This is one of the most charming, magical films – an adaptation of James Barrie’s Peter Pan, the story of the boy who wouldn’t grow up.

This Disney cartoon classic offers flights of fancy that appeal to children’s fertile imaginations.

The ability to fly and be a youngster and never grow up, exploring a fantasy island of Indians, pirates, mermaids and mysterious caves is a powerful pull for young dreamers.

This is a wonderful film that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike!

Soon after Treasure Island when they were back in Hollywood and maybe two to three years later

Walt Disney and Bobby Driscoll

Walt Disney and Bobby Driscoll

One of Bobby’s notable roles was as Peter Pan in 1953. Although he was approaching his teen years, he was perfect as Peter Pan in Walt Disney’s eyes, as Peter Pan would have been the same age.

The film starts in London, where a very proper Wendy has one night left in the nursery before she must grow up. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Darling are out for an office party, and the nursemaid, a dog named Nana is tied up outside for the night. Peter Pan comes and takes Wendy and her brothers John and Micheal away to Neverland, “the second star to the right and staight on til morning”, with the help of the pixie dust from the jealous little pixie Tinkerbell. A sprinkling of the dust makes them fly, just like Peter does. Once in Neverland they encounter mermaids, Indians, but evil Captain Hook. This beloved story will bring you back to your childhood and this delightful score will be hard to forget! It is sure to have you singing along!

The production’s artwork is beautiful, and the characters and tunes add to the pleasure of watching this film. Peter Pan is nearly upstaged by his companion Tinker Bell, a temperamental pixie who is jealous and possessive of Peter’s friendship with Wendy. Captain Hook and his shadow, the crocodile, the beautiful mermaids, and Tiger Lily are all memorable characters. The tunes also make this adventure one of Disney’s best.

The film comes so soon after Walt Disney had returned from England, having made his first three Live Action films – although thinking about it, maybe it was being made shortly after Bobby Driscoll returned to Hollywood having starred in ‘Treasure Island’ here.

After searching further though he seems to have been in SIX films between Treasure Island and this one – so my conclusions are wrong

Here is Errol Flynn in a scene from the film. He was a really huge star. He made a few Westerns but we usually associate him the those swashbuckling roles that he fitted perfectly.

Only last week I was on holiday with my family in the Scottish Highlands – we didn’t pass by it but was quite near to the Eilen Donan Castle featured in ‘The Master of Ballantae’

I can see Errol Flynn there – he just belongs there somehow !!

Anyway, back to ‘San Antonio’

Directed by David Butler (with Robert Florey & Raoul Walsh, uncredited)
Written by Alan Le May & W. R. Burnett
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Cast: Errol Flynn (Clay Hardin), Alexis Smith (Jeanne Starr), S.Z. Sakall (Sacha Bozic), Paul Kelly (Roy Stuart), Victor Francen (Legare), Florence Bates (Henrietta), John Litel (Charlie Bell), Paul Kelly (Roy Stuart), Robert Shayne (Captain Morgan), John Alvin (Pony Smith), Monte Blue (Cleve Andrews), Robert Barrat (Colonel Johnson), Pedro de Cordoba (Ricardo Torreon), Tom Tyler (Lafe McWilliams)

Somebody at Warner Bros. had the brilliant idea to bring in the great Western writer Max Brand (real name: Frederick Schiller Faust), pay him a lot of money, and have him write pictures for them.

While at WB, he decided he wanted to be a war correspondent. Faust was sent to Italy to cover the war for Harper’s. He was hit by shrapnel and killed in May of 1944.

Brand’s work on a Western was handed over to W. R. Burnett and Alan Le May, and it became San Antonio (1945) starring Errol Flynn. Brand is not credited in the titles.

Errol Flynn plays Clay Hardin, a Texas cattleman in San Antonio looking for the rustlers who’ve been stealing herds, including his, along the Rio Grande. He ends up locking horns with Paul Kelly and Victor Francen, the crooks behind all the rustling — and who roughed up Flynn in a previous encounter. They’re not very good crooks, either — they have a notebook detailing what they stole and when. Flynn has it and they really want it back.

Along with Errol Flynn himself and Bert Glennon’s incredible Technicolor photography, what makes San Antonio is its cast.

Paul Kelly and Victor Francen are terrific as the villains.

Alexis Smith has real chemistry with Errol Flynn in their third picture together, as the performer he meets on the stagecoach to San Antonio. S.Z. Sakall is a wonderful as ever. John Litel is Flynn’s friend, and he suffers for it. And Tom Tyler is awesome as a gunslinger Flynn encounters near the beginning of the picture. Monte Blue’s in there, too.

Warner Brothers wasted no time in putting Errol Flynn through the paces of several westerns, the best of which was DODGE CITY (’39).

SAN ANTONIO gives Errol Flynn a chance to play another one of his suave western heroes who romances the local dance hall girl (ALEXIS SMITH) so we get a chance to hear a couple of pretty tunes along the way.

It’s a shame that Warners had so little faith in Alexis’ singing prowess that they dubbed her voice for the musical interludes. She went on to become an accomplished dancer/singer on Broadway in the years ahead. Nicest number is “Some Sunday Morning” which actually got an Oscar nomination as Best Song.

It was a case of ’round up the usual suspects’ when Warner Brothers looked to their Contract Players with John Litel, S.Z. Sakall, Paul Kelly, Tom Tyler (wasted in a small role), Florence Bates and Victor Francen.

With a jaunty score by Max Steiner, this is the kind of western you’ve seen many times before, but enhanced by some of the finest Technicolor and set decorations to be seen in any Warner film of this period.

Errol Flynn fans will enjoy it as one of his lesser excursions into the western genre. Fast moving and breezy entertainment.

It was on 1 February 1950 that Gene Markey’s Production for London Films of ‘The Wonder Kid’ was reported as being scheduled to go into Isleworth Studios on 6 February for four weeks studio work to complete the shooting following location work in the Tyrol and Vienna.

Newcomer Christa Winter arrived in England – but there were no other members of the Austrian cast needed.

The first week’s shooting was to be occupied with scenes showing Robert Shackleton, Christa Winter, Muriel Aked and Elwyn Brook-Jones.

Bob Krasker the lighting cameraman whose work on ‘The Third Man’ contributed so much to that film’s success has been assigned to camera work on ‘The Wonder Kid’

February 15th 1950

Karl Hartl directing the film moved into it’s second week – the first week having been taken up with shooting on a composite Salzburg Hotel set, comprising lounge, bedroom, and music room. Bob Krasker’s camera covered scenes between Elwyn Brook-Jones as Gorik, the Wonder Kid’s manager and his secretary played by June Elvin and also between Muriel Aked as Miss Frisbee, the Governess and Paul Hardtmuth as Professor Bindl the music master.

Another member of the cast was a large, amiable Alsation dog having taken over the role of Lowe, from the German police dog used on the Tyrol locations

It often can be a nightmare for any Studio Art Director to match up the location footage to the studio sets so this had to be done carefully and the task fell to Joseph Bato. An even more difficult task was taken on by George Gresty the scenic artist who was called on to provide a large painted backing seen through the window of the Hotel in Salzburg. He had one small photograph to guide him and yet produced a Tyrolean mountainside scene on his vast canvas.

Karl Hartl the Director – over a week – had been shooting scenes on three sets. Credit is due to the Studio staff carpenters, plasterers and painters all ensured that the sets were ready.

After these scenes, Hartl continued for two days on the exterior set of the mountain chalet reconstructed from photographs taken of the location for love scenes between Christa Winter and Robert Shackleton.

It seems the Studio shooting lasted little more than three weeks

BELOW is a portion of a comment left on the imdb site – I suspect I know who has written it :-

This now unjustly forgotten little film is thoroughly entertaining and wonderful to watch and definitely deserves to be restored properly and released on DVD. Apart from the truly picturesque scenery, Bobby Henrey’s performance as the cruelly exploited child prodigy who moves from misery to happiness is just wonderful. Highly recommended.

The Wonder Kid was actually released here in 1952. 

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The Wonder Kid – Pictured again with that lovely dog.