Adventures Of Bullwhip Griffin (1967)

After losing the family fortune, a young Boston lad (Bryan Russell) and the family butler (Roddy McDowall) stowaway on a ship bound for the California Gold Rush. Based on the novel THE GREAT HORN SPOON by Sid Fleischman and directed by James Neilson (THE MOON SPINNERS). It's an energetic live action cartoon with all the performances played very broadly. In style, it reminds me of Blake Edwards' THE GREAT RACE but without all the extreme excess. That in itself is a compliment but I wouldn't take that as a recommendation. It's never boring, I'll give it that but it's not very fresh either. It's nice to see Roddy McDowall in a leading man role for a change and Suzanne Pleshette gets to sing (she's not bad) and dance as a saloon entertainer. With Karl Malden, Harry Guardino, Mike Mazurki, Hermione Baddeley, Richard Haydn and Joby Baker.