Movie Review – Snowball Express (1972)

Here we are in the heart of winter, so it’s only fitting that it’s time to review a winter-themed movie or two.

The Walt Disney Company has been widely known for producing award-winning, feature length animated movies since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premièred back in 1937.  In addition to producing animated films, Disney also produces a wide variety of live action films, almost all of them being family friendly.  One such film is 1972′s comedy, Snowball Express.

Set in the early 1970s, Snowball Express tells the tale of a New York City family suddenly packing up and moving out into the wilderness of Colorado.  The family had inherited a hotel, and while the hotel’s information seemed promising back in New York, in reality the hotel is in a state of disarray and hasn’t seen customers in years.  It’s up to the family to face the challenges of cleaning the hotel and turning the deserted building into a successful business, all without anybody having any experience in the hospitality industry.

Directed by Norman Tokar, Snowball Express stars Dean Jones as John Baxter, father of the family and heir to the hotel.  Nancy Olsen plays his wife Sue, and Kathleen Cody and Johnny Whitaker play their children, Chris and Richard.  Keenan Wynn has the role of the evil banker Martin Ridgeway, Michael McGreevey is Wally Perkins, a local in town, and Dick Van Patten has a cameo as John Baxtor’s boss, Mr. Carruthers.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

Snowball Express begins in New York City as John Baxter (Dean Jones) arrives for work at the insurance company.  He’s greeted first by an unhappy boss, Mr. Carruthers (Dick Van Patten) and then a probate attorney.  The attorney informs John that his great uncle, Jacob Barnsworth, died, and John Baxter was the only kin they could find.  As a result, Baxter inherited Jacob’s estate, the Grand Imperial Hotel out in Silver Hill, Colorado.  The news of the hotel sounds even better as the attorney informs John that the hotel reportedly made a significant amount of money each month.

Seeing the hotel as a golden opportunity to make something of himself, John Baxter quits his job in a grand fashion.  Unfortunately, John’s family doesn’t take the news of him quitting his job that well.  His wife Sue (Nancy Olsen) is dumbfounded of her husband’s idea of packing up and leaving for Colorado to manage a hotel.  What’s done is done, and the family packs up their belongings and makes the trip cross country.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

The Baxter family arrives in the small town of Silver Hill, Colorado, but the Grand Imperial Hotel is nowhere in sight.  What’s even worse is that not even the locals have heard of it.  When John mentions that it was owned by a man named Jacob, all of a sudden everybody knows about “Crazy Jake” and his place.  They give him directions and send him off to “Crazy Jake’s place.”

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

The Grand Imperial Hotel looks majestic from a distance, but when the Baxters walk closer, they find that the building is boarded up and hasn’t seen any paying customers in years.  They explore the once beautiful hotel and find a bat in the wood shed and a family of raccoons living in the oven.  John remains optimistic about cleaning and fixing the hotel, so the family grabs their gear and moves into the hotel.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

That first night they hear a strange sound from downstairs.  Fearing a burglar or, worse, a hungry bear, John Baxter takes the family’s dog and goes downstairs to investigate.  In the kitchen he startles Jesse McCord (Harry Morgan), an old man who had apparently been spending the winters living in the vacant building.  John is about to kick Jesse out of the hotel at night in a blizzard when pressure from his family changes his mind.  He allows Jesse to live with them as long as he works as a bellhop and helps out with other tasks.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

The next day, John Baxter goes into town and speaks with Martin Ridgeway (Keenan Wynn), the owner of Silver Hill’s only bank.  Seeing how John has no experience in the hospitality industry, Mr. Ridgeway refuses to give him a loan.  Instead, he tries to purchase the hotel from John and turn it into an orphanage for boys.  John thanks Mr. Ridgeway for his offer but declines.  He heads back to the hotel to figure how else to secure a loan.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

While out walking through the snow with his wife, Wally Perkins (Michael McGreevey) races by them on a snowmobile and says hello.  Wally casually mentions something about leaving tracks on John’s snow when John stops him, asking him just how much of the snow he owned.  Wally informs him that the hotel’s property goes at least into the local mountains.  Seeing the mountains and all the snow, John gets the idea of turning the hotel into a ski lodge.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

Knowing that he has to look for another bank, John Baxter contacts a bank in a neighboring town and finds a banker who sounds interested in the ski lodge idea.  John agrees to meet with Mr. Wainwright (George Kirkpatrick) and go skiing while talking about the business plan.  Never having skied, John still heads out and meets with Mr. Wainwright on the slopes.  He causes a little bit of chaos while just walking around with the skies, but he finds Mr. Wainwright and the two of them ride the chair lift up the mountain.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

John is terrified to ski after he sees all the skiers falling into the snow, so he fakes an injury and has Mr. Wainwright ski down the mountain ahead of him.  Mr. Wainwright leaves and John tries to find an alternate way downhill.  He instead runs into trouble and somebody angrily pushes him down the hill, sending him off on a wild ski run.  John quickly meets and passes Mr. Wainwright and causes all sorts of chaos while heading down the mountain.  His crazy run is finally finished when he crashes into a tree, injuring himself and knocking over the tree.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

Baxter’s chaotic skiing ended the business deal with Mr. Wainwright, but it caught the attention of Martin Ridgeway.  Mr. Ridgeway claims to have a change of heart and presents him with a small loan from the bank.  All seems well as John goes around the hotel and begins telling Sue everything that he wants to open the business.  Unfortunately, Wally and Jesse have problems with the water heater in the kitchen and the appliance explodes, killing whatever money John had left to spend on a rope tow engine for the slopes.

All is not lost.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

Jesse brings an old tree-pulling steam engine out of storage and they convert that into a rope tow engine to haul skiers up the mountain.  They use Richard’s idea and have the steam engine pull itself to the halfway point on the mountain.  It works great and the ski lodge is ready for customers.

