The Adventures of Bullwhip GriffinThis rambunctious Disney comedy was based on the novel By the Great Horn Spoon by
Sid Fleischman.
Roddy McDowall plays Griffin, the very proper butler of Bostonian Bryan Russell. When Russell runs off to California during the 1849 gold rush, Griffin dutifully tags along. Master and butler team up with
Shakespearean actor
Richard Haydn, who owns a treasure map. Crooked judge
Karl Malden (a master of many disguises), pilfers the map once Our Heroes reach San Francisco. While endeavoring to retrieve the valuable parchment, Griffin has any number of adventures, ranging from a bout of fisticuffs with ox-like
Mike Mazurki to a romance with Russell's sister
Suzanne Pleshette, a former debutante turned saloon singer. If Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin resembles an animated cartoon at times, credit should go to veteran Disney animator
Ward Kimball, who provided the spirited cartoon transitions between scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide