Olly Olly Oxen Free (film)
Encyclopedia
Olly, Olly, Oxen Free is a 1978
American
black comedy film directed by Richard A. Colla
and starring Katharine Hepburn
. The screenplay
by Eugene Poinc is based on a story by Poinc, Colla, and Maria L. de Ossio. The title is derived from a phrase used in some children's games
.
) and Chris (Dennis Dimster), who are repairing a hot air balloon
that belonged to the older boy's grandfather, a stunt man named The Great Sandusky. They plan to take the balloon aloft to celebrate the man's birthday.
When the balloon is accidentally launched, untethered, with the two boys and their English sheepdog in the basket, Miss Pudd chases after them in her antique car, and manages to wind up riding the anchor dangling from the bottom of the basket. After she is pulled up, the balloon continues to drift south to San Francisco, where a police helicopter shoots it down. The balloon lands on the stage at an outdoor concert where an orchestra is playing the 1812 Overture
.
and St. Helena, California
in the summer of 1976, but it failed to find a distributor until two years later, when it was given a limited release in the Midwest
. In 1981, the film was released in New York City
to indifferent reviews and vanished quickly from theaters.
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
black comedy film directed by Richard A. Colla
Richard A. Colla
Richard A. Colla is an American film, television director and actor.On screen he played Tony Merritt #1 on the soap opera Days of our Lives...
and starring Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
. The screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by Eugene Poinc is based on a story by Poinc, Colla, and Maria L. de Ossio. The title is derived from a phrase used in some children's games
Olly Olly Oxen Free
Olly olly oxen free is a catchphrase used in such children's games as hide and seek to indicate that players who are hiding can come out into the open without losing the game, that the position of the sides in a game has changed ,...
.
Plot summary
Elderly, eccentric Miss Pudd (Hepburn) is the owner of a store she considers an antique shop but most would call a junkyard. She frequently refuses to part with her merchandise because of its sentimental value, but she does agree to sell some items to two small boys, Alby (Kevin McKenzieKevin McKenzie
Kevin Alexander McKenzie is a South African first-class cricketer whose career with Transvaal lasted from his first season in 1966/67 to the final one in 1986/87....
) and Chris (Dennis Dimster), who are repairing a hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
that belonged to the older boy's grandfather, a stunt man named The Great Sandusky. They plan to take the balloon aloft to celebrate the man's birthday.
When the balloon is accidentally launched, untethered, with the two boys and their English sheepdog in the basket, Miss Pudd chases after them in her antique car, and manages to wind up riding the anchor dangling from the bottom of the basket. After she is pulled up, the balloon continues to drift south to San Francisco, where a police helicopter shoots it down. The balloon lands on the stage at an outdoor concert where an orchestra is playing the 1812 Overture
1812 Overture
The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
.
Production
The low-budget movie was filmed on location in CalistogaCalistoga, California
Calistoga is a city in Napa County, California, United States. The population was 5,155 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , 99.30% of it land and 0.70% of it water.-Climate:...
and St. Helena, California
St. Helena, California
St. Helena is a city in Napa County, California, United States. It is part of the northern San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 5,814 at the 2010 census....
in the summer of 1976, but it failed to find a distributor until two years later, when it was given a limited release in the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. In 1981, the film was released in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to indifferent reviews and vanished quickly from theaters.