But they need customers.  The hotel sits there empty as tourists and skiers head to the neighboring town.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

One day Wally is out using dynamite to blast a tree stump when he inadvertently causes an avalanche.  The massive pile of snow lands on a passenger train carrying skiers to other lodges.  The train is disabled and John has the idea of bringing the passengers to his ski lodge.  He and Wally do so, and suddenly his hotel is full of guests.  Business is booming as people check into the hotel and order drinks in the bar.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

Things continue to go well the next day as the guests enjoy skiing down the slopes.  Wally works as a ski instructor and tries to teach a class how to ski.  His efforts quickly fail and Wally goes over the ledge, becoming stranded and hanging onto a tree.  Richard ties a rope around his dad’s waist, and John Baxter goes over the side to rescue Wally.  Jesse uses the steam engine to pull them both from the ledge.  The plan works and Wally is rescued.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

Unfortunately, one of the logs falls out of the fire box on the steam engine, and the fire burns through one of the safety ropes holding the engine in place.  The other holder cannot solely support the weight of the engine and it also fails.  Jesse hangs on as the steam engine slides down the mountain pulling along John Baxter who is still attached with the rope.  Jesse blows the whistle and tries to turn the machine, but his efforts are useless.  The steam engine smashes into the Grand Imperial Hotel and crashes out the opposite side.  All of the guests leave the hotel and once again the Baxters are in a bind.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

John Baxter returns to the bank but Mr. Ridgeway refuses to loan him any more money.  He offers to give John a small money gift to get the family safely back to New York City, but John refuses the offer.  John is in trouble as the bank is expecting a payment on the loan at the end of the month.  Seeing an advertisement for the annual snowmobile race, John decides to enter the race and win his family the money.

John assumes that Wally will be able to drive the snowmobile, but when he sees Wally wearing a cast from the previous day’s injury, he knows that that plan won’t work.  He’s going to have to drive the snowmobile himself much to his wife’s horror.  Wally helps fix the snowmobile and get it in top condition, but Sue threatens to leave and take the children back to New York City.  John calls her bluff and enters the snowmobile race anyway.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

Race day arrives and John Baxter and Jesse find themselves starting the race from the back of the pack.  There’s a mishap with the snowmobile’s kickstand, but they figure it out and start the race, already well behind of the other racers.  John has a hard time driving the snowmobile at first.  At one point Jesse gets knocked off the snowmobile and rolls down a mountain, actually getting ahead of John and the other racers.  John has Jesse get back on the snowmobile and they chase the other racers.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

John drives the snowmobile like a maniac and at one point the throttle gets stuck.  This sends them charging forward and they catch up to the race leader, Martin Ridgeway.  Ridgeway kicks John’s snowmobile off track and John crashes into a mountain.  John and Jesse are actually on a mine car and they ride through an abandoned mine and to far side of the mountain.  They crash out the opposite side of the mountain and find themselves far ahead of the other racers.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

Their good fortune turns to bad when they arrive back in town and break the snowmobile’s other ski.  John and Jesse try to lean but the snowmobile won’t turn.  Martin Ridgeway wins the race and with the throttle stuck again, John goes racing away in the wrong direction.  He finally crosses the finish line later that night with the help of a horse.  Waiting for him at the finish line is Sue.  Sure enough she didn’t carry out her threat of leaving and she’s proud of John for trying so hard to save their hotel.

Snowball Express (1972) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

The end of the month arrives and Martin Ridgeway arrives at the Grand Imperial Hotel with his secretary, Miss Wigginton (Mary Wickes).  Mr. Ridgeway is a bit boastful about his plans for the orphanage while John starts to sign the hotel over to him.  Miss Wigginton has had enough of Mr. Ridgeway’s actions and turns against him, telling John the truth about the hotel’s property.

John Baxter learns that Jacob Barnsworth originally signed a great amount of land to the local Indian tribes and to the town of Silver Hill.  The last of the Indians died out and moved away, so that property he deemed to them returned to Jacob Barnsworth.  When he gave Silver Hill its land the bargain had some provisions that including the building of two hospitals along with a library.  No library was ever seen in town, so Richard and his dad inquire about Silver Hill’s property also returning to Jacob Barnsworth which was passed down to John Baxter.  All of a sudden it’s clear that John is the owner of the town, and that includes Mr. Ridgeway’s bank.  Knowing the truth, Mr. Ridgeway is much more generous with the loan to John’s ski lodge and he wants to sit down and talk about the lodge’s future.

Snowball Express with the Baxter family having a joyous time while learning to ski down their slopes.

So is Snowball Express a good movie?

Although the film is dated, Snowball Express is a charming and entertaining film safe for the entire family.  Violence is kept to a minimum, there’s no profanity or adult situations, and no parts of the movie are scary or terrifying to viewers.

Part of Snowball Express‘s charm is its simplicity.  The family finds themselves in a fish-out-of-water situation when they transition from New York City and all its amenities and conveniences, and they find themselves in a deserted hotel out in the Colorado wilderness in the middle of winter.  But the family pulls through and the father keeps finding ways to make their new business survive.  Not all of his ideas work, and some of the outcomes are rather comical, but in the end he and his family prosper.

Snowball Express is just a fun movie.  Hollywood just doesn’t make family-friendly movies like this any more.  I’ve been a fan of this film since first watching it in the 1980s on VHS with my brother.

Fans of winter, skiing, and family-friendly comedies should definitely check out Disney’s live-action classic, Snowball Express.

drunk customer – [shows his drink with a live fish to Jesse] “There’s a fish in my drink!”

Jesse – [quickly covers the drink with his hand] “Not so loud.  Everybody’ll want one.”

[drunk customer nods his head in agreement and quietly walks away]