes, making a big hole in the kitchen wall! Ridgeway's check covers this repair, but there's no money left for the ski lift Johnny wanted.
New Ideas and Challenges
Jesse finds an old machine called a "donkey engine." It's like an old steam-powered winch. He ties a rope to it and offers it as a temporary ski lift. Later, Wally uses dynamite to remove a tree stump. The explosion causes an avalanche! This avalanche blocks a train carrying hundreds of skiers. The Baxters quickly bring all the skiers to their resort.
Everything seems to be going well. But then Wally loses his balance while skiing down a steep mountain. He ends up dangling over a cliff! Jesse uses the donkey engine and a rope to lower Johnny down to rescue Wally. However, Jesse accidentally makes the donkey engine slide down the mountain. It crashes right through the hotel! All the guests check out, and the Baxters are out of money again.
The Snowmobile Race and a Secret
Johnny goes back to Ridgeway, asking for more time to pay back his loan. Ridgeway says no. Johnny then sees a sign for the Silver Hills Snowmobile Race, which has a $2,500 top prize. Johnny decides to enter the race with Jesse as his partner. Johnny's wife gets upset, threatening to leave him because he's being so careless. Even though they try their best, Johnny and Jesse just barely lose the race.
Ridgeway comes to the lodge with papers for Johnny to sign. He threatens to take over the hotel if Johnny doesn't sign. He then offers to buy the resort from Johnny. But then, Ridgeway's secretary, Miss Wigginton, tells everyone the truth! She explains that the property includes hundreds of acres of timberland. This land was given to local Native American tribes by Barnesworth a long time ago. The deal was that the land would belong to the tribe as long as they lived there. Since the tribe has moved away or died out, the land now belongs to Johnny's family. Ridgeway wants to buy the resort so he can cut down the trees for wood.
Jesse adds that the land the town was built on was also given by Barnesworth. But it was given with the condition that certain buildings, like a library, had to be built. Johnny's son points out that he hasn't seen a library in town. This means the town of Silver Hill is breaking the old agreement! Because of this, the entire town is built on land that now belongs to Johnny.
Finally, Ridgeway agrees to loan Johnny the money he needs to fix and expand the resort.
Main Actors
- Dean Jones as Johnny Baxter
- Nancy Olson as Sue Baxter
- Harry Morgan as Jesse McCord
- Keenan Wynn as Martin Ridgeway
- Johnny Whitaker as Richard Baxter
- Michael McGreevey as Wally Perkins
- George Lindsey as Double L. Dingman
- Kathleen Cody as Chris Baxter
- Mary Wickes as Miss Wigginton
Other Actors
- David White as Mr. Fowler
- Dick Van Patten as Mr. Carruthers
- Alice Backes as Miss Ogelvie
- Joanna Phillips as Naomi Voight
- John Myhers as Mr. Manescue
